2½ pounds cauliflower (1 very large head), cut into 1-inch florets, leaves reserved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Carrots Onion Celery Veggie stock
Cheese
Salt and pepper
garlic
Step 1 Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower florets, lleaves and onions with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle exposed cloves with salt, then drizzle lightly with oil. Roast until the cauliflower is browned and tender and the garlic is soft and fragrant, 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 2 Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, bring 6 cups of water and veggie to a simmer over medium. Add Carrots and celery then Reserve about 1 cup cauliflower for the topping, then add the rest to the pot, including any browned bits on the sheet pan. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
Step 3 Off the heat, using an immersion blender (or working in batches in a traditional blender), purée the soup until smooth. If thick, add water to taste. If thin, simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly. (The soup will also thicken as it cools.) Season to taste with salt.
Step 4 Serve the soup topped with the reserved roasted cauliflower, a drizzle of olive oil and more black pepper.
2 cups red lentils 2 large russet potatoes 1 carrot 1 onion 3 pieces garlic 1 tomato 7 cups water 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp salt lemon wedges to serve few sprigs parsley zaa’tar to taste pepper to taste
1. Rinse and drain the red lentils and set aside. Peel the russet potatoes and chop into small cubes. 2. Finely chop the carrot, onion, and garlic. Dice the tomato 3. Use a kettle and bring the 7 cups of water to boil 4. Heat up a stock pot to medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onions. Sauté for 3-4min 5. Add the carrots and sauté for 2min. Add the garlic and sauté for 1min 6. Add the cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauté for another minute. Then, add in the red lentils and tomato. Sauté for another minute 7. Add the potatoes and pour in the hot water. Give the pot a good stir 8. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and cook on medium for 20 min 9. Transfer 3-4 cups of the soup to a blender. Blend on medium low for a few seconds. Then, pour the soup back into the pot and give it a good stir to combine 10. Plate the soup and garnish with fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of zaa’tar, and fresh cracked pepper to taste
8 ounces button mushrooms(the smaller the better) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce salt (to taste) 2 tablespoons cornstarch (combined into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water, optional) 1/2 cup cilantro (finely chopped) 1 scallion (chopped)
Wash the mushrooms clean of any dirt, and dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. Detach the stems (you will add them to the soup also).
Place a medium soup pot over medium high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the oil and mushrooms cup-side up in a single layer. (Add the stems in too to avoid waste.)
Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the mushroom caps are browned, and each cup fills with liquid (that’s the juices in the mushroom seeping out!). Also check the stems for browning. Avoid stirring during this pan-frying process as it’s the key step to developing flavor for this soup. (You also want to keep the mushroom juices in the caps.)
When the mushrooms are nicely browned, add the water and light soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes over medium low heat.
Add salt to taste, and stir in the cornstarch slurry (if using). Simmer the soup for 30 seconds until thickened. Just before serving, add the cilantro and scallions. If you like cilantro (like me) this soup can take a lot of cilantro!
1 Tbsp. gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper powder) or 1½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
4 scallions
1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 4×3″ piece dried kombu
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
4 baby bok choy (about 12 oz. total), quartered lengthwise
4 5-oz. packages fresh ramen noodles
Jammy eggs, toasted nori sheets, and/or cilantro (for serving; optional)
Fresh ramen noodles can be found at Asian markets and some grocery stores. We like Sun Noodle brand.
Cook garlic and ¼ cup oil in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring often, until garlic is beginning to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in gochugaru; season with salt. Set garlic oil aside. Wipe out pot and set aside.
Trim dark green parts from scallions and thinly slice; set aside for serving. Coarsely chop white and pale green parts. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in reserved pot over medium-high. Cook chopped scallions and ginger, stirring often, until scallions are charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to stick to the bottom of pot and darkens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and kombu, then stir in 5 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let sit until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard kombu.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer solids to a blender. Add a ladleful or 2 of broth to blender and purée until smooth. Stir purée back into broth in pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add butter a piece at a time, whisking to combine after each addition before adding more. Stir in soy sauce; season with salt. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add bok choy and cook until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bok choy to a plate. Return water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and divide among bowls.
To serve, ladle broth over noodles, then top with bok choy and reserved garlic oil. Top with eggs, nori, and cilantro if desired.
