Corinne Rachelle's Orange Soup
When my son was heavily involved with B’nai Akiva in Manchester, we always had an open house for the break the fast meal, traditionally Yom Kippur, any of the students, visitors, or anyone left at the Bayit, could follow Yosef home, and have a very chilled relaxed meal.
Because I was never sure of how many would come back, we could squash 18 in the dining room at a pinch, but often there was an overspill into the lounge, hall and even sitting on stairs! I was never sure of our guests their likes and dislike, allergies etc. therefore I would have loads of bread, gluten free and regular, dips, usually humas, tahini, chopped herring, egg and onion, loads of crudities and raw vegetables, fresh fruit, Honey cake, and the most enormous pot or two of orange soup.
Once everyone had rehydrated, and eaten, they perked up, chatted and made connections, they normally ran back to the Bayit, to start building the Sukkah, one couple who met at my table and returned regularly on Shabbat recently celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary so the soup must have been OK!
Orange soup – ingredients – 10 portions.
8 carrots peeled and chopped.
3 onions peeled and diced.
1 swede peeled and chopped.
4 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped.
1 butternut squash peeled and diced or ½ kilo pumpkin
2 leeks washed and diced.
3 cloves garlic
4 red potatoes peeled & chopped.
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3.5 liters vegetable stock
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated finely
2 table spoons good quality vegetable oil
A sprig of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
For serving
1 pot plant based cream for swirling
½ cup roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Method
Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onions, garlic, and leeks, and cook on a low light till soft and translucent stirring from time to time, this takes around 10 minutes.
Add all the chopped orange vegetables and the potatoes, mix in with the onion mix, add the herbs and spices, vanilla, and stock put a lid on the pan and bring to a rolling boil, then turn down to a simmer.
Cook on low light simmering for one hour, allow to cool a little, blend with a stick blender till smooth, adjust the seasoning.
Serve with a swirl of plant cream, and roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds for texture.
This soup is brilliant to beak the fast, as it can be made up to five days in advance, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, or it freezes very well, its gentle after a fast, and filling without feeling heavy or bloated.