Winter's the Time to Simmer, Savor Soups
Winter brings a time to move slower, reflect, and make soups that simmer at winter's stilling pace.
Kathy Gunst
2008 caught me off guard. I’m sure I said that about ‘07, ‘06, ‘05 and on down the line. But it’s true what they say about time accelerating as you get older. I can remember being a kid sitting in math class watching the seconds tick away into minutes and then minutes into hours, thinking “Will this ever end?” Now my thoughts run more along the lines of: “How can I slow it all down?”January is as good a time to “slow it all down” as you can find. I recently came down with the stomach bug that’s going around. It’s an impressively strong virus, the kind that can stop you in your tracks. I was stuck in bed with gut wrenching cramps for almost two days, unable to watch a movie, read a book, or do much of anything. So I lay in bed and let my feverish mind wander and it wandered where it always wanders... to food, to planning meals, to thinking up new recipes, to imagining concepts for new cookbooks. But each time I thought about food –- from the simplest medicinally-minded chicken soup with noodles and maybe a hint of ginger to a lamb stew I’ve been wanting to try with oranges and hoisin sauce — my stomach protested. The mere thought of toast made me run to the bathroom.
Turns out that my profession pervades my thoughts on so many levels and to such an intense degree that I just couldn’t stop thinking about food. I think I even dreamt about a salad with pears and walnuts in one of my fever-induced naps. But looking at food magazines—one of my favorite passions—was downright painful.
As soon as the fever lifted, the cramps receded, and my energy returned I started planning meals. For months we had a date for dinner with some new friends and I didn’t want to cancel. I also wanted my “welcome back to food” meal to be memorable.
A storm was predicted for the weekend so I thought about soup. I suppose soup in January is a cliché, but it’s a good one. I found all kinds of root vegetables and began chopping. Winter squash, onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, parsnips, celery root, and more. The dense vegetables made a satisfying “thunk” as I chopped them into small one-inch pieces and laid them out -- the bright orange of the butternut squash against the creamy white of the parsnips and the celery root and the pale green of the fennel. I drizzled them all with olive oil and some fresh thyme that has managed to stay alive on the southern sill of my kitchen window and roasted them in a hot 425 degree oven. They turned golden brown and all those natural sugars began to caramelize and I could feel my appetite stir for the first time in days. The roasted vegetables went into a big pot with some leftover chicken broth and I simmered them for an hour. I whirled up some fresh parsley with a clove of garlic and some olive oil. Stirred in a bit of grated Parmesan and had a quick winter parsley pesto.
At the fish store the next morning I found gorgeous, fresh sea scallops glistening with promise. I bought a half pound of pancetta—a salty and peppery Italian bacon that is cured, not smoked—and planned on wrapping the scallops in a thin strip. They would be delicious on top of a bed of sautéed spinach. I peeled and very thinly sliced some Maine potatoes and layered them in an ovenproof skillet, drizzled some milk on top, and let them bake long and slow. And then I baked a simple lemon cake, drizzled with a sweet lemon glaze.
The kitchen was alive again and so was I. The sweet scent of the lemon cake in the oven mingling with the garlic in the sauté pan waiting for the scallops made me smile for the first time in days.
Dinner in front of the fire was mellow and delicious. It was good getting to know new friends and share food. As we washed the last dish and got ready for bed my daughter knocked on my door. “I don’t feel so good,” she said looking gray as she clutched her stomach and ran off to the bathroom. And so it goes.
Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup
Winter squash, celery root, parsnips, carrots, and celery, along with shallots, leeks and garlic are roasted until just tender, golden brown, and caramelized and then tossed with some good broth. The soup takes less about an hour from start to finish but the resulting flavor is startlingly complex.
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
One 2-pound butternut squash, or any type of winter squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
3 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium celery root (about 1 ¼ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 head fennel, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 leeks, halved lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 shallots, quartered
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
6 cups homemade or canned low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Winter Parsley Pesto, see below
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the parsnips, carrots, squash, celery, celery root, fennel, leeks, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil together in a large very shallow roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Raise the heat to 450 degrees and roast for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the broth in a large pot with the bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and deglaze the pan with the wine, using a spatula to loosen any bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Pour the vegetables and the liquid from the bottom of the pan into the pot with the simmering broth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, partially covered. Serve piping hot with a tablespoon of pesto on top of each bowl. Serves 6 hearty portions.
Winter Parsley Pesto
A vibrant green pesto, made with parsley instead of basil, that is ideal for winter when fresh herbs are scarce. Spoon on top of soups and stews, crackers, or smothered on a grilled cheese sandwich. Try tossing it with pasta, grilled or sautéed shrimp, or using it to coat a chicken breast or fish fillet. The pesto will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen for several months.
1 packed cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a food processor or blender, whirl the parsley and garlic with some salt and pepper until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the oil making sure not to over-process the pesto; it should still be a little chunky. Remove to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Season to taste. Makes about ¾ cup.
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