Roasted Vegetable & Ancient Grains
Prep Time: 60 mins Cook Time: 30 mins| Servings: 8 plus lots for leftovers
PERFECT FOR: A New Year Detox
SOUP STORY
This soup couldn't be easier to make! And...it is so delicious, nutritious and satisfies everyone in the family or neighborhood. I love that it requires no recipe or measurements and you can use whatever you have on hand in the fridge to make it. At this time of year when we are out of the house for ski weekends it is great to be able to use whatever is left in the fridge on Sunday afternoons. This week, I had butternut squash, rutabaga, cauliflower, carrots, loads of parsley, celery tomatoes & broccoli. Any vegetables you have on hand will do! If you do not want to add grains at all, use riced cauliflower at the end for a similar texture. Trader Joe's riced cauliflower is a staple, or rice your own by pulsing heads of the cauliflower in your Cuisinart. It is super easy! My Dad cirque 1978 inspired this soup today with health goals of the New Year on the mind. I remember my Dad's infamous soup diets back in the day. He would eat a vegetable soup (and nothing else) for a week and drop a good 10 pounds every time! I just might try that myself to kick off 2017 with a bang. When in doubt, trust in the judgement of the 1970s! Cheers to my Dad and I hope you play with and enjoy this soup with your crew.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of farro or other ancient grain
1 cup of barley or other ancient grain
1 cup Spanish yellow onions-diced
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
1 large head of broccoli
1 large head of cauliflower
4 heirloom tomatoes | red and yellow if available
2 cups large dice butternut squash
2 cups large dice ruttabaga
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
Kosher (always) salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of fresh parsley-chopped
4 quarts chicken stock and more for creating your preferred texture
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees for roasting the vegetables
Rinse and cover the farro, barley or other ancient grain in a glass bowl of water for 20 minutes
Rinse and cover the farro, barley or other ancient grain in a glass bowl of water for 20 minutes
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with olive oil
Add the carrots and celery in your large soup pot, creating your sofrito base for the soup until you sweat the vegetables, then remove from heat and set the pot aside.
Large dice all other vegetables and place in roasting pan(s). Drizzle with olive oil and generously salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables for 45-60 minutes Toss and turn often as you go about your afternoon but pull them from the oven right when they begin to caramelize
When complete, add the roasted vegetables to the pot along with 3 quarts of the chicken broth or enough to generously cover your vegetables. Simmer for 30 minutes
After the 25-30 minutes your vegetables should be very soft. Using a potato masher, mash the softened vegetables to a chunky consistency, but don't over-blend them. This is key to what makes this soup texture so delicious!
Drain the ancient grains and add them to the pot. Allow the grains to simmer into the soup for 20 minutes, adding stock as needed along the way.
Chop the bunch of parsley or any other herb you have on hand and throw a bunch into each bowl when serving
Enjoy a delicious, recipe free soup!