1 ½ pounds mixed mushrooms, such as maitake, oyster, cremini or shiitake, torn into bite-size pieces
1 to 2 fresh red or green chiles, such as Fresno, thinly sliced (or 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes)
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste
¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste
8 to 10 ounces noodles, such as udon, soba, rice or spaghetti
2 cups herbs (tender leaves and stems), such as cilantro, mint, chives, parsley or a mix, for serving
Sesame seeds, sesame oil or both, for serving (optional)
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots start to turn a nice golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and half the chile, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, released much of their water and turned a deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (A browned mushroom will have infinitely more flavor than an unbrowned mushroom, because the water inside it evaporates and the flavor concentrates. So do not skip this step.)
Add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar and 8 cups of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until the flavors have melded and the broth tastes good enough to drink (you will be drinking it), 15 to 20 minutes. Season with more soy sauce and vinegar as you like.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. (The timing will depend on the type and brand of noodles, so consult the package.) Add the noodles to the pot with the broth, and let them hang out in there for a minute or two to finish cooking and soak up all that flavor.
To serve, use tongs to divide the noodles and mushrooms among bowls, then ladle the hot broth over the top. Serve with the remaining chile, the herbs and the sesame seeds and oil (if using) for people to dress their own bowls to their liking.
7 baby yellow potatoes or 3 Russet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
32 oz. vegetable stock
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into pieces
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon flour
2 vegan Italian sausages (I use Field Roast) or 1 can chickpeas
salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan (I used Follow Your Heart brand) or nutritional yeast
Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Saute until softened. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and saute another minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, brown the sausages, if using. Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces and saute in the remaining tablespoon of oil in a frying pan until browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the kale to the pot and stir in until wilted. It will look like a lot of kale at first but really cooks down. Stir in the coconut milk and whisk in the flour until there are no clumps. Add the sausages to the soup, or drain the chickpeas and add them. Simmer all the ingredients together just until they are all warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve right away and sprinkle with Parmesan or nutritional yeast.
2 pounds savoy cabbage (or green, red) 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped garlic salt & black pepper (ground fresh from the mill) 1 tablespoon wine vinegar 3 cups veggie broth 1 cup veggie broth 2/3 cup rice (preferably Italian Arborio rice) 2 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese (freshly grated, plus more for serving)
Detach and discard the first few outer leaves of the cabbage. The remaining head of leaves must be shredded very fine. If you are going to do it by hand, cut the leaves into fine shreds, slicing them off the whole head. Turn the head after you have sliced a section of it until gradually you expose the entire core, which must be discarded. If you want to use the food processor, cut the leaves off from the core in sections, discard the core and process the leaves through a shredding attachment.
Put the onion and olive oil into a large sauté pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a deep gold, then add the garlic. When you have cooked the garlic until it becomes colored a very pale gold, add the shredded cabbage. Turn the cabbage over 2 or 3 times to coat it well, and cook it until it is wilted.
Add salt, pepper, and the vinegar. Turn the cabbage over once completely, lower the heat to minimum, and cover the pan tightly. Cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until it is very tender, turning it from time to time. If while it is cooking, the liquid in the pan should become insufficient, add 2 tablespoons water as needed. When done, taste and correct for salt and pepper. Allow it to settle a few minutes off heat before serving. Note: The smothered cabbage can be prepared 2 or 3 days ahead of the soup, or served as a side dish from here. It also freezes well.
Put the cabbage and broth into a soup pot, and turn on the heat to medium.
When the broth comes to a boil, add the rice. Cook uncovered, adjusting the heat so that the soup bubbles at a slow, but steady boil, stirring from time to time until the rice is done. It must be tender, but firm to the bite, and should take around 20 minutes. If while the rice is cooking, you find the soup becoming too thick, add a ladelful of homemade broth. If you are not using homemade broth, just add water. Remember that when finished, the soup should be rather dense, but there should still be some liquid.
When the rice is done, before turning off the heat, swirl in the butter and the grated Parmesan, stirring thoroughly. Taste and correct for salt, and add a few grindings of black pepper. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, and allow it to settle just a few minutes before serving. Serve with more grated Parmesan.
easy Pour vegetable broth into a large pot and place over high heat. Bring to a simmer.
While broth heats up, place onion and ginger onto baking sheet and place under broiler. Cook until lightly charred on top, about 4 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Rotate and cook until charred on opposite sides. Add onion and ginger to broth, along with cinnamon, star anise, cloves. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, adding a bit of water if the mixture reduces too much.
While broth simmers, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.
Mimi’s notes:
Roast one whole onion, No tamari or soy sauce, Used no chicken base bouillon, parboiled all the vegetables separately with the broth. Roasted whole anise in pan along with cinnamon.
