450g. (1 lbs.) Carrots
1 head Celery (or 450g.Celeriac)
2 lge. Potatoes
1 lge Onion
3 cloves Garlic
1 Thumb Root Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
60g (2 oz). Butter
500ml. (1pt.) Vegetable stock ( or water)
Peel the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic and chop roughly.
Chop the celery (or peel and dice the celeriac)
Peel the ginger and chop finely.
Have ready a saucepan with a solid base and a good fitting lid.
Melt the butter in the saucepan and then put in all the vegetables, with the ginger and garlic, and sprinkle over the cumin.
Set the heat at lowest possible and put on the lid of the saucepan.
(If the lid is not a good fit put a butter paper over the vegetables to hold in as much steam as possible)
Let these cook in their own juices until soft ( this can take as long as 30 mts.)
This sweating process concentrates the flavour and brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables, but do check the pot from time to time as the ingredients can burn if too hot.
When the vegetables are soft add in the stock or water and bring to the boil.
Make it into a puree either by liquidizing or by pushing through a coarse sieve. I think that this soup benefits from having a coarse texture.
Bring back to the boil and season well .