Thyme & Ginger Comfort Soup

Vegan

Prep: 10 mins Cooks: 30 mins

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Metric

Imperial

2 tbsp 2 tbsp coconut oil
10 cm 10 cm gingerpeeled and grated, plus extra to serve
2 tsp 2 tsp ras el hanoutplus extra to serve
200 g 7.1 oz new potatoesscrubbed
200 g 7.1 oz carrotscrubbed and roughly chopped
100 g 3.5 oz sundried tomatoesdry, not in oil
25 g 0.9 oz thymestalks tied together with string, plus extra leaves to serve
1.2 l 0.3 gal waterboiling
100 g 3.5 oz spinachroughly chopped
6 6 garlic clovespeeled
1 1 bay leaf

Lunch Dinner Snack

I always recommend broths and soups for patients and colleagues during a viral illness such as the flu. Soups are a great way to introduce micronutrients to support your body’s defences when you’re not feeling strong enough to make a complicated meal or you lack appetite. My inclination is always to make a turmeric and chilli ‘medicinal broth’ like the one in my first book, however it’s not always to everyone’s taste. This is a more lightly spiced version, with thyme and ginger as the central antiviral ingredients. You’ll love the mellow flavours in this and it’s sure to comfort when you’re feeling poorly. TIPS + Avoid seasoning the dish, as the dry sun-dried tomatoes tend to be quite salty. + If you can’t source dry sun-dried tomatoes, use fresh tomatoes instead. + Ras el hanout is easy to find in most supermarkets. It’s a wonderful North African spice blend made with cinnamon, cardamom and coriander.

Prep: 10 mins Cooks: 30 mins

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Metric

Imperial

2 tbsp 2 tbsp coconut oil
10 cm 10 cm gingerpeeled and grated, plus extra to serve
2 tsp 2 tsp ras el hanoutplus extra to serve
200 g 7.1 oz new potatoesscrubbed
200 g 7.1 oz carrotscrubbed and roughly chopped
100 g 3.5 oz sundried tomatoesdry, not in oil
25 g 0.9 oz thymestalks tied together with string, plus extra leaves to serve
1.2 l 0.3 gal waterboiling
100 g 3.5 oz spinachroughly chopped
6 6 garlic clovespeeled
1 1 bay leaf

Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes until lightly browned, then add the spice blend, potatoes, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, bunch of thyme and bay leaf, stirring for a few minutes to marry the flavours in the oil.

Pour in 1 litre of the boiling water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Take off the heat, remove the thyme bunch and bay leaf and add the spinach and the remaining 200ml water. Cover and cook for a further 2 minutes to wilt the greens.

Serve the soup as a consommé or blend the ingredients with a stick blender until the soup has a smooth consistency.

Divide the soup among bowls and garnish with a dash of the ras el hanout spice, some freshly grated ginger and extra thyme leaves.