Winter Vegetable Soup

Beginner Cook - Lengthy Cooking Time - Soup - Vegetarian Option - Vegan Option - Gluten-Free

One of the challenges of eating seasonally is figuring out what to do with all the turnips, parsnips, leeks, and other root vegetables that grow during the cold weather season. While this recipe doesn't come from my Greek repertoire, even though there is probably a soup similar to it somewhere in northern Greece, I simply couldn't share the story of Switzerland's Escalade without providing a recipe for the celebration's iconic vegetable soup. Given that this soup dates back to the 1600's, when seasonal eating was the only option, it's a great winter vegetable recipe. While a list of ingredients is provided below, there is a large degree of flexibility around what one might include in the soup. Back in 1602, when this dish was standard fare, the ingredients consisted of whatever was available. The broth was kept at a simmer and new vegetables, meat, beans, rice, or other ingredients were added throughout the week as they became available; letting the soup cook for several hours is key. This dish is quite filling when accompanied by a thick piece of rustic bread. If you like to add a little extra flavor, try topping it with some shredded gruyere or parmesan.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 3.5 litres water
• 5 turnips
• 1 small cabbage or 1/2 a large cabbage
• 3 leeks
• 4 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• 1 large or 2 small onions
• 1 large celery stick or 2 square inch piece of celery root
• 3 slices bacon (optional)
• 3 sprigs flat parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt

Time - 5 hours and 30 minutes

• Preparation - 30 minutes
  
• Cooking - 5 hours
  

Preparation

• Wash the vegetables
• Pour the water and salt into a large pot and heat over high fire

• Peel and dice the potatoes, turnips, and celery root into 1 inch squares
• Peel and cut the carrots into rounds

• Remove the greens and ends of the leeks
• Quarter lengthwise and cut into small pieces

• Chop the onion, cabbage, parsley, and bacon (skip the bacon if making the soup vegetarian or vegan)
  

• Add all of the ingredients to the boiling water and stir
• Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover
• Simmer covered for 5 hours until the water and vegetables have formed a rich broth

• When done, the soup will be very hot. My recommendation is to let the soup sit and cool for about an hour. This will prevent you from burning your mouth and enhances the flavor of the soup.