Spicy carrot-zucchini soup with lovage

A quick soup, full of vegetables with spicy accents. Healthy and full of vitamins. Take it with a slice or two of sourdough bread and with a secret ingredient ...

I have to be honest and recognise that when I was a child I simply hated any additional herbs in my food. With time, this has changed and more specifically when I arrived in Belgium where the supermarket food didn't have the same smell and taste as the one picked from my grandmother's garden. I turned then to herbs to increase the taste and flavor. Step by step, I learned to recognise all herbs and their translation in French. Although not a herb, I remember that in my process of learning the translations in French, the most funny was the celery (root). I was used with a celery full of dirt, no bigger than an apple and with a strong smell. I went several times to the supermarket and couldn't recognise it. I spotted a root vegetable, big as a cabbage, white and very clean and with almost no smell. To be sure, I made a photo and send it to my mother to confirm. I also checked the wiki as I thought maybe it was another specie. But no, it was the Belgian supermarket celery.
Coming back to my herbs identification, there was one that I didn't find it at all. I had its strong smell and taste in my mind but it was impossible to buy it here. One day, a friend brought me a small pot with some little plants. Immediately, I have recognised it and he confirmed that he had brought the seeds from Romania. It was lovage, and this was the herb that I was talking about. I took great care of it, I have planted in the greenhouse but unfortunately, when I have left in a 2 week holiday, the plant has died. Since then, I had in mind to bring this plant from Romania myself. My mother gave me some plants, root included and I have transported back to my house. I planted them in pots and let them in my greenhouse. Now, they are well raised and I had the great pleasure to use them for the first time with a soup. Here they are. Lovage. My secret ingredient for seasoning.

Ingredients:

• 1kg peeled carrots (diced)
• 2 peeled zucchini (~640g)
• 3 potatoes
• 2 celery branches
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (diced)
• 2 teaspoon cumin (powder)
• 1 teaspoons coriander (powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika (powder)
• 3l water
• salt
• pepper
• aromatic herbs (for decoration)
• lemon juice (to season your plate)

Directions:

1. Boil the carrots, zucchini, potatoes,celery onion, garlic for 20 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika, salt and pepper and let them cook for a another 5-10 minutes.
3. Blend the soup with a hand bender for 5 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and lovage (or another aromatic herb like, parsley, coriander, etc) when serving on your plate.