Ronna Welsh
THE WASHINGTON POST – I love recipes. Though I teach classes on improvisational cooking, I’m happy for the guidance recipes provide: They set us up with a collection of ingredients that go well together and teach us a bit about technique.
At the same time, in their specificity, recipes may limit how we think about ingredients, by calling for precise amounts and preparations that lead to food waste and inefficiency.
Besides leftovers or when we batch cook, one recipe does little to help us get a head start on another meal.
I think this should change.
So how can we benefit from a recipe’s specific instruction and, at the same time, use it as a cooking resource rather than just a path to a specific dish? How can we turn that recipe into a jumping-off point to make us more efficient, waste-conscious and help develop our off-the-cuff cooking mind-set?
We can do this by embracing my recipe “supercharge” strategy.
Below, I walk you through how to make a light but robustly flavoured soup and then show you how you can take steps toward making a second (or even a third) dish – often at the same time you’re working on the original dish.
If you want to make “supercharging” a habit, you may have to retrain your brain a bit. To start, try making this soup and the recipes that grow from it. This way of cooking is not only good for your schedule, your wallet and the planet but also easy and gratifying to sustain. For instance, while making the soup:
– Cut, chop and grate extra ingredients the recipe calls for, then use them in a fresh way: Mince extra garlic or ginger, grate extra cheese or wash extra herbs to save time on future dishes. For example, the ginger goes into the ginger-miso dressing, and the garlic and herbs (leaves and stems) in the caper-herb sauce. Feeling ambitious? Knock out these sauces while the soup simmers and use them for another day’s meal.
– Buy extra ingredients for another dish: While the soup is simmering, boil the extra potatoes for crisp smashed potatoes (see recipe below) and smash them while still warm. If not using them immediately, refrigerate them for up to three days. Once roasted, slather with or dip into a sauce, such as the caper-herb sauce.
– Batch-cook just one foundational step of a recipe: Why not cook double the aromatics for the soup (leeks cooked with butter, garlic, ginger and miso) to create the foundation for another dish? In this case, you would double-up the ingredients in steps two through four of the soup recipe, removing half of the cooked leek mixture (one-and-a-half cups) and leaving the rest in the pot to resume making the soup.
You can freeze these extra aromatics for making another round of the “original” soup or for a sauce, such as the lemon, herb and coconut sauce. Think about this option the next time you’re cooking onion, bell pepper and celery for a Cajun dish or sofrito for a picadillo.
Sometimes, recipes are already written with “batch-steps.” Take advantage of that: In the soup, I have you make more mustard seed butter than you’ll need because it is easier to make it in this slightly larger amount. Don’t let it go to waste. Use it to make super-simple dishes by pouring it over roasted asparagus (pick up extra while you’re shopping for the soup). Or, dollop the butter onto a baked sweet potato. Not in the mood to turn on the oven? Slather the seasoned butter on a beef sandwich, melt a spoonful on top of a pan-seared salmon, stir it into scrambled eggs, or drizzle onto blanched green beans or radishes.
POTATOES, ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN SOUP
This soup, with its juxtaposition of long-cooked leeks and tender-crisp asparagus, is bright and rich, and hearty but not heavy.
The ginger-garlic-miso paste, along with loads of parmesan, do the heavy lifting to transform plain water into a delicious broth. I reserve the quick-to-make mustard seed butter to swirl into the soup right before serving. This is so the flavour of the butter doesn’t dull while the soup cooks.
Make ahead: Make the soup up to when the potatoes are fully cooked, then refrigerate for up to four days. When ready to serve, reheat the soup, then add the remaining ingredients.
FOR THE MUSTARD SEED BUTTER
Two teaspoons brown mustard seeds
Two tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch fine salt
For the soup
Four tablespoons unsalted butter
Four teaspoons grated fresh ginger
Four teaspoons minced or finely grated garlic
One tablespoon yellow miso
One large leek, pale green and white parts, cut into half-inch pieces
One-and-a-half pounds small new potatoes, quartered
Four cups water
One-and-one-quarter teaspoons fine salt, divided
Eight ounces asparagus, trimmed and sliced on a bias into quarter-inch pieces
Three-quarter cup grated parmesan cheese
Quarter cup chopped fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, tarragon and dill, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
Make the mustard seed butter: In a large pot over medium heat, toast the mustard seeds until they begin to release their aroma, shaking the pan a couple of times, about one minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter.
Cover and cook until butter melts and begins to sizzle, about two minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, scraping the sides of the pot to get all of the mustard seeds. Stir in a pinch of salt and set aside.
Make the soup: Return the pot to medium-low heat and add the remaining four tablespoons of the butter, the ginger, garlic and miso. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture turns into a golden paste, two to three minutes. It may stick to the bottom of the pot – that’s toasty goodness – but adjust the heat if it starts to burn.
Add the leeks, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft, about four minutes.
Add the potatoes, water, and one teaspoon salt. Cover, increase the heat to high and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat so the soup is at a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, in a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with the remaining quarter teaspoon of salt; set aside.
Once the potatoes are cooked, turn off the heat. Add the asparagus and parmesan and stir well. Let the soup sit in the pot to melt the cheese and lightly cook the asparagus, about one minute.
To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Give the mustard seed butter a stir, then add quarter teaspoon of the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and sprinkling of fresh herbs to each bowl.
Now that you’ve read through the soup recipe and my supercharging tips, let’s put those ingredients and extra preparation to good use.
GINGER-MISO DRESSING
You’ve minced extra garlic and ginger, so let’s make this dressing with it. I like to toss it with romaine lettuce and grilled chicken.
You can add parmesan cheese and sesame seeds, too.
How to make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together one teaspoon finely minced garlic, two teaspoons grated ginger,one tablespoon yellow miso, two teaspoons soy sauce, two tablespoons plus two teaspoons sesame oil, four teaspoons rice vinegar, and two teaspoons sugar. Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
You’ll have an assortment of your freshly washed herbs left from the soup, so make this sauce to use on smashed, roasted potatoes as well as grilled vegetables or meat.
CAPER-HERB SAUCE
In a food processor, blend one packed cup of mixed herb leaves and stems (from soft herbs, such as parsley, dill and cilantro), one clove of garlic, two-and-a-half teaspoons of lemon juice, two teaspoons of capers and six tablespoons of good olive oil until a smooth paste, about three minutes.
Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, another six tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste. If not using right away, store the sauce in the refrigerator, in a container covered with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent discolouration for up to one week.
CRISP SMASHED POTATOES
Potatoes are so versatile. When I make this soup, I double-up the potatoes to get a head start on a side dish for another day.
While the soup is simmering, and since you’re already standing at the stove, you could boil the extra potatoes. These precooked potatoes would be convenient to have around for mashing, dressing for potato salad, or smashing to roast later in the week.
How to make the potatoes: Place potatoes in a medium pot and cover with water. Salt generously, then cover, and bring to a quick boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spill out onto a roasting pan.
While still hot, use the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup to smash the potatoes flat until they are about quarter-inch thick.
Brush each side of the potato discs liberally with oil and season with salt. Place the tray on the bottom rack of a 425-degree oven and roast until amber brown and crisp on both sides, about 40 minutes total.
