L ifestyle /C ulture
Russian Winter Vegetable Soup
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I CAME ACROSS a version of this
in a Facebook post — it was called
“Monday Soup,” and was said
to have been found in a Russian
cookbook called “Kachka” by
Portland, Oregon-based chef
Bonnie Frumkin Morales.

As the story goes, years ago,
Morales’ mother ran a Russian
Jewish day care center out of
her home in Chicago and made
a large batch of this soup every
Monday to serve to her charges.

It is warm health-giving comfort
in a bowl, made with winter
vegetables and rounded out
with rolled oats, which thicken
the soup but kind of disappear
in the cooking process.

It reminded me of a dish
my beloved late father-in-law
used to make — he amusingly
called it “a mess.” He, too, was
of Russian Jewish descent,
and would make this pot of
vegetable stew/soup/porridge
on cold winter days.

I tweaked the version
posted on Facebook to deliver
more garlic flavor and used the
vegetables I had on hand. But
like many traditional recipes
of its kind, the Monday soup
accommodates varying prefer-
ences and larders.

In addition to the ingredi-
ents listed below, the addition of
cabbage, celery, sweet potatoes,
parsnips, kale, beets, onions —
really any vegetables — would
work here. Ditto rice, barley or
farro in place of the oats.

The version below kept us
warm and cozy during a recent
stormy cold snap. Over the
course of a few days, we tried
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RUSSIAN WINTER
VEGETABLE SOUP
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various toppings for the soup:
a pat of butter, a dollop of plain
yogurt, some grated cheese
and a glug of really good olive
oil. All were excellent ways to
add texture and flavor, but if
a lower-fat version is desired,
they can easily be omitted.

In terms of rounding out
this meal, I veered away from a
traditional green salad since the
soup is so chock full of veggies.

When I served this for
dinner, I added salmon tartines
to the menu — open-faced
sandwiches on toasted whole-
grain bread with a generous
schmear of cream cheese, a
sprinkling of scallions and
a few slices of lox. It was a
lovingly delicious nod to my
dear, departed father-in-law
and some of his favorites.

The soup can stand on its
own, certainly, but if you want
more dishes on the table there
are plenty of options. You could
easily go a sandwich route here
and, since the soup is vegan,
you can choose to go in a meat,
dairy or pareve direction.

Turkey with avocado? Roast beef
with horseradish? Yes. Grilled
cheese? Quesadilla? Swiss cheese
with pickles and mustard?
Absolutely! Tuna on rye? Sure!
Ditto a cheese or charcuterie
plate, some interesting breads,
focaccia or crackers.

Another good option
could be a grain or bean dish.

Consider a chickpea salad,
tabouli, couscous or hummus.

Regardless of how you accom-
pany it, this soup is a winner.

One really amazing thing about
this soup is the simplicity of it —
minimal seasoning, self-cooking
broth — it is the quintessen-
tial example of the whole being
more than the sum of its parts.

The original recipe called
for a sprinkling of chopped
fresh parsley and dill just
before serving; I only had
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Russian winter vegetable soup
Photo by Keri White
parsley in my fridge, so that’s
what I used, but dill would add
a lively freshness to the soup. A
spritz of lemon and a sprinkle
of zest also would be a nice
complement. whole heads of garlic in half
horizontally and place them
inside, skin and all, cut side
down. Allow the garlic to sizzle a
bit and release its flavor, moving
it around a bit to avoid sticking,
about 3 minutes. Add water, and
2 heads garlic
bring it to a boil. Cover the pot,
lower the heat and simmer for
2 tablespoons olive oil
about 45 minutes until the broth
1-2 teaspoons salt
is well flavored. Add salt and
1-2 teaspoons pepper
pepper, if needed.

1 gallon water
Using a slotted spoon,
1 head cauliflower, cut in
remove all of the garlic — heads,
½-inch pieces
cloves and skin — from the pot
1 head broccoli, cut in
and place it on a plate to cool.

½-inch pieces
Meanwhile, add all the vegeta-
2 large Yukon Gold
bles and bring it to a simmer.

potatoes cut in ½-inch
When the garlic is cool
pieces enough to handle, remove the
4 carrots, cut in coins
cloves from the skin; they will be
1 cup rolled oats
soft. Discard the skin. Place the
1 handful fresh parsley,
cloves back on the plate and mash
chopped them with a fork. Scrape the
Optional toppings for
mashed garlic into the soup. Add
serving: Plain Greek or
the oats, and simmer for at least
Icelandic yogurt, sour
30 minutes until all vegetables
cream, butter, olive oil,
are soft and the oats are sort of
additional fresh herbs,
blended into the soup. Taste and
lemon wedges
add salt and pepper, if needed.

In a large soup pot, heat the Sprinkle parsley into the pot, and
oil with the salt and pepper. Cut serve, topped as desired. l
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