Oh, hello 2025!
This year, the holidays felt so indulgent – in a good way.
The restaurants in town looked full every night and we did a lot of baking and cooking at our house where the family code word was “cozy.”
Now it’s time for some clean eating...You with me?
I thought it might be a good time to revisit my “restaurant critic” soup.
Back in the day when I ate out for a living, a fellow restaurant critic based in the Bay Area posted a recipe for a clean cabbage soup which she enjoyed on her days off to balance out the barrage of rich dishes. She posted the recipe just a few days after a French chef broke the news to me that there was likely at least one full stick of butter in every French meal I ate out in NYC. Needless to say, I saved the recipe.
It’s been nearly 18 years since I last reviewed a restaurant but this soup has stayed with me and is perfect to start the new year feeling a bit righteous. It's also a perfect winter soup since it calls for all those knobby root veggies so plentiful at the market right now. I will be making a vat of it after Saturday’s market and will enjoy it for several days.
Here’s the recipe, “freestyle.”
Start by sautéing some leeks and shallots in olive oil in your favorite and roomiest soup pot. Dump in whichever root vegetables you’ve got handy, just make sure you’ve cut them up in pieces that are roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Stir them for a minute or too with your leeks/onions. Then fill your soup pot 3/4 of the way with water. Of course, if you want something richer use homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then let simmer.
Any mix of root vegetables will do. I usually use some of those gorgeous Hakurei baby white turnips, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, parsnips and carrots in a rainbow of colors.
If you’re a restaurant critic, you don’t want to add potatoes. But if you’re not, go right ahead and throw in a handful of market spuds. The truth is, this soup is so hearty you’re not going to miss them. About 15 minutes after the soup's been simmering, add some chopped San Marzano canned tomatoes. Throw in a couple bay leaves, peppercorns and a bouquet garni or simply, sprigs of thyme.
Let the soup simmer until the root vegetables are tender. Then, add your “greens”: CABBAGE if you eat out for a living. Lots and lots of shredded cabbage. (Titusville Farms has some lovely cabbage heads, fyi.). Toss in a fair amount – it will cook up quickly in the simmering soup.
Alternatively, you can toss in a bunch of shredded kale or collard greens or fresh spinach or chard. Let cook for about five to ten more minutes, then serve. I like to sprinkle some grated Parmesan into the steaming bowl of soup.
Whenever I make this soup, I make it in large quantities and have a serving every day for lunch or dinner. I never get bored of it because every day I portion out some of it into a smaller pot and add something different to keep things interesting: cannellini or garbanzo beans, one day. Asian spices and tofu another day. Shredded chicken if I’ve roasted a Letterbox chicken the night before.
The soup is yours to personalize as you wish. Either way it will make the best use of all the vegetables at the market right now and make you feel good as we dive into what promises to be an interesting year.
It's hard to have the words Bay Area and roast chicken in the same newsletter without paying homage to the late Judy Rodgers’ famous roast chicken at Zuni Cafe, hands down the best roast chicken I’ve ever tasted. Many food writers and chefs have tried to duplicate it. Here’s a version I’m going to try this weekend.
A couple of vendor alerts: Bambino Ravioli will be joining us again for their winter residency for those who’ve been missing their plethora of pasta choices and mozzarella. Of course, Maplebrook Farm Creamery also has creamy mozzarella and burrata, and smoked ricotta which tastes delicious in this pasta dish.
Joining us for the first time: Scotty’s Egg Rolls, with interesting farm-to-food truck egg rolls.
If you must continue to eat chocolate post-holidays, you’re in luck: Raw Chocolate Love will be here with their raw, unadulterated chocolate bars...and unctuous hot cocoa, too.
2025, we are ready for you! See you at the market!