How To Make Homemade Vegetable Soup Like Mother Used To Make

Homemade vegetable soup has to be one of the most nourishing,especially on a cold winters day.This recipe is how I remember my Mother cooking for me in my childhood.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

50 ml./2 fl.oz.oil
2 onions,chopped
3 carrots,chopped
1 swede,chopped
2 potatoes,chopped
3 celery stalks,chopped
1 x 200 g./7 oz. can tomatoes,drained
125 g./4 oz.dried butter beans,soaked overnight and drained
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 ltr./3 pints beef stock
125 g./4 oz. peas

Method

Heat the oil in a large solid pan and add the onions,carrots,swede,potatoes,celery and fry for 10 minutes,stirring to prevent burning
Add the tomatoes,beans and bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste and pour in the stock
Bring to the boil,then simmer for 20 minutes
   Strain the soup and pour the liquid back into the pan along with about half of the vegetables in the strainer
Discard the bay leaf and rub the rest of the vegetables through the strainer to form a puree
Add the pureed vegetables and the peas to the soup and bring to the boil
Simmer for 5 minutes,or until the peas are tender.

Serves 8