Recipes for Health
Martha Rose Shulman on healthful cooking.
This week I was all set to work on quick winter soups when I remembered that I had some terrific giant white beans in my pantry that were begging to be used in a slow-simmering minestrone. So I changed my plan and made an array of warming soups, some quicker than others but all easy. The only one that requires much time on the stove (unsupervised) is the minestrone, the heartiest of the week’s recipes and a delicious vehicle not only for the beans but for winter squash, too.
Eager to provide you with recipes for the market’s dwindling array of winter produce, I made a second soup with winter squash, this time a purée using seasonings I had never thought of using with this vegetable until I saw an intriguing recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi that pairs winter squash with orange and cardamom, among other spices and herbs.
I brought home a cauliflower from the market (I’m planning on devoting Recipes for Health to this vegetable in a few week’s time), and I used it not as the base for a soup but as an addition to an otherwise traditional tortilla soup, after shaving off rice-size bits, tossing them with chili powder and olive oil, and roasting them in a hot oven.
One soup was inspired by a bunch of chard stems that had been discarded at my farmers’ market. One of the vendors had bunches of them, cut away and still bunched together. He was giving them away and I gladly took them. I had recently made a delicious purée with chard stalks and celeriac and knew the combo would also work as a soup.
Whether big minestrones, noodle bowls with broth and vegetables, or less hearty soups like purées, all of this week’s potages make fine, easy winter meals and great vehicles for whatever vegetables you can get your hands on. I froze what we didn’t eat, and I am reassured knowing there are good soups on hand in the freezer.
Chard Stalk, Celeriac and Leek Soup : A light soup that is still incredibly satisfying.
Minestrone With Giant White Beans and Winter Squash : A substantial minestrone, even without pasta.
Noodle Bowl With Soba, Enoki Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Tofu : A noodle bowl makes for a comforting, filling winter meal and is easily put together.
Orange-Scented Winter Squash and Carrot Soup : Winter squash with the essence of orange makes for a delicious soup.
Tortilla Soup With Roasted Cauliflower 'Rice' : A new twist on a Mexican classic makes a delicious dinner in a bowl.