Winter comfort food – three hearty soups

You can find summer veggies and produce all year long in a Canadian grocery store, but they aren’t near peak taste so why bother. I wouldn’t want to eat like my pioneer ancestors did, but I do bypass the faux green vegetable bounty for foods better suited to the winter table – warm and rich foods to simmer and roast, and fill the house with hunger inducing aroma.

On a dark, cold winter day there is very little that gives me more joy than a bowl of creamy soup. Nearly all the great storing vegetables make good soups.

There are three secrets to a hearty cream soup:

1. roast the veggies
2. let the soup sit in the fridge over night to develop the flavours
3. don’t skimp on the butter

Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

Chop and roast 6 medium carrots in oil with a touch of salt and pepper at about 375 until the start to brown. Throw them in vegetable stock with grated ginger and minced garlic. I use a tablespoon of ginger and a teaspoon of garlic to a litre and half of soup. Simmer for a couple hours. Puree and add a pat of butter. Take off the heat and refrigerate over night. Reheat the next day and shortly before you plan to serve the soup, add some heavy cream and another pat of butter. Use Creme Fraiche instead of cream for a flavour boost.

 

Parsnipity Soup

I don’t peel the parsnips. Chop and roast about 6 parsnips with some salt, pepper and chili flakes at a bout 375 until they brown. Fry some onions. Add chicken stock and the roasted parsnips to the pot. Add a pat of butter. I also add a clove of roasted garlic and more chili flakes. Simmer, cool, and keep in the refrigerate over night. The next day reheat, and shortly before you are ready to serve add some cream and some good Parmesan cheese.

 

Creamy Potato and Sour Cream Soup

Use new potatoes. Peel and cube two small potatoes and boil them in salted water until they fall apart. Puree them. In a separate pan, fry some onion, bacon and celery. Keep the celery leaves aside. Cube two potatoes with skin on. Add the cubed potatoes, bacon, onion and celery to the pot with some more water and cook until the potatoes are just about tender. Put this in the fridge over night. Next day reheat, add a pat of butter and some sour cream. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Add the celery just before you serve.