This winter we took a deep dive into fermenting since it's a huge part of what we offer our market customers and something we feel pretty passionate about. Here's a new book we checked out from our library. Fermenting Made Simple: Delicious Recipes to Improve Your Gut Health, 2022 by Emillie Parrish. I actually ran across this one in a local bookstore and took note because the author is from Victoria, BC. This book is nicely presented, but not glossy. The emphasis here feels like it is more on presenting the information in a clear, uncluttered way, as opposed to wowing the reader with magazine quality lifestyle photography.
There are a variety of fermentation recipes here. When fresh veggies are available again, I’m now inspired to try making BBQ corn salsa and Apricot mustard… yumm. The sauerkraut recipes (basic and variations) are clearly explained, but what I really like is that she intersperses recipes that feature ferments in other meals. We tried out the Creamy Vegetable Soup with Sauerkraut recipe and it was simple, nourishing and delicious - for sure a make-again recipe in our kitchen (included in the newsletter this week)! The sauerkraut tops each bowl, so it remains fresh and crunchy, nicely complementing rich tomato broth. I’d definitely like to spend more time in this book, and since it has to go back to the library soon, I may need to own it…
Creamy Vegetable Soup with Sauerkraut
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 quart vegetable stock
28 oz chopped tomatoes
2 potatoes, halved
1 T oregano
1 T thyme
2 bay leaves
¼ cup whipping cream
28 oz chickpeas cooked
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
Sauerkraut to top
Sour cream to top
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are starting to soften. Add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté until they begin to soften.
Add the stock, tomatoes, potatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are cooked.
Remove the pot from the heat and use a spoon to pull out the potatoes. Place them in a soup bowl, mash them with the cream and stir them back into the soup. Add the chickpeas and mash them slightly. They just need to be roughly broken so they blend nicely into the soup.
Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste, and adda bit more salt or pepper as needed. Serve each bowl of soup with a forkful of sauerkraut and a dollop of sour cream on top.
From, Fermenting made Simple by Emillie Parrish.
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