Raymond Blanc's classic vegetable soup
World-renowned chef Raymond Blanc is in the kitchen, ahead of his new ITV series ‘Raymond's Royal Kitchen Gardens’. All while treating us to a culinary tribute to his mother, Maman Blanc - a fresh and vibrant vegetable soup, showcasing how to take simple produce to new heights.
Maman Blanc’s vegetable soup
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the soup:1 medium onion, diced1 garlic clove, crushed1 medium potato, peeled and diced½ medium leek, 2 outer layers removed, cut into slices1 large carrot, cut into slices 3mm (¼ inch) thick½ celery stick, cut into slices20g butter, unsaltedSea salt and freshly ground white pepper1 litre boiling water40g Frozen peas (optional)40g Frozen broad beans (optional)¼ bunch chervil or parsley
To finish the soup:1 tbsp crème fraiche 3 tbsp pesto (homemade or shop bought)
Method
1. Sweating the vegetables: On a medium heat, in a large saucepan, soften all the vegetables in the butter for 3 minutes, without letting them colour (this helps to extract maximum flavour). Season with 4 pinches of salt and 2 pinches of white pepper.
2. Add 100ml of the water and boil for 3 minutes. Add all the remaining water and bring to the boil.
3, Boil fast for 6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender, add the frozen peas and broad beans (if using) and boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chervil or parsley.
5. Finishing the soup: Whisk in the crème fraiche or pesto. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary, then serve. This soup can be pureed in a blender if you prefer a smooth texture.
6. Raymond’s tip - this soup can be made in batches and frozen. You can use whatever vegetables you have depending on the time of year - pumpkin, squash, celeriac, courgette, tomato etc.