Restorative Miso Soup

My husband and I went on a well needed getaway. We drove from beautiful Asheville, North Carolina to Augusta, Georgia without ever getting on an interstate highway. We took U.S. highway 25 through small towns and rural areas of South Carolina. Along the way we saw many not-yet-opened for the season stands promoting peaches and boiled peanuts. We saw dozens of antique stores which made Pritchard Parker very happy. We saw abandoned farmhouses and barns in various states of decrepitude. We saw sprawling McMansions. We drove through several quaint and beautifully maintained small towns.

And we drove through vast expanses of nothing but pine trees and straight, flat roads. (Which make Pritchard Parker nervous because he is so used to driving on the steep and curving roads in the mountains). We saw beautiful sunsets and a full moon rising, which was a special treat for us because we are not used to seeing the horizon.

Once home, after sleeping in a hotel room and eating restaurant food, as much as I enjoyed it, I wanted something simple and easy to cook; nourishing and grounding to eat.

Thus miso soup.

The miso I use is locally produced using ancient methods. The good news is that it is available nationwide through Great Eastern Sun and you can even order it from their website. (Not an affiliated link).

Miso is a high-protein, fermented soy product with a salty flavor which is very health-promoting. Miso is considered a living food, therefore, you never want to boil it. If your soup is not cloudy and moving around, the enzymes have been destroyed. Miso soup begins with a broth called Dashi which is made from Kombu and Bonito flakes.

Kombu is seaweed an edible ocean plant.

Bonito, a mackerel, is steamed, smoked, aged, dried to a wood-like hardness, and shaved into flakes.

Dashi is a very flavorful broth for cooking all kinds of foods. With some added soy sauce, it makes a wonderfully satisfying noodle broth.

For miso soup, I love using Japanese style silken tofu which is unlike the Chinese style tofu, packed in water, and found in produce departments. This tofu really does have a delicate and silken texture without the tangy taste. Find it on the grocery shelf in aseptic boxes.

Restorative Miso Soup
2 quarts dashi
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 scallions
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 bunches baby bok choy, sliced
6 Tbsp. traditional red miso
12 oz. silken tofu, cut into cubes

Bring dashi to a simmer. Ladle about 1 cup into a small bowl, add the miso and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Bring the remaining dashi back to a simmer and add the scallions, carrots, bok choy, letting them cook until barely tender. Add the tofu and the miso being careful not to boil the mixture. Once it is heated through, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with additional sliced scallions and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Dashi
2 (4-inch) square pieces of kombu
2 quarts water
1 cup bonito flakes

Place the kombu in a large saucepan, cover with the water and soak for 30 minutes.

Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the bonito flakes and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and return to the pan. Continue with the recipe.

French Style Miso Onion Soup

THERE ARE FEW THINGS about French Onion Soup.

One of the things is the cheese. How many times have I seen French Onion Soup filled to the brim with oozing and melting cheese stuck all over the outside of the bowl? While it makes a gorgeous and appetizing presentation, it is not an easy thing to eat.

I attempt piercing the barricade of cheese, only to hit a blockade of toast. Once the spoon enters the soup, it has splashed onto the tablecloth and is there a polite way to eat cheese off the outside of a bowl?

I used expensive cheese--Emmental and Parmigiano-Reggiano for my soup and I wanted it on my spoon not wasted on my bowl. While I am ordinarily all for more cheese is better in almost any recipe, I think that restraint is best with this soup. Julia Child, herself, felt that 1/2 cup of cheese was the correct amount for 6 servings. (I do like more than that).

The crouton, a slice of French bread toasted hard so it doesn't disintegrate into the liquid is the correct way to serve this soup. I am not a lazy eater, but I must admit to being rather prissy. So I cut my French bread into cubes to further ease my freedom to enjoy.

Cut a small baguette into bite-sized pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium low heat in a heavy skillet until melted. Add a crushed clove of garlic and cook for a minute or two. Remove the garlic and add the bread cubes. Stir frequently until browned and crisp. Leftovers can be used later for delicious salad croutons.

As for the broth: I am not inclined to use meat broth in a recipe that would otherwise be vegetarian. I am trying awfully hard not to go on a tirade about the current trendy use of chicken broth in everything--cream of potato soup, cream of mushroom soup. I recently ordered Spinach Enchiladas in a Mexican restaurant and guess what it tasted like, spinach? cheese? enchilada sauce? No. Chicken! I've heard the old joke about unfamiliar meat which "tastes like chicken", but I have not started wanting my vegetables to taste like it.      Oops, 'scuse me.  

Lets talk miso. If you are not familiar, I hope you will research it and seek it out. It is a wonderfully health giving and flavorful paste. It makes a delicious broth and is what I have used for my soup. Use 2 - 3 tablespoons of dark miso per quart of water as a substitute for beef broth and 3 - 4 tablespoons of light miso per quart for chicken broth in recipes. But don't add the miso until the end of the cooking time as the enzymes will be destroyed by boiling. (More in an upcoming post about miso.)

French Style Miso Onion Soup
2 lbs. sweet onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 t. sugar or molasses
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup white wine or water
6 cups water, divided
3 Tbs. dark miso
A spring or two of fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste, being careful with the salt if using miso and also keep in mind the saltiness of the cheese.
2 - 3 Tbs. mirin or cognac, optional, but highly recommended

Cook onions slowly in melted butter and olive oil, covered, for about 20 minutes. Raise heat to moderate and stir in sugar or molasses to help the onions caramelize. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for about 45 minutes to an hour. The onions should be an even deep golden brown color.

Stir in flour, cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Stir in wine and deglaze pan. Stir in 5 cups water and simmer, partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes or more. Dissolve miso into 1 cup of very hot water and then stir into soup. Add the fresh thyme and the cognac, if using. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top with croutons and grated Emmental, Swiss, Mozzarella, and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese. Place under broiler to melt cheese or use a little torch like I did.