French Vegetable Soup or Spring Vegetable Soup This is one of my favorite soups, and although I sometimes call it a spring soup, it's perfectly satisfying in the depths of winter. It's got a white wine tang to it, and with the tarragon and artichoke hearts, it just seems springy for some reason. This soup seems a little fussy, but once you make it the first time, you'll realize there's nothing terribly time consuming about making stock, and that cooking and peeling tiny boiling onions is a snap, and that turnips are nothing to be afraid of. This is one of the soups I can make with the worst headcold, so I know you can do manage it. Its from the Moosewood Cookbook, with my own modifications that have come from making it dozens and dozens of times. Here's a picture: http://www.d33ann.com/recipes/frenchveggiesoup.jpg Light Vegetable Stock 10 cups water 2 medium onions, quartered 2 medium sweet potatoes or 4 carrots, peeled 3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed 2 large potatoes, thickly sliced 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped 1 bay leaf 6 peppercorns 4 allspice berries or a pinch of ground allspice salt to taste 1 cup mushroom stems if you have them Combine all ingredients in a large pot. On high heat, bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables loose their color. Discard solids* and use stock right away, or freeze for up to 6 months. The Soup 6 cups of stock (above) 1 cup dry white wine (you will add a touch more at the end, so don't drink the rest of the bottle until the soup is finished.) 5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 2 large bay leaves 12-18 small boiling onions (pearl onions), peeled (see below) 12-18 new/baby potatoes, scrubbed, chopped into bite sized pieces 18 or so baby carrots 2 turnips*, peeled, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 lbs asparagus, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces 1 can of artichoke hearts, unseasoned, in water, each chopped in half 2 tsp dried thyme (i use lemon thyme) 2 tsp dried tarragon 1 cup frozen green peas (petite if you can) 1 tablespoon light miso (powered miso from trader joe's instant is Ok) salt & pepper to taste In a soup pot bring first set of ingredients to a boil. (Stock, wine, garlic, bay leaf, potatoes, carrots, turnips, onions.) Lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are just about soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Sometimes I add a splash more of the white wine at this point, if I want the soup to be just a tad bit tangier. It's up to you. Ladle into pretty french crockery and enjoy with a baguette and real butter. Notes-- *The tiny boiling onions. They are not a big deal, I promise. Dump them straight from the bag you bought them in into a small sauce pan full of water. Bring to a boil for a few minutes, then drain and run under cool water. With a small paring knife (or any knife, really) cut off the root end of each onion and squeeze the onion out of its outer skin through the root end. Easy-peasy. *Do not fear the turnip. They are cute, easy to peel and chop, and a yummy addition to this soup. In case you aren't sure what they look like, here's some help: http://schmidling.com/turnip1.jpg. Look at it, it's adorable.