Autumnal Soup

I DID get a bee in my bonnet to make a good soup out of the last of the veggies. WOW! Did the soup come out really tasty or what? It really gets better and better the longer you keep it. Using parmesan cheese rinds adds a lot of flavor to the soup and you can freeze as you use up the cheese for future use. I just pulled out a few rinds and threw them in the soup. We used a package of naan from Trader Joe’s to round out the dinner and some really good garlic butter. Yum!

Autumnal Soup

Makes about 8 servings

peanut oil
1/2 large yellow onion
1/4 each red, green and yellow bell peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 parsnip
1 carrot
3 celery stalks
2 golden turnips
8 C “Better Than Bouillon” organic beef broth
bouquet garni of celery leaves, thyme sprigs, rosemary branch, parsley sprigs tied up with cotton string
1 zucchini and/or squash
parmesan cheese rinds
organic cider vinegar with “the Mother”
sea salt, crushed black pepper, crushed Szechwan pepper
2 leeks
1 crisp apple (I used a honey crisp)
1/2 C bamboo shoots, slivered

Heat peanut oil in a cast iron dutch oven. Add chopped yellow onions, bell peppers, minced garlic, cook until tender and translucent. Add peeled and chopped parsnip, carrot, turnips and celery. Cook for a while, tossing frequently. Add the beef broth and boil, turn down to a simmer. Add the bouquet garni, chopped zucchini/squash, parmesan cheese rinds, 1/2 C organic cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper, 1/4 tsp cracked Szechwan pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add thoroughly washed, halved and sliced leeks, peeled, cored and chopped apple. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Remove the bouquet garni and the parmesan rinds. Add bamboo shoots just before serving.