Roasted winter vegetable soup two ways

(Click to see the beautiful painting!)

DARLINGS! La Diva was feeling a bit under the weather the last few days and decided to make a lovely soup with all the veggies from her farm share this week: onion, cabbage, turnips, tomatoes and herbs. In the fridge I had carrots, celery, potatoes and a lone parsnip. With all those lovely root and cold-weather veggies, I just couldn't resist making a nice roasted veggie soup to help quell the cold that was trying to nest in my chest!

As you know, I like to eat light meals after the weekend and usually do a vegetarian dish. This soup is "two ways" because on the first day, I prepared the soup with vegetables only and had a fat-free but nourishing vegetarian meal while on the second day I add meat and wild rice to completely change the dish's flavor and character.

Carrots come in colors!

Why roast the vegetables, you say? You don't really HAVE TO, darlings, but I find roasting them first gives them a nice brown caramel color and releases the natural sugars that just doesn't happen when boiling them in a broth. Inspired by a delicious soup recipe from my dear friend Robert in Atlanta, I added some ground turkey and wild rice to give the soup a bit more substance and to make it more filling. (DJ Nevah L8 is a big fella after all!) If you don't eat meat, you don't have to add it but do add the wild rice, it gives the soup a nice chewy texture and will satisfy you on these chilly nights!



Roasted winter vegetable soup two ways

Heat oven to 450 F. In a roasting pan coated with olive oil, add two carrots, peeled and chopped, two chopped celery stalks, two turnips and one or two parsnips, peeled and cubed. Roast on high heat, checking and turning when browned, until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pan or Dutch oven, brown an onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add a chopped tomato, bay leaf and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme. Add about 10 cups of stock (chicken, beef or veggie) and bring to a boil while adding a quarter of the cabbage, roughly chopped, and one or two potatoes, peeled and cubed. Reduce heat and simmer until potato is just cooked. Add the roasted vegetables, heat through and adjust seasonings. Ladle yourself a big bowl and eat with hot crusty bread and butter. Mmmm.....a gratifying dinner.

Try roasted pumpkin, squash, celeriac or sweet potato too!

Day two: In a rice cooker or large pot, cook one cup wild rice with three cups of water. This will take 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, in a large pot, brown about 1 1/4 lbs. dark turkey meat with a clove or two of minced garlic and season with salt, pepper and Italian spice blend. Add the wild rice and the soup from the day before. Heat through and serve in large bowls topped with grated parmigiano cheese! Though certainly not the prettiest soup, it certainly is a filling and satisfying soup. The turkey and rice lends a completely different composition to the dish and the roasted vegetables now take a complementary side role instead of center stage. Simply dee-lish darlings! And grazie, Roberto, for your inspiration!

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