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1
Chop the vegetables
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Peel and dice the potato into 2 cm cubes and the carrot into 1 cm cubes. Dice the red pepper, onion, celery and tomato, slice the leek, and cut the green beans into 3 cm pieces. Keep the peas, the broken pasta and the parsley aside for later.
Dice the carrot smaller than the potato — carrot takes longer to soften, so the smaller cut evens the cooking out.
Done when: Neat, even pieces, with the pasta broken and the peas thawed.
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2
Soften the onion, leek and garlic
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F) in the pot
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion, leek and garlic. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and sweet-smelling.
Do not let the garlic colour — browned garlic turns the whole soup bitter.
Done when: The onion is soft and glossy, and the pot smells sweet, not browned.
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3
Add the vegetables and simmer
20 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 90°C (195°F)
Add the potato, carrot, red pepper, celery, tomato and green beans with the water. Bring to a boil at 100°C (212°F), then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer at about 90°C (195°F). Cover loosely and cook for 20 minutes until the potato breaks easily.
Skim off any foam in the first 10 minutes — it keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting.
Done when: The potato is tender all the way through and the broth is light and golden.
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4
Add the pasta and peas
5 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 90°C (195°F)
Stir in the broken angel hair pasta and the thawed peas. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is just tender and the peas are bright green. The pasta will thicken the soup a little — that is how it should be.
Add the pasta last and do not overcook it — angel hair goes soft in minutes, and mushy pasta clouds the broth.
Done when: The pasta is tender but still separate, and the peas are bright green.
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5
Season and serve
5 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 90°C (195°F)
Stir in the salt and pepper and taste — the broth should be light and savoury, not salty. Take the pot off the heat and rest it for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into deep bowls, scatter the chopped parsley over the top, and serve hot with crusty bread.
Salt only now, once the vegetables are tender — salting earlier can toughen the potato and the beans.
Done when: Steaming hot, the vegetables tender in a light golden broth, with parsley bright green on top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the uruguayan vegetable soup steaming hot, with parsley on top and crusty bread beside it — a simple bowl that needs nothing more.
Uruguay
35m
