Real Home-Style Cooking at its Very Best! You are going to love this! Better it does not get! Promise! One of my Top Favorite Meat Free Monday soups!
NOTES:
If you are vegetarian or vegan you may use your own oils to roast your vegetables.
You may use any vegan cream substitute for serving.
Seasonings are all added according to your own taste.
You may use cream of chicken soup powder to replace salt – Follow the instructions on the back of the package and make it up with given water below in the recipe ingredients.
You may reserve some of your celery leaves and add them finely chopped for garnish or may add them to your soup closer to serving time.
If you would like a stronger garlic flavor, add your garlic cloves whole, to soften closer to the end of cooking time. It may be pureed, with a stick blender directly in your soup, or pot, once the heat has been turned off.
When using whole spices, measure 5 ml at 7.5 ml – Add another 50 % of whole spices into the mix.
Served with a swirl of cream and some of my homemade cottage cheese.
HINT:
Of a previous night's dinner – after having grilled 6 – 8 chicken thighs on a wire rack placed inside the bottom of the wok with the halogen oven head fitted into its extender ring resting on inside, upper sidewalls of the wok (doubling up like an oven). You may use up all your natural chicken stock and fats collected in the bottom of the wok to roast your veggies – I do this directly in my electric wok. Any extra fats you don’t need, you may just place them back into your refrigerated chicken schmaltz pot 
Halogen ovens come with a circular wire rack that will fit snugly up against the lower sidewalls of your wok , and you may then grill directly inside your wok , using the above method, whilst at the same time, catching all your flavorful fats and stock directly in the bottom of your wok to be used in your cooking.
whilst at the same time, catching all your flavorful fats and stock directly in the bottom of your wok to be used in your cooking.
INGREDIENTS:
Combo chicken schmaltz and stock (from the previous night's grilled chicken) OR half-and-half - butter with oil
1.126 kg carrots, peeled – chopped
3 onions (medium), peeled – chopped
3 stalks of celery with leaves – chopped
6 garlic cloves
1.434 liters water (Is what I used) – Use what you need for your consistency
5 ml dill seeds, ground
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash nutmeg or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger (or dried)
2 tablespoons sage leaves, (fresh) chopped or 5 ml dried to taste
Salt, to taste – OR – Cream of Chicken Soup powder (adds flavor and stock)
1 chicken stock cube
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, to taste
125 ml cream – OR – Sour Cream
Lemon juice to taste (Optional)
METHOD:
Position your metal blade into the food processor, place roughly chopped ginger (if using fresh) onions, carrots, celery, and garlic into the food processor, in the given order, with ginger on the bottom, and chop finely or coarsely – however, you wish or by hand.
Heat up fats and stock if used, in a wok or saucepan. Add your chopped veggies to your fat and roast them whilst tossing them to coat them with fats. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.
As soon as the veggies are halfway cooked- add water as needed, with just enough to cover your veggies – this will help them cook quicker. Top up water as needed.
Add your whole dill, allspice (if using whole berries), and crumbled bay leaf to a coffee grinder, and grind into a fine powder.
Add all spices and seasonings to the soup and continue to simmer gently. As soon as the veggies are soft – turn off the heat and puree the soup with a handheld stick blender.
Stir in the balance of your ingredients and serve with a swirl of cream, some crumbled feta or your homemade cottage cheese, and some fresh buttered bread rolls if you wish.
Enjoy! 