Overrun With Dying Veggies? Make Soup.

So you’re looking at your counter and fridge, and you’re about to panic. Your Misfits Market veggies are nearing the end of their lives—organic produce does not have much of a shelf life—and you have no ideas. And there are SO MANY VEGGIES, with more on the way in your next Misfits Box. Don’t panic; make soup.

“Soup? Nobody likes veggie soup.” That is not true, my friends. This soup has been a hit every time I’ve made it—at home, at work, for family, to pawn off on neighbors… Every time. The secret? Good stock, the right amount of salt, and an immersion blender (don’t have one? Use a regular blender and order an immersion blender. It’s worth it—take it from someone who refuses to get an electric mixer.)

This soup (“soupe moulinée” in French, pronounced “MOOLEENAY”) is actually quite easy, but make sure you don’t tell anyone that. Keep in fancy by keeping it safe!

Abridged recipe:

You need 3 main ingredients: stock, veggies, and seasonings. Put it all in a pot, heat it up until soft, blend it, season it. Jazz it up with a topping. Done! This recipe becomes so easy once you’ve done it once that it will be a go-to on cool nights/veggie panic days. At my work, we have soup Mondays, and this one is always a big hit.

More detailed recipe:

1. Stock: choose either chicken or beef. Don’t mix them; just choose one. Don’t agonize over it. If you have homemade, great (see future post on homemade stock—delicious and cheap). If you have store bought, that will do just fine. If you have nothing, use bouillon cubes in water. Vegetarian friends, adapt as needed.

2. Veggies: you can almost literally use anything you have.

Start with your mirepoix (about the same amount of carrots, celery, and onions):

• carrots (3-4, more if necessary). If you don’t have any cooked carrots, just chop them up into 1-inch pieces before you throw them in.

• celery. This soup will hide 3-4 stalks, easy. Rough chop them.

• onions: 2 or 3 depending on their size. Rough chop them.

Now look for what you have that is already cooked/roasted. Here’s a sample list:

-leftover potatoes (mashed, fried, anything)

-butternut or acorn or kabocha squash, oven roasted. Do not include the skin. You can make huge amounts of squash disappear into this soup.

-an eggplant, no skin. If you have raw, chop into 1 inch cubes.

-greens. Washed, of course. No big stems.

-turnips. Oven roasted is better.

-the entire container of sad looking grape/cherry tomatoes. Sometimes, two containers!

That’s all you need for now. Just put these things in a pot with your stock and bring them to a simmer. You need to make sure you have enough liquid in there to keep a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Once everything is warmed up/cooked (taste anything you put in there raw to see if it’s soft), use your immersion blender. Blend in 2-3 second spurts until your soup is a smooth consistency. Your blender will need to break up the chunks, and then your whole pot should start to move as one substance. You’ll see it happen.

A few words of caution:

-do not touch your pot with your blender—you’ll scrape the finish off. Keep your immersion blender away from the sides and bottom of your pot. Your blender will create enough of a current in the liquid that you will still be able to get all the lumps out.

-only push start on your immersion blender once the entire head is in the pot by couple inches. You’ll only make this mistake once: you can burn yourself with soup or coat your kitchen in a soup slime by accident. If you need to be extra safe, let your pot of veggies cool down so you won’t burn yourself if you make a mess.

OK. Hang in there now. What you should have at this point is a pot of kinda thick soup that tastes bland. Perfect.

3. Now for the seasonings: a little zing and lots of salt.

-Zing: what do you have?

-Parsley, Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary? Great. Put in 1 teaspoon each. Only have 3 of the 4? Do the same. No big deal.

-no regular Italian-ish herbs? Try Cayenne. ½ teaspoon is plenty.

-none of the above? Garlic powder will work: start with 1 teaspoon.

-Salt: start with 1 teaspoon. Mix it in. Give it a minute. Taste it. Then add 1 teaspoon at time, tasting to make sure you aren’t overdoing it. If you are unsure, ask someone else to taste it.

Once your seasonings are right, you can serve the soup. Depending on what you put in it, it may look appetizing or a weird brown/green. If you need to divert attention from the color of the soup, pick a topping to go with it:

-cut up sausage or bacon

-crumbled crackers

-croutons

-cheese: queso fresco, goat cheese, whatever you have grated on top

-crispy prosciutto: take a cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper, lay out your slices, bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes.

-avocado

Make sure you serve the soup piping hot. Delicious!! Leftovers freeze very well in meal-sized portions.

#veggies #vegetables #soup #recipes