Turnip, leek and potato soup

It is winter, so turnips have flooded the market. I love turnips and try to enjoy them during this time of the year.

This is a delicate soup dominated by turnip flavour. The leeks and potatoes temper the turnips' flavours a bit, and the herbs add earthy notes that complement the vegetables. This is a smooth soup, with mild, delicious flavours. I enjoy it for dinner with a few slices of sourdough bread and cheese.

This book, Six Seasons, is one of my favourites for a variety of vegetarian recipes. The chef's twists on vegetables make me want to cook every recipe in the book, and we will eventually get there. Each recipe has been fabulous, with an excellent combination of ingredients and the perfect recipes to highlight each vegetable; this is a cookbook I should be cooking from every day.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 leek. halved and finely sliced

1 lb turnips, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 bay leaves

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon pepper

6 cups water

Heat the oil in a pot on low heat. Add the oil and the garlic. Sauté until the garlic is lightly golden. Add the leeks and cook over low heat until very soft, about 4 minutes. Do not let the leeks get coloured.

Add the turnips, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, and chilli flakes, and cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the aromatics from the spices are intense. Add the bay leaves, salt, pepper and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Cool, then puree to a smooth soup in a hand blender. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve for a very smooth soup. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. The soup should have the consistency of light cream and coat a spoon well.

To serve, heat the soup and ladle it into bowls. Garnish with a few chilli flakes.