Four-day vegetable soup by james beard, chef

8 cups

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 large Onion; peeled; fine chopped
3 eaches Garlic cloves; peeled and finely chopped
2 cups Cabbage; cooked and finely chopped
2 eaches Carrots; peeled; shredded
1 small Turnip; peeled; fine diced
1 each Mushrooms; chopped
4 eaches Swiss chard leaves & stems
2 smalls Zucchini; finely diced
4 eaches Rosemary leaves; fresh, or
1 teaspoon Rosemary; dried; crushed
1 medium Tomato; peeled; seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon Salt; to taste
1 teaspoon Pepper, black; ground fresh to taste

Directions

James Beard's 4-Day Vegetable Soup Invented on a cold Winter day in France. "You can use this recipe as is or for totally distinctive products. This recipe is not to be slavishly followed but is to serve as a starting point for your own ideas. The name comes from the fact that I used it on 4 consecutive days while living in France." James Beard Makes: 8 cups

* Directions *

Put all the vegetables and the rosemary in a deep pan. Cover with water and add salt and pepper to taste -- about 1 tblspn salt and 1 tspn pepper. Bring to a boil gradually over low heat. Cover pot and simmer the soup gently for 1-½ to 2 hours, or until all the flavors are well blended. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Serve with crackers, cheese, or whatever you'd like.

* Examples of variations *

First day: Enough soup for four people. Serve as described above.

Second day: Add to the remainder another couple of peeled and chopped tomatoes, a few leaves of finely chopped spinach, another zucchini, and a few leftover cooked chickpeas. Add a bit of grated lemon rind and a touch of onion about 10 minutes before serving.

Third day: For lunch, the soup is good cold with a dollop of creme frai'che.

Fourth day: Add 2 or 3 peeled and diced beets, another cup of finely chopped, cooked cabbage, 3 or 4 more mushrooms, and if any, a little left over vegetable broth cooked from another day.

NOTE: Of course, if you have some chicken or vegetable broth you can add it to the soup.

The secret is to have variations of color, texture and flavor.

From: James Beard's Theory & Practice of Good Cooking. Consumers Union Edition for Consumer Reports Readers. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1977 by James Beard. ISBN 0-89043-108-6.

From: Don Alt Date: 09-13-94

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