Roasted vegetable soup

1) In a large saucepan, heat one litre of chicken stock.

2) Coarsely puree the roasted winter vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (or use a handheld blender).

3) Pour the soup back into the pot and season, to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it's the consistency you like.

4) Serve with brioche croutons and a drizzle of good olive oil.

For the roasted winter vegetables:

1) Preheat the oven to 210°C/ gas mark 7.

2) Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 2-3cm cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.

3) Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

4) Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Yield: 8 servings

For the brioche croutons:

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas mark 4.

2) Slice the bread about 2cm thick. Cut off the crusts and then cut the slices in 3/4-inch dice.

3) Place the croutons on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing once, until they're nicely browned on all sides. Cool to room temperature before using and store in a sealed plastic bag.

Makes 3 to 4 handfuls.