Root soup with lime and giant couscous
This colourful, chunky soup started off very British, thick with seasonal carrots, onions, celery and a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary for flavour. Adding nutty giant couscous, lime, flat-leaf parsley and mint changed the mood completely. The soup reheats perfectly and could be added to with shredded chicken, torn ham or prawns. Garlic bread oozing with butter is a perfect accompaniment.
Serves 4
Prep 20 min
Cook 30 min
Ingredients
4 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
50g butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
4 sticks celery
2 large carrots
1 bay leaf
50g giant couscous
2 vegetable or chicken stock cubes
2 limes
50g flat-leaf parsley
25g mint
Method
Boil the kettle. Halve, peel and finely slice onions and garlic. Melt butter in the oil in a spacious, lidded pan and stir in onion and garlic with ½ tsp salt, thyme and rosemary. Stir for couple of minutes over high heat, reduce to medium-low, cover and leave to soften for 10-15 min, the onion sloppy and soft. Meanwhile, take a potato peeler to the celery and scrape the carrots. Finely slice both. Stir both into the sloppy onion, add the couscous and the stock cubes dissolved in 1½ litres boiling water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 15 min or until the couscous is swollen and tender. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Before serving, finely chop the parsley and mint leaves and stir into soup. Could be served with a splash of olive oil and grated cheese.