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

Provencal Vegetable Soup

From Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris, this is a very pleasant version of vegetable soup.

2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
3 cups 1/2-inch-diced unpeeled boiling potatoes (1 pound)
3 cups 1/2- inch-diced carrots (1 pound)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 quarts homemade chicken stock or canned broth
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound haricot verts (green beans), ends removed and cut in half
4 ounces spaghetti, broken in pieces
1 cup Pistou, recipe follows
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot, add the onions and saute over low heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots , salt, and pepper and saute over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and saffron, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Add the haricots verts and spaghetti, bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 more minutes.

To serve, whisk 1/4 cup of the pistou into the hot soup, then season to taste. Depending on the saltiness of your chicken stock, you may need to add up to another tablespoon of salt. Serve with grates Parmesan cheese and more pistou.

Serves: 6 to 8

Pistou:

4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 large basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup good olive oil

Place the garlic, tomato paste, basil, and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and puree. With the motor running, slowly pout the olive oil down the feed tube to make a paste. Pack into a container, pour a film of olive oil on top, and close the lid.

Yield: 1 cup