Well, I don’t have much to say about this soup except that it’s everything you would like a soup to be; warm, hearty, comforting, nutritious and satisfying. It simply brings all the autumn goodness to perfection and when everything’s just right there’s not much to say, only to enjoy… So get your heavy soup pan out and treat yourselves with a bowl of seasonal pleasure.

Soaking dried shiitake and porcini mushrooms

3 medium onions, finely diced
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
(both onions and garlic can be whizz in the food processor to a fine texture)
4 tbsp mild olive oil or coconut fat
2 tbsp rice flour
2 liters (boiling) water
1 tbsp organic bullion powder (I used Dashi, a Japanese shiitake kombu bullion powder)
1 large parsley root, peeled and diced
1/4 celeriac (about 300g), peeled and diced
1/2 smallish Japanese (potimarron) pumpkin, seeds removed and diced (if organic then leave skin on)
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
A handful of dried mushrooms, soaked, drained and finely chopped (I used shiitake and porcini)
250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Nothing compares to the smell of a hearty soup slowly cooking on the stove on a cold autumn day

Heat the oil in a heavy soup pan and cook the shredded onions and garlic cloves for about 10 minuted wile constantly mixing till they are transparent and only starting to caramelize. Sprinkle the rice flour over and mix it well into the cooked onions.

Add the water and bullion powder and mix well. Bring to the boil.

Add the rest of the vegetables, apart from the parsley. Bring to the boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and leave to cook for an hour.

Now taste the soup, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, add your fresh parsley and you are ready to serve and eat!

Tip 1: this recipe is for a large quantity, about 8-10 servings so either you keep the pan in the fridge and enjoy the soup for few days or freeze the soup in small portions to defrost and heat at any time.

Tip 2: for my two little fussy eaters I blend this soup to a silky smooth texture and then they are happy to gulp it all up so this is my suggestion for a ‘child friendly’ version.

Ultimate Autumn Soup