It is so tres chic to brag about the virtues of eating locally, and eating seasonally, and while I make a strong effort to do both, it's usually an accident when I do. This soup can be made in Alaska in mid-winter with mostly local seasonal ingredients!
This soup is one part Russian borscht, one part caribou stew, and then there's this bright lemony flavor that is going to make you dream of spring. Adapted from the "Colorado Cache Cookbook" from the Junior League of Denver, it was originally called White Russian Vegetable Soup. I changed the name and tweaked the recipe, so don't worry about what the Junior League would think.
You're going to start with a big wad of meat. Beef chuck roast is what was called for, but you could use venison, caribou, moose, or whatever. I would have used caribou, if my brother had managed to shoot one this year. Alas, it is cow. The recipe calls for 4 lbs, but that made it a staggeringly fatty soup, so I amended it to 2 lbs.
Yes, that is boiling meat. I was a little uncomfortable with it as well, but it really will turn out, never fret.
While the meat cooks a while and renders a delicious broth, you'll start cutting up vegetables.
Cabbage, beets, onions, parsnips, and some canned tomatoes. If you did your due diligence garden wise, you might have all these stored in a cool place. If not, no worries- the farmer's market, your CSA box, or any regular grocery store has all these things.
I'm lazy, so I didn't peel those beets. They're going to simmer so long, it doesn't matter at all. The original recipe called for just beets, but I diced up the beet greens too and threw them in. I'm so glad I did, because first, beet greens are so good for you, and second, it added a dark green dimension to my overall composition that looked fantastic. You'll see in a minute.
Do you have onion goggles? No? Oh man. Get some.
So, after the meat has cooked for about an hour, add all the veggies, plus a lot of fresh lemon juice, and some spiced. Simmer covered for 2 more hours.
After that, your meat should be falling to pieces anyway, but fish it out with some tongs, and chop it up. Stir it back in.
When you serve it, add sour cream on top of your bowl. Goat cheese would be good too.
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 9
This soup is utterly amendable. Next time, I'll probably add kale and turnips.
January Tundra Soup
2 lbs chuck roast
2 cups diced beets and their greens
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups diced parsnips
3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 large onions, chopped
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppet
sour cream or goat cheese or whatever you like to top
8 servings
Cover roast with 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 1 hour. Taste stock for flavor, add salt, pepper, or boullion as needed. Add vegetables, lemon juice, and seasonings. Simmer covered 2 hours. Remove roast and cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to soup. Serve with a generous spoonful of sour cream or goat cheese per serving.
