Double soup FAIL... luckily followed by soup success!

I have to be honest here - I managed to stuff up one of the world's easiest recipes (pumpkin soup) not once but twice in the last few weeks!  The first time I used too much of a really salty vege stock that just made it inedible.  Then I overcorrected the next time by adding lots more water and some coconut milk and ended up with something so thin I suppose it could be best described as hot milky pumpkin water.  FAIL.

Finally last night I made a decent roast winter vegetable soup with pumpkin, parsnip and carrot.  It was the perfect dish for the first winter dinner party of the year.  Afterwards my fabulous dinner guest Narelle and I made microwave popcorn on the stove (as my kitchen is too small to accommodate a microwave!) and watched the brilliant movie Revolutionary Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Road_(film)).  It has probably been 15 years since I made popcorn on a stovetop; I forgot how fun it was - the sound of kernels popping instantly took me back to memories of making it with Mum.

Roast Winter Vegetable Soup

Roasting the vegetables first is so worthwhile as it both makes for a much richer flavour and means you don't have to stand around the stove sauteeing onions like you would for a simmer-only recipe.  I usually make extra vege stock so that I can thin the soup when pureeing it if necessary, or can add more to the pot while the soup is simmering if it's looking a bit too thick.  Sometimes I will add other fresh herbs like thyme to the roasting tray for extra flavour.  Last night I garnished the soup with goats feta since I don't eat cream, which is the usual pumpkin soup garnish.  The saltiness of the feta was a nice contrast to the sweetness from the carrots.  Serves 4. 

1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
6 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
4 cups winter vegetables (such as pumpkin, parsnip, carrot, and kumara) cubed
A few springs of rosemary
Olive oil
4 - 6 cups vege stock (depending on how thick you like your soup)
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
100g feta cheese (optional; I use goats feta)
Small handful of parsley (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place the onion wedges, unpeeled garlic cloves, springs of rosemary and winter vegetables on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper (the paper isn't completely necessary but it makes it easy to tip the vegetables into the stock).  Brush with olive oil and roast until vegetables are tender and golden.  Discard the roasted herbs.

2. Bring 4 cups of the vege stock to the boil and add the roasted vegetables (you'll need to squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins) and the bay leaves.  Simmer for around 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. 

3. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.  Puree with a hand-held blender or in batches in a food processor, adding extra vege stock if you like your soup thinner.

4. Serve garnished with feta cheese and/or chopped parsley if you so desire.