This is nothing more comforting on a rainy, mid-February Monday than a bowl of steamy Minestrone. It’s the vegetarian’s chicken soup.
From the cook’s perspective this soup is made for a kitchen clean-out. You can vary the ingredient list depending on what you fine languishing in the crisper: kale, cabbage, chard, parsnips, turnips, celery root — you name it, practically anything will land happily in the pot.
This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. There’s a tattered copy on our shelf — stained with years of reverent use. Though we love Ina, we also routinely doctor her recipes to reduce the fat and salt content. She’s heavy-handed in these areas, but her recipes are always simple, pure and consistently satisfying. You can omit the cream (or reduce) if you like, but it adds a lovely richness. We’ve already reduced it by half from the original. If you have leeks, substitute one for some of the onion.
Over the years, I’ve discovered a sneaky way to get all sorts of vegetables into my kids: a bowl of soup. What makes soup so universally appealing? Perhaps it’s the intoxicating aroma that permeates every corner of the house when a pot of soup simmers on the stove—or maybe it’s the buttery potato chunks that are often involved. I don’t ask questions, I just stir up enormous, steaming potfuls as often as possible. The leftovers keep well in the fridge and freezer for school lunches or an easy dinner when time’s in short supply.
Use the sweetest carrots for this soup—or add a tiny bit of honey to taste, if you like.
(Serves 8)
My version of the eastern European classic — feel free to add vegetables or subtract, as you like. Just be sure to include the basics: onion, garlic, carrots and beets, of course. A dollop of yogurt or sour cream as a garnish turns the broth a deeply saturated rose color.
This classic soup gets an modern reworking and deeper flavors from roasted potatoes. You’ll love it.
Leeks are notorious for harboring sandy grit from the farm field. To clean, lop off the tough, dark green tops, then slice the entire leek in half lengthwise (white and lighter green parts). Fan out layers and rinse under running water, until all the dirt is removed.