Manhattan is now covered with snow. I see two feet-long icicles hanging down from the roof. Freezing cold. A day like this we all deserve a bowl of hot winter vegetable soup. Winter veggies. are there for us. Here is a collection of mine – turnip, leek, cauliflower and parsnip from last Friday’s Greenmarket at Union Square. What I will do with them is to follow the Cauliflower and Leek Soup recipe from Hiroko’s American Kitchen. I cook the cut up vegetables in kelp stock (Remember? It is packed with Umami!) and process it in the blender with my favorite Mellow Sweet Miso from Great Eastern Sun and Suzushio sea salt until very smooth. The little trick which I use to make the soup extra, silky touch is to add a little olive oil. Just 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil turns 8 cups pureed soup impressively creamy. Remember to add the olive oil while processing it.
Adding more parsnip gives the soup its distinctive sweet flavor. Adding more turnip and cauliflower turns down the distinctive character but brightens up their own flavors in the soup. Brought up in the Japanese kitchen, I don’t season the soup with spices. I love it spice free, so that I can enjoy the flavor of each vegetable in the soup. Thank you for winter vegetables, you are so good in the hot soup.