SPICED KUMARA

The easiest vegetable soups are made from vegetables such as kumara, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes and pumpkin, which need only to be cooked, perhaps with some spices such as nutmeg, cloves or cumin, puréed, then thinned down with stock or milk to make smooth, tasty and satisfying soups. Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped ½-1 teaspoon curry powder 75g butter 600g kumara, peeled 1½ cups water 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder (or 1 teaspoon salt)

about 3 cups milk ¼ cup cream or sour cream (optional)

Add the chopped garlic and curry powder to the butter in a large pot. Cook for one minute, until aromatic, then remove from heat.

Cut the kumara in half lengthways, then slice 1cm thick crossways. Add the kumara to the pot with the curry, garlic and butter mixture then cover and cook, without browning, for 1-2 minutes, before adding the water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the kumara is tender.

Stir in the chicken stock powder or salt, then purée the vegetables and cooking liquid, thinning the purée with milk until the soup is the thickness you like.

Add cream or sour cream for a richer soup, and reheat without boiling.

VARIATIONS: • To make spiced parsnip soup, replace the kumara with the same weight of prepared parsnips, and make the soup in exactly the same way, perhaps using cumin instead of curry powder. • To make roasted kumara or parsnip soup, prepare a slightly larger quantity of either vegetable, cut them in larger chunks (about 2cm cubes), brush with oil and roast in a moderate oven with two quartered onions until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Cut off any dark brown pieces before processing as above. Because the colour of both soups is darker, you might like to roast some pumpkin pieces with the other vegetables, so the finished soup has a slight orange colour.