- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 medium-sized potato
- 1⁄4 turnip
- 1⁄2 leek
- 1 large carrot
- 1⁄2 celery stick
- 1 courgette
- 1 ripe tomato
- a large handful of chervil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- plus another to finish (optional)
- 8 pinches of sea salt
- 2 pinches of freshly ground white pepper
- 1.2 litres boiling water
- 1 tablespoon crème fraîche, to finish
Raymond Blanc
15th February 2022
Vegetable and Chervil Soup (Vegetarian)
15 min
This dish is Raymond's One Planet Plate.
A small tribute to Maman Blanc. And I should say to Papa Blanc, too, as most of the vegetables would come from our garden, which was his great labour of love.
The vegetables and herbs can be adapted, according to the season. Chervil is one of my favourite herbs and is very popular in France, but less so in Britain.
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
Method
To prepare Finely dice the onion and the peeled garlic. Peel and dice the potato and turnip. Coarsely chop the leek. Peel and chop the carrot into slices. Chop the celery and courgette. Coarsely chop the tomato and the chervil.
In a large saucepan and over medium heat, soften the onion, garlic and potato in the butter for 3 minutes – this will extract maximum flavour but stir to prevent browning. Season with salt and white pepper.
Add the turnip, leek, carrot, celery, courgette and tomato. Stir and add the boiling water. Bring to the boil, increase the heat, and cook on a fast boil for 5–7 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Stir in the chervil.
To finish the soup, stir in the crème fraîche or butter (or both, if you wish). Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary, then serve. This soup can be puréed in a blender if you prefer a smooth texture.
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