Fasting Vegetable Soup (Strict Fast)

Preparation

1. Preparing the Vegetables

Wash and peel all the vegetables. Cut the potato into cubes of about 1.5 cm. Peel the carrot and slice into rounds 4–5 mm thick. Peel the celeriac and parsnip (their skins are tough) and dice into small 1 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Blanch the tomato, peel and crush with a fork (or use 1 tablespoon of tomato purée).

2. Dry-Sweating the Onion (Without Oil)

Since this is a strict fast without oil, we use the technique of dry-sweating — place the chopped onion in a large pot with 2–3 tablespoons of water. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until the onion softens and begins to caramelise lightly on the bottom of the pot. This trick yields the characteristic flavour of sautéed onion without using any oil.

Add the garlic and stir for 1 more minute. Immediately add a little water to prevent scorching.

3. Adding the Vegetables

Add carrot, celeriac and parsnip first (they take longest to cook). Add a few spoonfuls of water and sweat, covered, for 5 minutes. Then add the potato and crushed tomato. Stir and continue for another 2–3 minutes.

4. Simmering the Soup

Pour in 2 litres of cold water. Add the bay leaf, white pepper, salt and, if using, the vegetable seasoning (check that it contains no fat). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30–35 minutes until all the vegetables are completely tender.

5. Adding the Beans

In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the cooked beans (or drained canned beans). The beans just need to heat through and absorb the flavour of the soup — they must not fall apart.

6. Final Seasoning

Just before the end of cooking, add the chopped parsley and juice of half a lemon (lemon juice adds freshness and lifts the flavour — very important for an oil-free fasting soup). Taste and adjust salt.

Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes to let the flavours settle.

7. Serving

Serve hot in deep bowls. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley into each bowl. Traditionally served with a slice of homemade bread — ideally dry or twice-baked bread that can be dipped into the soup.

Tips

Strict fast without oil: this recipe belongs to the water (dry fast) category — the strictest form of fasting, typically observed on the first and Holy Week of Great Lent, and on days such as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Beheading of St John the Baptist, and Theophany Eve.

Oil version: if you want a less strict fast, sauté the onion in 30 ml of sunflower oil at the start instead of in water — the soup becomes considerably richer in flavour and moves into the oil category.

Without commercial seasoning: industrially prepared vegetable stock often contains glutamate (E621). A natural alternative is a homemade dried vegetable mix — dried carrot, parsley, celery and bay leaf ground fine. Or simply omit the seasoning and add a small amount of caraway seeds (1/4 tsp).

Heartier version: add a handful of cooked rice or 2 tablespoons of fine pasta (such as vermicelli) in the last 10 minutes of cooking. The soup then becomes an almost complete meal.

Storage: the soup can be prepared a day ahead — the flavours improve further. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add a little water when reheating as the broth thickens.