Mrs. Z's Vegetable Soup
This winter has been strange. Slightly mild. Not too much snow. But definitely not too much sun either. And here we are in a very cold April still struggling to get it right.
No matter what the weather I love when my cooking highlights beautiful ingredients with bright colors and aromatic flavors. This soup recipe does just that and is a great recipe to help us transition into spring. It's a light soup in a clear broth with large pieces of colorful veggies. I have been making a large pot every week since I came home with my new baby. It's great to have on hand and is very low in calories so you can eat as much as you like.
I got this recipe from my sister in law, and she got it from her mother in law Mrs. Z. Mrs. Z can definitely hold her own and teach me a thing or two in the kitchen. She is from Mexico and all of her cooking is reflective of her origin- even her traditional Sephardic dishes. My favorite elements in the soup are the corn and fresh cilantro. I use frozen organic corn kernels but the original version has these amazing small pieces of corn on the cob. And if you don't like cilantro, well then, just use it anyway. This soup will teach you to like it.
For those who do not eat kitniyot on Passover (like me), I swap the corn out for roasted spaghetti squash. Also, I do not freeze this soup because it has potatoes. I just keep it in the fridge for up to one week and it stays beautifully.
Mrs. Z's Vegetable Soup
Yield: 1 extra large soup pot (at least an 8 quart pot)
Rating: 5 stars. Hearty and healthy. Easy and fast. Ingredients: 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch pieces 4 Ribs of celery, cut into about 1 inch pieces 2 medium zucchinis, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes 1/2 of a small/medium butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes 2 white sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 yukon potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 1 bag frozen corn kernels (organic if possible) 1 big handful fresh cilantro, rough chop 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons kosher salt Directions:
Take your carrots, celery, zucchini, squash, sweet potato and regular potato and put it into your large soup pot. Fill it to just below the top with water and set the covered pot over a high flame. Bring your soup to a boil and lower the flame to medium. Simmer for one hour. Add your corn, cilantro and salt and simmer for an additional half hour. Add additional salt to taste if necessary.
Note:
I use Kosher salt (the Diamond brand only) in all of my cooking. If you use a different brand or type of salt always taste as you go when cooking with a recipe. All salts taste different and some are stronger than others. Nothing is worse than beautifully cooked food with too much salt.
Plan Ahead:
This soup can not be frozen because of the potatoes. I make this soup every Thursday and it stays beautifully in the fridge for a full seven days (if it lasts that long).
Passover Option:
Replace your corn with spaghetti squash-
Take a small spaghetti squash and slice it open onto a baking sheet. Remove the seeds and spray with oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees or until fork tender. Scoop the flesh out of one side with a fork and mix it into the soup at the same time you would add the corn. Save the other half for another time. (One option is to scoop out the other half and drizzle 1 teaspoon of maple syrup onto the flesh. Toss well and sprinkle some toasted almonds and sea salt on top. Makes a fast and tasty side dish!)
