Simple Garden-In-A-Pot Soup

Excerpt from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper:
"A sip of this soup s like a tight three-part harmony; no single flavor stands out. The idea of slow-cooking vegetables and seasonings until they practically melt together is very simple but often overlooked...As Sally says every time she makes it, 'This is about the bottom of the crisper drawer and those vegetables that last forever'." -Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, thin sliced
2 medium carrots, thin sliced
Top third of 2 celery stalks with their leaves, thin sliced
6 large garlic cloves, thin sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 generous teaspoons dried basil
2 generous teaspoons sweet paprika
2 small zucchini, thin sliced
A handful of fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 portobello mushroom, washed a rough chopped
1/4 large head green cabbage, chopped
6 to 8 cups Cheater's Homemade Broth (see previous post) or canned chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Asiago, Fontinella or sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Film the bottom of a heavy 6-quart pot with olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-ow heat for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted and aromatic. Stir often, and don't let anything burn.
2. Uncover, raise the heat to medium high, and stir in the tomato paste, basil, and paprika. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Then add the zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, cabbage, and broth. Bring the soup to a simmer, partially cover pot, and cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender and the soup tastes of deep, satisfying flavors. If it tastes weak, uncover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes or more to boil off some of the liquid and concentrate the soup's character.
3. Serve the soup in deep bowls. If you'd like, sprinkle each portion with some of the cheese.

*Note from me: can add any variation of veggies
*Note from Lynne: Slice everything in the food processor. Each time you reheat the soup, you can transform it into something new by adding yet another ingredient-pasta, a teaspoon of India's garam masala blend of spices, hot sauce, or a can of black beans, chick peas, or pintos.

Serves 4 as main dish; 6 to 8 as a first course. Soup will hold for 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer