This great health-booster is a favorite of those who subscribe to the “everything including the kitchen sink” (K-SINK) cooking method. Free spirits who like to cook for fun are also quite partial to it—as are those of us who appreciate its power to warm and cheer us up on a chilly, rainy day. Veggie Soup not only keeps well (up to 8 days at least) in the refrigerator, but its flavors become richer with every passing day.
NOTE: To transform it into a powerful anti-cold and anti-flu remedy, add chicken or fresh, concentrated chicken broth. Offer it to your doctor when s/he is under the weather, as a remedy s/he might want to prescribe to other patients.
Serves 8 portions
(Don’t waste your time cooking less—better to freeze the extra portions) (JAZZ)–(K-SINK)
Buy whatever fresh vegetables you can find that include, or can be used instead of the ones listed below. Wash, peel, etc. everything and place into your biggest, deepest, stainless steel soup pot. All veggies to be cooked whole, unless otherwise directed.
- 4 large carrots
- 4 parsnips
- 1 large onion (peeled and whole)
- 5 peeled cloves (yes, whole, too)
- 2 zucchini (cut off ends)
- 1 turnip, rutabaga or other root veggie (cut into quarters)
- 2 cups (approx.) broccoli florets
- 2 large tomatoes (each cut in half)
- 1 large fennel (look for one with its dill-covered stalks still attached)
- 4 stalks celery
- 3 baby bok-choi (or ½ big bok-choi — or 4 big, dark leafy stalks of kale — or 5 sprigs of spinach)
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley (We prefer it chopped fine. But if you don’t like it floating on your soup, tie the bunch together with a string and remove it from soup when it’s done)
- ½ teaspoon tarragon
- ½ teaspoon sweet red paprika
- 3 slices of raw or candied ginger (or ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger)
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium Tamari sauce
- 1 whole sweet green pepper
WHEN soup is ready, strain into glass or china bowl, and transfer edible vegetables to a separate container—to be added to the soup at the table, as desired. Before discarding non-edibles (i.e., garlic, onion, bunched parsley, etc.), squeeze the flavorful soup out of them through the colander. If you prefer a thicker soup, purée the edible veggies in a blender or food processor and return to soup, stirring it in thoroughly before refrigerating.
NOTE: Root vegetables (such as carrots, parsnips, turnip, etc.) and whole onion, might need longer cooking time, so they could be boiling for 5 minutes before other ingredients are added. SALT is purposely limited in the above recipe to the low-sodium Tamari sauce and sodium-containing celery stalks, to accommodate people who are on salt-restricted diets or who prefer to keep their sodium intake low for general health reasons. Others are free to add sea-salt and fresh-ground black pepper at the table, as desired.