Winter White Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cauliflower, parsnip, and mushrooms, and cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. Add the pear, beans, mustard, and dill, and stir just until heated, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the wine and thyme, and turn up the heat to high. Boil, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half and is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly.
• Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
• Stir in cream, and, if needed, thin with additional chicken broth; serve hot. You may wish to serve this soup the next day. It will improve in taste with time.

Steps:

• Wrap beet in foil. Roast in a 400 degrees degree oven about 1 hour or until just tender. Cool. Peel and dice or grate; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a 4-quart Dutch oven cook and stir onion in hot butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender. Add cauliflower, turnips, celeriac, potatoes, fennel, parsnips, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups milk. Let cool slightly.
• Transfer soup mixture in batches to a blender or food processor; cover and blend or process until smooth. Return all soup to Dutch oven. Add additional milk to reach desired consistency. Heat through. Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with beets and, if desired, chives. Makes 10 servings.

Steps:

• Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse the barley under cold, running water. Set aside.Remove and discard the stems of the mushrooms. Slice the caps, set aside.Remove the leafy parts of the kale leaves from the tougher stems. Tear or cut into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
• Using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel the butternut squash. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks, set aside.Peel and cube the carrot. Set aside.Peel, trim, and slice the garlic cloves. Set aside.
• Set a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in half of the olive oil.Once the pot is hot, add the mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes until slightly softened and light brown in color. Add the kale, followed by the garlic. Stir until slightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Deglaze the pan with the cider vinegar, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom.
• Pour the kale/mushroom mixture onto a plate, set aside.Place the pot back on the heat, drizzle in more of the olive oil, and add the carrots, squash, and pearl onions to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, to add a little color to the vegetables. Add the barley to the pot and stir and toast for a few seconds. Add the white wine to the pot and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated, about a minute.Add the dried mushrooms to the pot. Cover everything with the mushroom or vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook the soup until the vegetables have softened and the barley is cooked, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add the kale/mushroom mixture back to the pot, and stir to combine. Taste the soup, and adjust the salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar, if needed.Ladle the soup into a wide, shallow bowl. Garnish with freshly grated lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, and fresh horseradish. Finish with a few torn leaves of fresh herbs, and serve immediately.