Wyngette Soup

by John Weckerle

As outlined in Saturday’s article, we are awash in squash, and decided to take the time yesterday to make some wyngette soup (to make wyngette soup, you take whatever vegetables you have on hand, and wyngette).  Yesterday’s variety contained onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots, parsnips, celery canned diced tomatoes, lentils, and green bell peppers.  Today, we’ll share the “recipe” – such as it is – and some thoughts on wyngette soup making.

The first thing to understand about spontaneous soup making is that any “recipe” is really just a guideline.  There’s no real right or wrong way, and if you want to make a change, you’re probably not going to hurt things much: if you don’t like parsnips, leave them out, and if you want more onions, then toss in more onions.  So here we go (and remember, quantities are “give or take”):

  • Olive oil – for sauteing vegetables
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 tsp minced garlic
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, cut in half or in quarters lengthwise (depending on how big they are) and sliced
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 3 small green bell peppers, diced
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Dried basil to taste (probably about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon, divided in half)
  • Ground thyme (about 1/2 teaspoon, divided in half)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried lentils

Now, to be perfectly frank, I don’t measure the spices; I just start small and keep adding until things smell/taste right, so these quantities are definitely “ball park” figures.  And why low-sodium vegetable broth and sea salt?  Well, the food industry seems obsessed with over-salting things, and that’s not really good for the body – and, of course, too much salt in a soup just makes it taste heavy, which is definitely not what we’re shooting for in a summer vegetable soup.  Starting with low-sodium broth and adding sea salt a bit at a time allows us to get just the right amount, while keeping the sodium under control. I use sea salt because it has more flavor for less sodium, and I grind it fresh.  Ditto for the pepper.  However, if you don’t have fresh ground pepper or sea salt, the table versions should do just fine.

Saute the onions over medium heat for about two minutes, and then add the garlic.  Saute them together until the onion is just starting to turn translucent.  Stir in the carrots, parsnips, celery, and peppers, and saute briefly, 1 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and zucchini, and about half the spices.  Add some sea salt, trying to get the saltiness fairly close to your taste, and do the same with the ground pepper.  Simmer until the carrots, parsnips, and lentils are all tender but still have some texture, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on how you sliced your carrots.  Add the rest of the spices, and any additional salt and pepper needed.  Simmer another two minutes, and serve.

Why add more spices at the end?  Many spices, especially aromatic ones like basil, lose their individual taste when simmered for a while.  Adding some in at the end will “perk up” the soup and give it a fresher taste.  Some cooks actually put all their aromatic spices in at the end; I tend to split them up.

Happy eating!

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