Winter Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms, Ginger and Greens

This miso soup is almost a stew, thick with slices of pungent ginger root, dried shiitake mushrooms and dark leafy greens surrounded by a savory broth. The white miso paste which is the basis of the broth is mildly sweet and not too salty; rice vinegar and rice wine add a subtle sweet- sour dimension.

Ginger root is classified as one of the most warming herbs in the traditional Chinese herbal pharmacopeia. Shiitake mushrooms are strengthening and beneficial for healthy immune function. Together these two ingredients transform this soup into a fortifying meal for cold winter days.

The recipe can be made in ten minutes or less. It does not require precise measurements but the quantities noted below will yield two generous servings.


Ingredients:


6 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 cups fresh water
1/3 cup thinly sliced leek
1/3 cup thinly sliced celery
3-4 slices fresh ginger root
1+ 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste
1- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin rice wine*
2-3 handfuls baby lacinato kale leaves (or baby arugula, spinach or other leafy green)


1.  Place mushrooms in a ceramic bowl. Boil about half the water and pour over the mushrooms. Cover the bowl with a plate and allow mushrooms to rehydrate while you slice the vegetables.

2. Slice  ginger root into slabs and then into matchsticks. Thinly slice the celery and leek.

3. When cool enough to handle, remove mushrooms from bowl one at a time and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Reserve the soaking water. 


4. Slice the mushrooms with a sharp knife.  If the stems are tough, slice as thinly as possible; they will soften with further cooking.

5. Place the sliced vegetables into a pot, add soaking liquid and remaining water.  Cover and simmer gently over a low to medium flame for five or six minutes.  Add more water if there isn't enough to just cover the vegetables.

6. Place miso paste, rice vinegar, mirin and a few tablespoons of broth in a small bowl and stir until fairly smooth.  Add mixture to the soup.

7. Stir the greens into the soup, cover and turn off heat. Allow to rest for three or four minutes until greens wilt. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.  Reheat the soup very gently before serving but do not boil.   


*Note: Mirin rice wine is a traditional Japanese product; it is a versatile staple to have on hand and is commonly available in natural food markets. 

Springtime Detox? Cleanse? Savory Leafy Green Drink

Enter the word "detox" into the Google search engine and 17, 900, 000 hits will appear; "cleanse" generates 15, 900, 000. Ours is a culture of excess which is simultaneously obsessed with detoxing and cleansing. This modern paradox has led to a huge interest in green foods, green drinks and a myriad of costly green supplements.  

When I first began writing about food and health almost three decades ago, the word "kale" was met with puzzlement or revulsion. When asked if they ate greens many people would mention lettuce and spinach. Now at my urban farmer's market, people happily wait in line to buy their weekly organic kale ration. 

The human body is a marvelously efficient regenerating and self cleansing organism. When nourished with appropriate amounts of high quality whole food, the body transforms it into usable nutrients which create energy for daily activity and maintenance of the organ systems.  All this occurs without resulting in "toxicity". 

Detoxing, cleansing and fasting are not emphasized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); the primary focus is on cultivating a proper lifestyle to keep the body in balance and avoiding any kind of excess-  culinary, emotional or physical.  In each season the diet is adjusted to suit the changing environment; in Spring lighter fare is appropriate in most climates.

TCM discourages over consumption of chilled and raw foods, especially during cooler weather and by individuals who are recovering from illness, who are fatigued or have difficulty staying warm. This green drink has all the healthy attributes of a (mostly) raw green drink but is designed to be lightly heated in order to provide warming energy in addition to its dense nutrients.  Fresh ginger root also increases its warming "qi supportive" qualities.
 
The recipe components are intentionally minimal to counter our tendency to believe that more is better;  a few kale leaves may be added if desired! The quantity of miso and tahini may be adjusted to your taste.  Use only the lightest of miso pastes; their flavor is mild and less salty.  Yield: One serving.  Preparation time: Less than five minutes.



Savory Leafy Green Drink

1 cup fresh water
2 cups baby arugula and spinach leaves
2 slices fresh ginger root, minced
2 teaspoons white or light miso paste
1 teaspoon raw tahini
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy milk 


Place water, greens and ginger root in blender and process until smooth.  Blend in miso and tahini. Add nut milk and blend again. Heat soup very gently in a saucepan until just warmed through; do not simmer. Serve immediately.

Brussels Sprouts in Thai Basil Miso Broth

What to do with a handful of Brussels sprouts and little else on a dark winter evening when hunger is urgent?  Having traveled 3,000 miles across country I felt fortunate to find a few staples on hand and set to work with my chef's knife. In eight minutes I had improvised a light but warming, spicy and healthy meal which quickly eased the fatigue and hunger of long distance travel.

Brussels Sprouts in Thai Basil Miso Broth

Ingredients:

12 medium Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon light miso paste
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon dried Thai basil leaves, crushed
a few drops chile infused toasted sesame oil

Method:

Slice the sprouts thinly so that they will cook quickly.  In a saucepan with a lid, heat olive oil  and lightly saute shredded sprouts on a medium flame for a minute or two until fragrant and a few are just turning golden brown. Add one cup of water, cover immediately to retain steam and simmer gently on a low flame for two or three minutes.

Dissolve miso paste in about 1/4 cup water and add to pan. Sprinkle in basil leaves and a few drops of sesame oil, cover and remove from heat. Allow to rest a minute or two.  Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in a heated bowl. Yield: One serving.

Note:
If you don't have basil leaves, herbs such as fresh or dried marjoram, mint, parsley or cilantro will work well.  Garnish with your choice of sliced fresh ginger root, lime or lemon juice, toasted sesame seeds, red pepper flakes or sliced scallion.

