Sweet Potato and Millet Soup

This is a scrumptious and comforting winter warmer which you can actually make from any selection of root vegetables – great if you have the odd carrot or parsnip left over in the fridge!

On this occasion we’ve used millet, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip, turnip, herbs and spices. It’s thick, chunky, filling and perfect with a crusty roll.

Serves 4-6 people.

Organic Millet Grain 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods)

1 cup millet grain

Organic Vegan Bouillon Powder, Gluten-Free, Less Salt 140g (Marigold)

1 pint bouillon stock

Garlic Paste 150g (Hampshire Foods)

2 tsp garlic paste

Organic Bay Leaves 15g (Sussex Wholefoods)

2 bay leaves

Organic Rosemary 50g (Sussex Wholefoods)

2 tsp rosemary

Organic Thyme Leaves 50g (Sussex Wholefoods)

3 tsp thyme

Tomato Puree Double Concentrate, Organic 130g (Essential)

A generous squeeze of tomato puree

Paprika Noble Sweet [Hungarian] 50g (Hampshire Foods)

A sprinkling of sweet paprika

Organic Black Pepper Powder 100g (Sussex Wholefoods)

Pepper, to taste

Sunflower Frying Oil, Organic 500ml (Clearspring)

Oil for frying

Other Ingredients

2 medium/large sweet potatoes (chopped into large chunks)
3-4 small/medium potatoes (chopped into small pieces)
2 carrots (grate 1, chop 1 into larger chunks)
1 turnip
1 parsnip
1 stick of celery
1 small onion

Method

1) Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Add onion and celery and soften for a moment.
2) Add the grated carrot, chopped carrot, garlic and remaining chopped root vegetables and heat for 2 minutes.
3) Pour the stock into the pan, add the herbs, paprika and tomato puree, and bring to the boil. Once the stock is boiling, reduce the heat and cover pan with the lid. Leave cooking for 15 minutes.
4) Whilst the soup cooks, heat a frying pan (or skillet) and add a tiny drop of oil. Heat the millet for 5 minutes or until the millet goes slightly golden. Once the millet is done, add to the soup and cover for a further 20 minutes.
5) If you prefer a clearer soup, you can add more water if desired. Otherwise, once the soup has cooked, hook out the bay leaves, season with pepper and salt, then you are ready to serve.