Soup
Roasted Vegetable Soup

This recipe was featured on "You're the Chef" episode #211. Buy this episode from WVIA.

Yield: two quarts

Ingredients:

Roasted Vegetables
1 1/2 lb.	Spanish onions, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 1/2 lb.	carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 1/2 lb.	white turnips, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 each	leeks, whites only, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 c.	butter, clarified
Soup
2 qt.	chicken stock or water
1 1/2 c.	tomatoes, canned whole or fresh, peeled and seeded
2 c.	potatoes, peeled, quartered
1/4 c.	fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp.	fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped
1 Tbsp.	fresh thyme, stemmed
1 each	bay leaf
to taste	salt
to taste	ground white pepper
1 pt.	heavy cream
Topping
1 each	loaf, French bread, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices no wider than your serving dish
1/4 lb.	shredded Gruyere cheese

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Roasted Vegetables procedure:
Using a large bowl, coat the onions, carrots, turnips and leeks with the clarified butter. Place them on a large sheet tray or shallow roasting pan. Do not overfill the tray or pan. The vegetables should not overlap a lot. Place the tray into a 400°F oven and bake until they begin to shrivel and brown. The roasted vegetables should be quite golden brown to brown when they are done, acquiring a sweeter taste as they finish browning.

Soup procedure:
Place the chicken stock or water on the stove in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the roasted vegetables. Remove any browned vegetables from the sheet tray using some of the water from the soup pot, scraping the particles as they loosen. Add the liquid and vegetable pieces to the soup.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes, chopped herbs and bay leaf and cook until the potatoes soften. Remove the bay leaf and purée the soup with a food processor or immersion blender. Return the soup to the heat and add the cream. Season to taste. The soup should be slightly thick from the potatoes.

Topping procedure:
Serve the soup topped with some sliced French bread that has been toasted with the Gruyere cheese on top.