Simple Irish Vegetable Soup

It seems every house in Ireland has a pot of this soup on the boil. Each family with it's own recipe. It is cheap, delicious and filling. I devised this version through trial and error, but it is always a favourite with anyone i serve it to. You can replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock to serve as vegetarian. This is not set in stone, so adjust as you see fit.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

• 3  good size carrots (chopped)
• 2  leeks (roughly chopped, green and white)
• 1  stalk celery, plus any leaves on bunch (chopped)
• 1  bunch  roughly chopped parsley
• 4 -5  chicken stock cubes
• 3 -4  vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 -2  teaspoon  ground thyme
• 1  teaspoon ground sage
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  cup  broken pasta
•  salt and pepper
•  water
•  boiled potato, , about 1.5 each person (, about 1.5 each person)

Directions

1. Place carrots, leek, parsley, celery and soup mix (optional) in stock or soup pot.
2. Cover with cold water just so all veg are floating.
3. Bring to boil, and add stock cubes, and spices.
4. Simmer until vegetables are very soft.
5. Taste and season, adjust flavour as per your taste.
6. If adding pasta, do this now and boil until pasta is well cooked.
7. Serve with potatoes in warm bowls.
8. Whole boiled potatoes are traditionally placed in soup at time of serving.