For a Friend: Root Vegetable Kielbasa Soup

A friend of mine, Lex Poppens, has been trying some of the recipes from the blog, and has made my White Bean and Ham Soup a number of times. So for him, I have created this variation of a soup that I have made for a number of years.

I think this is pretty much the ultimate vegetable soup (Ok, yes, it does have some meat in it !). Instead of using above ground vegetables, we are going to focus instead on below ground vegetables – root vegetables. The bite of the the parsnips, daikon radish and turnip root, the sweetness of the carrots, and the earthy flavors of the rutabaga and celery root all combine to form the perfect meal for what is left of the Winter season. The mild Polish kielbasa sausage enhances, rather than overpowers, the vegetable flavors.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 1/2 pounds Polish kielbasa sausage
• 1 cup turnip root, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup rutabaga, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup celery root, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup carrots, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup parsnips, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup daikon radish, diced (1/4 inch)
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped, stems removed
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
• olive oil

Start with the kielbasa, by cutting it into a 1/4 inch dice. In a large skillet, brown the kielbasa over medium heat, allowing much of the fat to cook out. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Take 1/4 cup of each of the root vegetables (celery root, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, daikon radish & turnip root) and coat generously with the olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet, and roast them in a 350 degree oven, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool, place the roasted vegetables in a food processor, add the 3 tablespoons of flour, and a couple of ounces of the chicken stock. Purée the vegetables until a smooth paste is formed. This is called a panada – it is used to thicken and flavor the soup.

In a large soup pot, add the diced sweet onion, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the minced garlic, and sauté the mix until the onion just begins to brown. Immediately add the pre-cooked kielbasa, the remaining diced root vegetables, and enough of the chicken stock to cover it all, plus an extra 1/2 inch. Cover the pot, and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes.

When done simmering, uncover the pot, and skim the surface to remove any vegetable residue that might have formed. This will be minimal if your diced vegetables were properly peeled and washed prior to dicing them. Now we must ‘balance’ the soup. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of better and allow it to melt, stirring it in. Take the panada you made from the roasted vegetables, and stir it into the soup as well. This will thicken the soup and make the broth more flavorful. Add more chicken stock as necessary to achive a consistency to your liking – remember, this is a soup, not a stew, so do not make it too thick.

Add the copped parsley, and after about 10 more minutes of simmering, the soup is ready to be served.

Asian Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Healthy, colorful and flavorful, root vegetables can be used many different ways. In this case, I decide to roast, then cool them to be used in an Asian-themed salad. The earthy flavors of the root vegetables, contrasted with the tart vinaigrette, and the salty masago really were a wonderful opening for an Asian-themed meal I was preparing. Frankly though, this salad can be used as an eye-popping beginning to a great number of meals.

Ingredients

• 1 package enoki mushrooms
• 1 package radish sprouts
• 2 links Chinese sweet sausage
• 1 medium beet
• 1 large carrot
• 1 yellow yam
• 1 daikon radish
• 4 tablespoons masago (flying fish roe)
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger

Start by making the vinaigrette. in a small container, like a squeeze bottle, combine 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the rice vinegar, the ponzu, and the minced ginger. Shake to mix ingredients, and allow to sit for at least an hour to allow the ginger flavor to become infused. Of course, you will need to shake again when ready to serve !

Cut the yam, carrot, beet and daikon into 1/4 inch dice. Coat them lightly in sesame oil and a little salt, and place on a well oiled baking sheet. Keep the vegetables separate from one another on the sheet, especially the beets, unless you want all your vegetables to look beet red ! Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Slice the Chinese sweet sausage into 1/4 inch slices. If your sausage was uncooked, cook it by boiling it for about 10 minutes, and let it cool, prior to slicing.

Plate a thin layer of enoki mushrooms, topped by another thin layer of radish sprouts. Arrange equal amounts of the roasted carrots, yams, daikon radish, beets and Chinese sausage on top of the mushroom/radish layers. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of the well shaken sesame-ginger vinaigrette, then top with 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of the masago. I used red masago in this presentation, by any color will do. Serve cold.