Saturday Night: Chunky Pumpkin Soup for Pre-Partiers

It's Saturday.  It's Saturday.  Are you getting this loud and clear?  SATURDAY.
The long-awaited herald of the real, live weekend.  We all know Friday is for sissies.  Saturday is when the Rockstars rule the world, the glow of unforeseen adventure in their glittering, glassy eyes;  the cold winds of a Swiss January deter only the faintest of heart, and those of us who know what it means to boogie take to the streets in pursuit of swaying bliss.

But not without some soup first.

Tonight is not just any Saturday either, but specifically the Saturday of the Couchsurfing monthly meeting in Basel, and a huge party in nearby Freiburg, Germany, where many of us are going afterwards.  Couchsurfing has come to life for me again in the last few months:  The joy of meeting new people and having those laughter-inducing spontaneous conversations moments afterwards.  So it is with eager anticipation that I eat this soup, bundle up against the snowy night, and get ready to find what Basel's Saturday has to give.

As with all pre-party meals, this one is simple and fast.  I want you to forget mincing, dicing, and julienning, and pick up that butcher knife like a hatchet.  Get ready to CHOP.  That's right, good ol' coarse, gritty, CHOPPING.  I want those veggies chunked, and I want Martha Stewart gasping at the wayside as you whip this soup out so heartily you could make a woodchuck shiver.

Chunky Pumpkin Soup
Consider putting on some Cheb Khaled as you whip this baby up, just to get in the mood.



Ingredients
-1 little round orange pumpkin (squash?  they call them all pumpkins here...any small round orange pumpkin-like winter vegetable oughtta do it)
-2 big potatoes, chopped
-2 big carrots, chopped
-1 big leek, chopped

-1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger (+)
-1 tbsp dried rosemary
-1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
-5 cloves garlic, chopped
-Fresh ground pepper to taste
-1 tsp tamari (opt.)

Lotsa water and as much bouillon as you deem fitting.  (could be none)

Directions
Heat the ghee in a large pot and add the mustard seeds.  Cook, stirring, until they start to pop, and then add the ginger and leeks.  Stir to coat with ghee and then add the carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, rosemary, water to cover, and bouillon.

Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.  Add the garlic, then puree just a little bit with an immersion mixer, and check the taste.  Add tamari, pepper, and salt to taste.

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Tonsa Pho-n: Vegan Miso Pho

A sea of veggies

With a surprise below

It's a terrible pun, but it's still funny if you know that 'pho', the name of the classic Korean noodle soup, is actually said "fuh". It is. It's also known for its masses of meaty ingredients-from meat stock to chunks of beef, chicken, shrimp, octopus, squid, mussels, egg, pork, and crab. In California restaurants, there is always a vegetarian option too, but I have no idea how they manage to replicate the amazing broth flavor of traditional pho. I looked up some recipes the other day, and it seems complicated. I'm intimidated by complicated asian recipes becaus eI don't know which boundaries to respect. But I happen to know another soup-loving asian country with very easy recipes: Japan. Erin's gone all trigger-happy with the miso again.

This soup is absolutely the most satisfying, umame-loaded bowl of deeeelish I've made. I just ate it for lunch 3 days in a row. It's not exactly like pho yet, I have to perfect the faux-pho taste (somone stop me), but it's so good you won't care. And you know what, if you are a bento fan, this is a great bento meal. You can easily take along a bowl already made with a side container of chopped mint leaves, onions, chives, chilis, sprouts, or any of the other magnificent pho toppings out there. For those of you with access to a kichen at work, just take the ingredients and enjoy the zen-like process of finely slicing your leeks and ginger root next to all the fools with Campbell's soup cups. You won't notice the funny looks, because the tendency when eating perfect food is to, er, pho-get the world around you...

Vegan Miso Pho (for 1 medium-large lunch. I couldn't finish it all!)
I brought the ingredients to work and made mine there: I premixed the spices, brought the portions of whole veggies, garlic, and onion, and stuck the rice noodles in a tupperware with the tiny sack of seaweed and a plastic-wrapped miso ball (i used the corner of an old ripped produce bag). Learn more about miso balls at Just Bento, Maki's wonderful bento blog.

Ingredients
A single serving of rice noodles, whatever you deem appropriate
2 tbsp Arame seaweed
2 dried mushrooms of choice (shitake would be great, I had some Swiss thing)
1 small carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 leek, sliced into thin rounds
6 little chunks of tofu (opt)

1/2 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch chunk of ginger root, minced
1 dried red chili, chopped, ground, or use a pinch of hot cayenne, paprika, or chili powder
2 tsp dark miso paste
1 tbsp toasted sesame (or other, less delicious) oil

a twist of black pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
4-5 cumin seeds
1/2 tsp anis seeds, if you have them (i didn't)
a dash of nutmeg
salt if desired

garnishes: chopped mint leaves, cilantro, onions, chives, chilis, or mung bean sprouts.