Chilled Bisque of Butternut & Pear

Butternut squash and pears are not usually what come to mind when contemplating a recipe for late springtime, but on a recent promisingly sunny San Francisco afternoon, that's about all there was in the pantry.  With the addition of three aromatic vegetables- leek, celery and carrot, the resulting chilled soup is subtly sweet, fragrant and energizing. Gentle cooking on low heat preserves the fresh flavors of the vegetables; the pears are added at the end of cooking to steam in the soup without additional heat.  Although it is tempting to embellish with additional ingredients, its simplicity is what allows this soup to sing.

Chilled Butternut-Pear Bisque

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup leek (white part only), thinly sliced
1 rib celery, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 medium butternut squash, cubed
2 cups water, more if needed
2 ripe pears, sliced
1 heaping teaspoon Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons white or light miso paste
organic apple juice or cider (optional)
lemon zest, freshly grated
lemon juice, freshly squeezed

In a heavy soup pot saute leek and celery in olive oil until fragrant but not brown.  Add carrot slices and saute for about two minutes.  Stir in squash cubes,  adding a little more olive oil if needed and saute for about another two minutes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and simmer gently until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes.  Place pear slices in soup, remove from heat and allow to rest with cover on for about 15 minutes. Stir in paprika. Dissolve miso paste in a little broth from the soup and return mixture to pot. When cooled, puree soup in blender until just smooth, adding a little water or apple juice if mixture is too thick. Serve chilled, garnished with a sprinkling of lemon zest and lemon juice.

Note: For a richer bisque, blend the cooked vegetables with plain unsweetened soy milk instead of water or apple juice. Garnish with a pinch of paprika instead of lemon juice. If the weather turns chilly,  the bisque is delicious served hot.  Store extra bisque in glass jars; it will keep well in fridge for several days.

Split Pea Soup with Hungarian Paprika & Lemon

Thanks to the vagaries of San Francisco weather- often foggy in summer and rainy in winter- a steaming bowl of rustic, flavorful soup is welcome here almost year round. With a supply of dried split peas in the pantry this simple soup garnished with Hungarian paprika and lemon juice can be whipped up for a warming one- pot meal whenever the weather turns chilly.

Split peas are a high protein, low fat, quick cooking legume which require no soaking. Before cooking, place peas in a colander and pick over to remove any pebbles which may have been harvested along with the peas. Rinse peas briefly in fresh water and drain. Two cups of dried split peas cooked with a few aromatic vegetables will yield four or five servings of soup.


Split Pea Soup with Hungarian Paprika & Lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup sliced leek or onion
1 rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 medium potato, cubed
2 cups dried split peas
5 cups fresh water
1 tablespoon white miso paste (or more to taste)
juice of 1 lemon as garnish
Hungarian paprika as garnish


In a soup pot heat olive oil and saute leek and celery for three or four minutes until fragrant. Add carrot, parsley and potato and continue to saute another two or three minutes. Add split peas and water, stir, cover pot and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and cook until split peas are tender, about 25 or 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent peas from sticking to bottom of the pot. If necessary, add a bit more water. When peas are tender, remove about a cup of soup and place in a bowl with the miso. Stir soup and miso until fairly smooth, then return mixture to the pot. Taste and add more miso if needed. Serve soup with a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice, a dusting of good quality Hungarian paprika and a sprinkling of chopped parsley leaves.

Note: For a velvety smooth soup, process in blender before serving. Allow soup to cool a bit before blending. Extra soup will keep well for several days in fridge.

Pease Porridge Nursery Rhyme:

"Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
pease porridge in the pot, nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
some like it in the pot, nine days old."

- British nursery rhyme, dated by some sources circa 17th century.

Miso Demystified

Miso is a nutritious versatile and flavorful food which has had an honored place for centuries in Japanese cuisine. It is a fermented food, usually made with soybeans, water, and sea salt. Other legumes can be used, and some misos contain fermented rice or other grains. Miso is aged and allowed to ferment in barrels for at least 12 months. Longer aging adds to the complexity of its flavor, in a process not unlike the careful fermentation of good wines. Fermentation produces beneficial enzymes and nutrients in addition to the inherent value of the beans. The handcrafted misos of Japan are produced with great care and pride by families which have used ancient recipes for generations.

Don't be intimidated by miso! It is easy to use, will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator, and is available in many markets in the U.S. Miso can be the foundation for vegetable soups, stews, sauces and spreads. With a few vegetables and a little miso, you can quickly make a delicious, flavorful soup without canned broths, bouillon, or complicated soup stock.

Miso comes in many varieties. If miso is new to your kitchen, you might prefer first to try the lighter colored, sweet and mild variety called "white miso". Miso is sold in the form of a paste in small containers or in bulk in natural food stores. (Don't even consider buying dehydrated or instant miso). Read labels to avoid products which contain MSG and preservatives. Generally, the darker the color of the miso paste, the stronger and more intense the flavor. The one important point to remember about using miso is that heating it will harm its enzymes and beneficial microorganisms, so it is usually added to a recipe at the end of cooking. However, if miso is heated during cooking, it will still provide excellent flavor and lots of nutrients to the finished product.

Vegetable Miso Soup

2 celery ribs, sliced into crescents
1 carrot, sliced into half moons
1 parsnip, sliced into half moons
3/4 cup sliced leek or scallion
1 strip wakame sea vegetable
4- 5 cups water
2 tablespoons white miso paste

1. Place vegetables and water in soup pot.
2. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Lower flame and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Place miso paste in a bowl, add about 1/2 cup soup broth and blend until smooth.
5. Add miso blend to soup.
6. Serve soup in small, pre-warmed bowls.

Note : To preserve the valuable enzymes and nutrients in miso, avoid boiling the soup.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.