NORDIC WINTER SOUP

Most of the dishes I cook for Global Gardens suppers are inspired by recipes I find online. For last Monday’s supper I was looking for something that would suit the season and would be nourishing. The Nordic winter soup that I came upon on the Food & Wine page seemed to be different than your usual winter stew/soup. For one its main ingredients are barley, celeriac and parsnip. It felt right to add a variety of vegetables that could be eaten in winter time. And variety is what we want. It makes us and our food systems more resilient, according to Seed:The Untold Story, the movie that we watched as part of this month’s supper.

Here is the recipe, with some minor adjustments of mine.

Serves 4

1 onion finely sliced

2 average size leeks, finely sliced

1 minced garlic

Salt, depending on the taste

1 tsp tumeric

Bay leaf

1 celeriac, cubed

2-4 parsnips, cubed

0.5 barley

A few sprigs of thyme

A few handfuls of spinach

1-2 tbsp vinegar

Start by heating the oil and then adding sliced onions to your cooking pan. Then add leeks and garlic. Mix in turmeric.

When all softened and slightly browned, add barley, and then about 6 cups or roughly 1 litre of water, depending on how dense you want it to be.

Add celeriac, parsnip, thyme, salt, and a bay leaf.

Cook for 40 minutes, or until all is cooked. Then mix in spinach, stir in 1-2 tbsp of vinegar to add acidity and serve.