Ingredients
Vegetables
- 3carrots, chopped
- 1turnip, chopped
- 2leeks, sliced
- 3potatoes, chopped
- 1onion, chopped
- 1celery stick, chopped
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
The pot
- 2 litreswater
- or light stock
- 2 tablespoonsoil
- or 30 g butter
- 1stock cube, optional
- 1bay leaf
- salt and white pepper
To finish
- a little milk
- or 2 tablespoons cream
- chopped parsley or chives
To serve
- before the rice course
- in small bowls
- at a hotely
Directions
- Peel the carrots and the turnip. Chop them all into even pieces. Cleaning the leeks takes care. Slice all the leeks into rounds. Put them in a bowl of cold water. Swish them about very thoroughly. Wash them properly every time. Lift the leeks out of the water. Do not pour them out along with it.
- Heat the oil or butter in a large pot. Add the chopped onion to the pot. Cook it for a good eight minutes. Add the leeks and the celery to it. Cook them for five more minutes. Take the time to sweat them properly.
- Add the carrots, turnip and potatoes. Add the crushed garlic to them. Turn them through the softened onion. Add the bay leaf into the pot too. Pour in the water or the stock.
- Crumble in the stock cube if using it. Season it with salt and white pepper. That matters for a pale smooth soup. Bring the pot up to a full boil. Cover the pot and let it cook on. Give it about thirty full minutes.
- Cook them further than you would otherwise. Let it cool down slightly first. Hot liquid expands violently in a blender. Hold the lid down with a folded cloth. Blending it properly takes time.
- Blend it in batches until smooth. Give each batch a full minute. Blend it longer than seems necessary. Press it through with a ladle. Pour the sieved soup back into a clean pot. Warm it right through very gently. It should coat a spoon lightly.
- Add hot water if it is too thick. It should be drinkable from a spoon. Stir in a little milk or cream. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed. Serving it is done hot in small bowls. Ladle it out into small warm bowls. Scatter chopped parsley or chives over it. Serve it before the rice course. It keeps three days refrigerated.
Technique
- Lasopy comes from the French la soupe, and Madagascar was a French colony until nineteen sixty, but it is not eaten as a French soup is: it opens the meal as a small first course before the rice, which is the real substance of a Malagasy meal, and that placing is what makes it a Malagasy dish.
- Hot liquid expands violently in a blender and the lid can blow off and scald badly, so let it cool slightly, never fill the jug more than half full, hold the lid down with a folded cloth, or use a stick blender in the pot instead.
- Even a good blender leaves fibres, and carrot and celery are particularly fibrous, so pass the soup through a fine sieve and press it through with a ladle; that is what gives the genuinely silky texture the dish is defined by.
Substitutions
- White pepper is used rather than black so it leaves no dark specks.
- A little cream or milk enriches it, though it is often left out entirely.
Variations
- The vegetables vary with what is in the market.
- Some cooks add a little rice to thicken it further.
- It is served before the rice course rather than as a meal.
History
A French colonial soup naturalised in Malagasy kitchens, made of carrot, turnip, leek and potato and served in Antananarivo hotelys.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lasopy?
Lasopy is a soup & stew from Madagascar: clear vegetable soup puréed smooth, served before the main rice course. A French colonial soup naturalised in Malagasy kitchens, made of carrot, turnip, leek and potato and served in Antananarivo hotelys.
How long does Lasopy take to make?
Lasopy takes 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Lasopy?
Yes, within limits. White pepper is used rather than black so it leaves no dark specks. A little cream or milk enriches it, though it is often left out entirely.
What is the most important thing to get right in Lasopy?
Peel the carrots and the turnip. Chop them all into even pieces. Cleaning the leeks takes care. Slice all the leeks into rounds. Put them in a bowl of cold water. Swish them about very thoroughly. Wash them properly every time. Lift the leeks out of the water. Do not pour them out along with it.
