Whenever my sister visits or we meet up in Australia, I always request one of her soups. She is the queen of soup-making! This was a soup she made recently when staying with us here in Portugal. It is a very simple, quick, no-fuss soup.

~Autumn

Donna’s simple mid-week soup

preparation 40 minutes

serves 3 

ingredients

1 Tbsp ghee

2 fresh bay leaves

1 x 10cm rosemary sprig, leaves stripped

2 pinches asafoetida powder

2 stalks/300g celery, roughly chopped

1 tsp fine Himalayan rock salt

1 medium/150g potato, diced

1 medium/250g sweet potato, diced

¼ cup/50g brown basmati rice, rinsed

6 cups water

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

to serve

ghee

grated parmesan or pine nut parmesan

preparation

  1. In a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat, heat ghee, add rosemary leaves, bay leaves and asafoetida and fry till fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.
  2. Add celery and salt, fry for 2 minutes, occasionally stirring.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and add potatoes. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid sticking. Add rice and fry for a further minute.
  4. Add water, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  5. Remove bay leaves. Using a hand blender, puree to the desired consistency.
  6. Add pepper and extra salt to taste. Serve with a spoonful of ghee and grated parmesan.

tip

To save time, saute all vegetables together.