* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Winter vegetable soup with dumplings
Bursting with flavour and topped with steamed dumplings, this hearty soup, from the Hairy Bikers’ new veggie cookbook, is a real winter warmer.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr35 minutesmins
Course: Brunch, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: British
Servings: 4people
Calories: 448kcal
Author: The Hairy Bikers
Equipment
Saucepan
Casserole dish
Mixing bowl
Grater
Chopping board
Ingredients
To make the soup
2tbspolive oil
1onionfinely chopped
1celery stickfinely chopped
600groot vegetablessliced or diced
150gbeetroot100g peeled and sliced, 50g grated
3garlic clovesfinely chopped
1tspdried thymeor fresh
50gbarley
1.5Lvegetable stock
2leeksfinely sliced
100gkaleshredded
To make the dumplings
150gself-raising flour
75gvegetarian suet
1tspcaraway seeds
1tspdried thyme
To serve
1tbspparsleyfinely chopped
1tbspmustard
Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan or a flameproof casserole dish. Add the onion and cook gently over a medium-high heat until it starts to take on some colour. Add the root vegetables, including the diced beetroot, but not the grated, and continue to cook, stirring regularly, for another 10 minutes until they start to reduce in volume.
Stir in the garlic, thyme and barley and cook for another couple of minutes. Pour in 1.2 litres of the stock and season. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a fast simmer. Stir in the Marmite (the heat will melt it off the spoon) and partially cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
Add the leeks and kale. Continue to cook until the barley is swollen and slightly al dente and the vegetables are tender – this should take 15–20 minutes. Add more liquid if the soup gets too thick.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings. If you want the dumplings firm and lightly browned, preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6, or you can just steam them on top of the soup. Put the flour into a bowl and add the butter or suet. Rub in the fat, then season well. Add the caraway seeds, if using, and the thyme and just enough water to make a slightly tacky dough. Divide the dough into eight pieces and roll into balls.
Stir the grated beetroot into the soup. Drop the dumplings on top of the soup and either put the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and lightly browned, or cover and leave to simmer on the hob for 15–20 minutes. Garnish with dill or parsley and serve with dollops of mustard or horseradish.