When It’s Cold Outside, Winter Soup Is A Good Treat To Warm Up Inside

By Nancy Crevier

When the hustle and bustle of the holidays has faded into a memory, we are still left with the remains of winter. Ice-coated branches glisten in the pale sun, Arctic winds push us along snow-coated sidewalks and icy pellets sneak down gaps at our collars.

What a relief to slip into our warm houses and savor the flavors of winter. Hot soups and stews simmering on the stove are the antidote to bone deep chills.

A marvelous vehicle for using up leftovers, vegetable soup is always a wintertime favorite. A simple tomato base studded with chunks of carrots, celery and onion can be augmented with beans and peas, bits of beef, chicken or tofu, macaroni or penne pasta for a feast in a bowl.

Add peppers, chicken stock, cannelloni beans and pasta, and tomato soup becomes Italian pasta fagioli.

A minced hot pepper or two turns vegetable soup into a tongue tingling experience that heats you twice as nicely. Truly, it’s hard to go wrong!

Fish stews make a satisfying meal when winter knocks at the door. Shrimp, clams and scallops added at the end of cooking to a spicy clam and vegetable broth make a light but filling repast. Serve over drained Oriental noodles for a heartier meal.

Mussels cooked in a garlicky wine and tomato sauce can stand on their own, or crown a pile of steaming rice. Make a luxuriant cream-based chowder for a genuine stick-to-the-ribs cold weather treat!

 While chicken soup is the traditional cure-all for winter’s maladies, vegetarians turn to a zesty miso soup. Miso, a fermented, cultured paste of beans and grains, is essential to Japanese cooking. This rich, salty ingredient adds depth to vegetarian recipes, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Many varieties of miso exist, as the end product is the result of varying ingredients and the length of the aging process. Red miso can be thought of as a vegetarian “beef bouillon,” whereas yellow miso might be the “chicken bouillon” of the vegetarian world. Both are found in natural foods markets and some supermarkets.

One quarter cup of miso dissolved in 1 cup of hot water or vegetable stock makes a rich base for soups and stews.

The winds howl, snow batters the window and temperatures plummet – it matters not. Throw another log on the fire, snuggle down with a good book and enjoy a steaming mug of soup. Every day is one step closer to spring!

Vegetable Miso Soup

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil

1½ C thinly sliced onion

½ C thinly sliced celery

2-3 lg cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbs fresh minced ginger

1 C julienned carrots

1 C thinly sliced green or Napa cabbage

1 C broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces

(Optional: 1 c. thinly sliced Shiitake mushrooms OR 1 lb firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes)

 ¼ C plus 1 Tbs red miso dissolved in ¼ C hot water

2 Tbs tamari soy sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar

1 Tbs sake (rice wine)

Heat oil in 6 qt pot. Add vegetables, except for broccoli, and cook over high heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, just until onions are translucent. Stir often. Add 2 Tbs water if vegetables begin to stick.

Add 10 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add tofu, if using. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add miso, tamari, rice vinegar and sake. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Serve hot over cooked and drained soba or udon noodles.

Fish Chowder

2 Tbs unsalted butter

1¼ lbs white potatoes, scrubbed and diced

½ lb carrots, scrubbed and diced

½ lb celery, diced

½ lb onion, diced

½ C dry white wine

1½ lb boneless cod filet

½ tsp thyme

¼ tsp crushed dried rosemary

1 Tbs fresh minced dill

2 Tbs fresh minced parsley

½ gallon whole milk

2 C light cream

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in heavy bottomed stock pot over low heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion and stir. Cover pan and “sweat” vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add wine and continue cooking, uncovered, over low heat until vegetables are tender. Add herbs and cod. Cover and continue cooking until fish is opaque. Add a small amount of water or wine if vegetables begin to stick at all.

Add milk and cream and cook until fish flakes apart and chowder is hot. Do not boil! Season to taste with salt and pepper.