Hotroot Soup

Posted September 4, 2014 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 9 Comments

Happy September, folks! The heatwaves are behind us. My favorite season is finally here! There’s something about the combination of crisp air, orange leaves, and harvest activities that give fall a special place in my heart. And when it comes to books, nothing captures the essence of autumn like the Redwall series. Cozy, hearty, homemade dishes are the norm there, so I knew a Redwall menu would be the perfect way to kick off fall.

This week, we’re starting our menu with a favorite of the Redwall otters: Hotroot Soup! It’s a bit of a misnomer, since the root in question is actually hotroot pepper. The dish itself is seafood based, with shrimp, leeks, onions, and LOTS of hot sauce. Using my own variation of a Taste of Home recipe, I’ve recreated it here. Light but lively, it’s the perfect appetizer for our new menu! 🙂

Hotroot Soup

“Thrugg crept up from the kitchens. Sleep did not come easily to the burly otter, particularly with the knowledge that there was a huge pot of shrimp and bulrush soup, flavored with watercress and hotroot pepper, simmering gently on the embers of the kitchen fire. Thrugg could not resist until he had sampled it.”
— Salamandastron, a Redwall book

INGREDIENTS:

 

  • 3 tbsp canola oil (plus 1 tbsp for vegetables)
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 celery stalks
  • half an onion
  • half a green pepper
  • 1 leek (white portion only)
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 3 shakes of Tabasco
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp parsley flakes
  • 1 can of corn (you’ll want half the corn and all the liquid)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup cooked shrimp (thawed, if originally frozen)

 

Makes 4-6 cups

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. First, chop up all your vegetables. I left the leek as rings, but you can cut them however you like.
  2. Pour the 3 tbsp of canola oil in a soup pot set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until completely incorporated.
  3. Cook the oil-flour mixture for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to stir continuously to prevent the flour from clumping!

    It might look a little funky now, but the end result is going to be a wonderful, creamy base. This step is actually the primary reason I chose this recipe. Most versions of hotroot soup use vegetable broth, which isn’t too flavorful unless you make it from scratch.
  4. Set the burner on low and add your celery, onion, green pepper, and leek. Add another tablespoon of oil. Stir it all up and let it cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions just start to become translucent. Then add your garlic and stir for 1 more minute.

    It smelled heavenly–just like stir fry!
  5. Time for spices! Add your Tabasco, black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and parsley to the mix. Give it a quick stir.
  6. Now open your can of corn and dump in half the corn, plus all the liquid. Add your half cup of water as well.
  7. Cover the soup pot, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

    It’s all set when it looks like this.
  8. Pour in your shrimp and let it cook for just a few more minutes, until it’s heated through.

    Be careful not to cook the shrimp too long. Otherwise, it could start to fall apart and lose texture. You want it warm but still nice and firm, like the picture above.
  9. Garnish with cubes of mild Cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes.
  10. Serve while lunching with the Redwall otters! 🙂

    I love this soup so much! The corn and leeks make it subtly sweet, and the red pepper and Tabasco add a strong but pleasant kick. Considering I’m Queen of the Spice Wimps, that’s saying something!

 

 

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Here’s the Yummly printable!

Hotroot Soup

Makes 4-6 cups of soup

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp canola oil (plus 1 tbsp for vegetables)
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 celery stalks
  • half an onion
  • half a green pepper
  • 1 leek (white portion only)
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 3 shakes of Tabasco
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp parsley flakes
  • 1 can of corn (you'll want half the corn and all the liquid)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup cooked shrimp (thawed, if originally frozen)

Instructions

  1. First, chop up all your vegetables. I left the leek as rings, but you can cut them however you like.
  2. Pour the 3 tbsp of canola oil in a soup pot set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until completely incorporated.
  3. Cook the oil-flour mixture for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to stir continuously to prevent the flour from clumping.
  4. Set the burner on low and add your celery, onion, green pepper, and leek. Add another tablespoon of oil. Stir it all up and let it cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions just start to become translucent. Then add your garlic and stir for 1 more minute.
  5. Time for spices! Add your Tabasco, black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and parsley to the mix. Give it a quick stir.
  6. Now open your can of corn and dump in half the corn, plus all the liquid. Add your half cup of water as well.
  7. Cover the soup pot, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
  8. Pour in your shrimp and let it cook for just a few more minutes, until it's heated through.
  9. Garnish with cubes of mild Cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes.
  10. Serve while lunching with the Redwall otters!
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9 responses to “Hotroot Soup

    • Thanks! As a central Illinois girl, I’m always looking for an excuse to put corn in anything. 🙂

      Sometimes I have trouble locating specific book quotes that pertain to the recipes I’m using (if they’re mentioned exactly once in the book, I have to hunt all over for the quote), but Hotroot Soup had so many mentions in so many Redwall books, I had trouble choosing which one I liked best! A good problem to have!

    • Sometimes I think the ingredient and step-by-step pictures are more important than the opening and closing shots. Whenever I find myself making a recipe that doesn’t have pictures, I wind up staring into the pot/pan/oven saying, “Um…is it supposed to look like this?”

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