Easy Recipes from the Pot Rack – Dec 2024/Dec 2025

The cold weather has set in and it’s time to light the fire and enjoy simple meals that fill us with superb nutrition and love. This clean and pleasing recipe is so satisfying, you’ll make it many times before spring arrives. The origins of this dish are all over the map with some saying it originated in the Alps as a root vegetable concoction called Soup Savoyarde. Others say its birth place is southeastern Nigeria where their yam based white soup was called Ofe Nsala. My recipe is a combination of several I have tried. Give it a go and see where it takes you! Oh BTW… this tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1/2 a head cauliflower, chopped

10 small button mushrooms, chopped

2 small parsnip, chopped

½ cup drained cannellini beans

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup dry white wine (more or less to taste)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cups chicken broth

1/3 – 1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

  1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in garlic, shallots, and ginger. Gently stir until fragrant… don’t brown.
  2. Add cauliflower, mushrooms, and parsnip. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add the beans, dill, and mustard. Heat through.
  3. Stir in wine, thyme and lemon. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly until wine is reduced by half.
  4. Now add in chicken broth and simmer on low, partly covered, until vegetables are tender.  This should take about 20 -30 minutes depending on how much you want it to reduce. Cool soup slightly.
  5. Get our your handy dandy immersion blender and puree until smooth.
  6. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve topped with an additional splash of cream and some minced chives or scallions.