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.
ckentmills / TASTE 