Roasted Beetroot, Parsnip and Apple Soup

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Peel all the vegetables and the apple and cut into 1cm thick slices.

Place in a large bowl with the olive oil, garlic, rosemary and caraway seeds.

Toss well to combine and season generously. Tip onto a large lined baking tray and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Roast for 40 – 60 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are very tender.

Working in batches, put the vegetables in a food processor with a cup of the stock and process until smooth. Tip into a clean saucepan and repeat with the remaining vegetables and stock. Add any remaining stock to the soup. Season and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Beetroot chips: Trim both ends of the beetroot and discard. Slice the beetroot as thinly as possible (a mandolin is good for this), and place on kitchen towels. Dry well.

Heat 3 cm of vegetable oil in a small deep saucepan until it registers 180˚C on a deep frying thermometer.

Drop in 4-5 slices at a time and cook until they look shrivelled and lightly golden. Drain on kitchen towels. Repeat with the remaining beetroot. Sprinkle with sea salt.

To serve: Serve in Roasted Butternut Pumpkins or ladle into bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with beetroot chips and a sprinkling of chives. Makes about 8 cups.

Roasted Buttercup Pumpkins

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Cut the top third off the pumpkins and discard. Using a teaspoon, scrape out all the seeds, taking care not to scrape right through to the skin.

Brush the cavity and skin with olive oil and place on a lined baking tray.

Put a small piece of butter with a little garlic in each cavity and season. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender but not collapsing. The pumpkins can be roasted up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Just before filling, put them back on a baking tray and reheat in a hot oven.

To serve: Place the pumpkins in shallow bowls and ladle in soup.