Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [86]
Variations: Slice 6 ounces pencil-thin asparagus spears into 1-inch segments and add them with the enoki.
Add 8 ounces small broccoli florets (or large florets cut into slices) with the enoki.
Omit the lemongrass; add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 3 parsley sprigs, and 2 bay leaves in its place; remove the parsley and bay leaves before serving.
Omit the lemongrass; add 2 tablespoons chopped lemon balm in its place.
For a thicker soup, whisk 3 tablespoons tomato paste into the sauce before adding the broth.
Root Vegetable Soup
There’s a supermarket of root vegetables in this soup. The recipe makes a lot, but you can have individual frozen servings as a welcome lunch (omit the sour cream for freezing). If you can’t find all these roots at your market, use any combination of 2½ pounds root vegetables with the carrots and potatoes. Makes 8 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium turnips, peeled and chopped
2 medium parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large rutabaga, peeled and chopped
1 large Russet or baking potato, peeled and chopped
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1½ teaspoons salt, plus additional to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sour cream (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
½ cup chopped parsley leaves
Melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, and potato; cook, stirring almost constantly, until they start to turn golden and even translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour in the broth; add the bay leaf, salt, and pepper; and scrape up any browned bits on the pan’s bottom. Bring to a simmer; then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are quite soft when pricked with a fork, about 45 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Take the pot off the heat. Ladle about half the soup into a food processor or a large blender; process or blend until smooth. Stir this puree back into the pot. Check to see if the soup needs any salt; stir in the sour cream and parsley until smooth.
Variations: Increase the butter to 3 tablespoons and add 4 ounces chopped pancetta with the onion; fry until frizzled and crisp, then continue with the recipe, omitting the salt.
After the onion has softened, cook 2 minced garlic cloves in the butter for 20 seconds before adding the root vegetables.
Add 1 tablespoon stemmed thyme; 1 tablespoon packed oregano leaves, chopped; or 2 teaspoons packed tarragon leaves, chopped, with the bay leaf.
Add 1 teaspoon dry mustard with the root vegetables.
Add up to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper with the root vegetables.
For a less tangy soup, substitute 1 cup heavy cream for the sour cream; let the soup simmer slowly over the heat for 2 minutes to take the raw taste off the cream before serving.
Potato and Roasted Chile Soup
Here’s a great early-spring or late-autumn soup. Although not traditional, it would even work as a start to the Thanksgiving meal. Makes 6 servings
2 poblano chiles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 pounds white boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
1½ cups sour cream (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
Using a pair of metal tongs, hold the chiles over an open gas flame until charred on all sides. Alternatively, set them on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet or broiler pan 4 to 6 inches from a preheated broiler and broil, turning often, until charred on all sides. In either case, place the chiles in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10 minutes.
Peel off the blackened skin, then