Directions
Put the seaweed and mushrooms in 2 cups cold water to soak

Boil 2 cups water, pour it over the rice noodles, and let them sit for a few minutes, or until soft (or follow the directions for your noodles). Drain and set into the bottom of you soup bowl.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until nothing pops anymore (a minute or two).
Add the ginger, chili, and onion. Stir and keep cooking until the onions are glossy.
Add the leek and tofu, and if necessary, a dash of water. Keep stirring and scraping off any spices that stick to the bottom, until the leeks are tender.

Pour the water with the seaweed and mushrooms into the pan, stir thoroughly, and cover for 1-2 minutes. Keep the heat low enough that it wants to simmer but can't quite. Add the carrots and garlic, and cook for another few minutes, until the carrots are barely cooked, but nowhere near soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the miso by first dissolving it in a spoonful of hot broth. Serve!

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Butternut and Fennel-seed Miso

To think that just one month ago I had never even used miso in a recipe is almost beyond me. It has been in everything I make lately, and it seems to provide that magical “oomph” I sometimes crave but can’t quite place (umami...). A friend of mine offered to cook lunch for me a few days before she moved to Germany last week, and she brought me to a realm of miso-induced-ecstasy I never dreamed could exist. Fresh leeks sautéed in sesame oil with turmeric and fennel-seeds, plus flavorful red onions and fresh ginger made one bowl of it enough to tempt me into packing my bags and swimming to Japan, which is where she learned to make it. Along with her suggestion of adding pumpkin or squash and the inspiration of watching her cook this soup to perfection, I have created my own version:

Sauteed Fennel and Butternut Miso

Ingredients:

• 1 piece dried kombu seawead (optional)*
• 2 sheets nori (optional)
• 2 tiny or 1 small-medium red onion
• 2 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 fresh leek, finely sliced in rings
• 1 hea dof fresh fennel, thinly sliced
• 1 cup diced pumpkin
• 1 cup diced tofu, firm
• 2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds, whole
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp miso (Christina used Mogi, but it’s not GF, so use any that is)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• gomashio to taste (a few tsp) (optional)

Directions:

1. Soak kombu for 5 minutes in about 6 cups of water, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and add the tofu, stirring to coat all sides. Add some gomashio and a splash of the kombu stock, cover, and cook until the stock is gone and the tofu is lightly browned.
3. In your soup pan, heat the rest of the oil and add the turmeric, fennel seeds, onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring as you go. Cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat, then add the fennel, leek, and pumpkin with a splash of kombu stock just to moisten them. Lightly sautee the veggies for a moment, then add the rest of the stock and cook until the leek is lightly tender.
4. Remove from the heat and let cool a few minutes before adding the miso, to make sure you don’t kill it.
5. Dip out a ladle-full of soup and dissolve a spoon of miso into the ladle of soup, then empty the contents back into the pot. Repeat for all the miso, taste, and adjust anything you need to. Serve with the tofu on top and gomashio and crushed nori as garnish.

Notes:
*If you don’t have kombu, just use water

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My Snow-Day Comfort Food: White Bean Stew with Butternut Filets

Just…I don’t need to explain. Butternut has a reason for its name, and with a light steaming it melts over this country-style stew like dairy-fresh cream. Heavenly. The soup itself is essentially the stewed version of White Bean Bucket Salad, because I can't get enough of the flavor, all the ingredients are local and seasonal (except gomashio, kombu, and tahini!) and because it's such a satisfying, nutritious meal. I owe much inspiration for this one to my mom, for her insistence on white beans as super-foods, and Farmgirl Susan for her Roasted Garlic Lover’s White Bean Soup. Enjoy a bowl while nestled with a frost-laced view of winter and a slice of recycled bread, my gluten-free specialty.

White Bean Stew with Butternut Filets

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked white beans (if cooked with kombu seaweed, save the water)
• 4-6 cups kombu stock (or water/veggie stock)
• 4-5 carrots
• 1-2 potatoes
• 2 turnips
• ½ head of celeriac
• 10 slices of butternut squash
• 1 onion
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 big sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste, and/or gomashio garnish (mmmmm)
• ¼ medium white cabbage
• 2 tbsp oil
• a splash of rice wine or apple cider vinegar (opt.)
  
• ½ cup sprouted chickpeas (opt; garnish)

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, bring your stock to a boil and add carrots, potatoes, celeriac, onionsand turnips, all coarsely chopped. Cook until potatoes are almost finished.
2. Meanwhile, separate the garlic cloves and put, unpeeled, in a little oven-safe dish, sprinkled with water and covered with tinfoil. Bake for 30 minutes at around 350 F.
3. Add the cabbage, finely chopped, the beans, and herbs to the soup and simmer until the cabbage is soft.
4. Peel the garlic and put it in a medium sized bowl (or food processor, blender, etc) with 1/3 of the soup and the tahini. Blend until fairly well-combined, and add back to the rest of the soup with a splash of vinegar if using. Blend more if desired, or add more stock as needed. But really, thick is gooood!
5. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the chickpeas and squash slices. Turn a few times to coat with oil, then add a splash of water, quickly cover, and steam until both are just tender.
6. Add a pinch of gomashio (or salt), turn quickly, and remove from the heat.
7. Serve the soup with the squash and chickpea mixture on top, and fresh oregano or thyme if available.

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