Soup

In other parts of the world, autumn is approaching, and thoughts of autumn put me into a snugly mood.

So I bought a bunch of fresh vegetables for soup-making and other fall-ish recipes I found in the book From a Monastery Kitchen by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette (say that ten times fast), conveniently organized into seasons.

I like soup, and so does John, it being a specially British-type dish.  They like to eat their food all thrown into a pot.

It's easy to make and wholesome, in that family-gathering, rainy-day sort of way.

Here is the first soup I tried (it serves six):

Soup Julienne
(Potage Julienne au bouillon)

Ingredients

3 leeks (white part only)
4 carrots
2 medium turnips
1/2 medium head green cabbage
 1 onion
3 quarts water
3 bouillon cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

1. Shred the cabbage and cut the vegetables in thin strips, 1 1/2 inches long, and place them in a large soup pot with the water.  Add the bouillon cubes and bring the water to boil.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook the soup slowly for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.
2. When the vegetables are done, add the salt, pepper, and parsley; stir a few times, cover, and simmer for 15 additional minutes.  Serve hot.

I started to julienne the carrots as instructed (obviously where the soup gets its name), but then remembered that my husband is funny about large chunks of things in his food.

Oh, well.  It couldn't be entirely helped.  I'm not exactly a samurai with a kitchen knife.

I added a slice of Swiss cheese and sprinkled some fresh parsley for presentation.

Hey, it was delicious--and that's what counts.