Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large stalk of leek
• 200 g sweet potatoes (1 sweet potato)
• 250 g waxy potatoes
• 200 g pumpkin flesh (e.g., Hokkaido)
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs oregano
• 1 l vegetable broth
• 1 dried chili pepper
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 0.5 handful fresh parsley
• 10 dried soft tomatoes
• 0.5 tsp lemon zest (unprocessed)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean and wash the leek, cut into 1–2 cm rings. Peel, wash, and dice the sweet potato and potatoes about 2 cm each. Dice the pumpkin flesh similarly. Clean, wash, trim the fennel fronds and set aside; dice the fennel bulb. Wash the bell pepper, dice it. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.

2. 2.

   Heat oil in a pan, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add potatoes and fennel, cook for 4 more minutes. Rinse thyme, rosemary, and oregano, shake dry, tie into a bouquet. Pour in broth, add the herb bundle, crumble the chili pepper into the soup. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes, then add bell pepper, leek, and pumpkin; cook for another 10–15 minutes.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile wash parsley, shake dry, and finely chop it together with fennel fronds.

4. 4.

   Dice tomatoes small and mix with lemon zest, a pinch of salt, parsley, and fennel fronds. Stir half the seasoning mixture into the finished soup and taste. Remove the tied herb bundle from the soup. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning over the soup before serving.