A Little Miso and What’s Up Next

As I mentioned before, one of my resolutions involves picking one new recipe a week to try (see A Time for Change).  Last week I tried a miso soup recipe and I thought it would be useful to post it.

As I said before, the recipe was on the back of this package of red miso paste.

See what I mean?  The directions are simple and pretty much anything goes.  The problem I thought was the mention of Dashi.  I’m not exactly an expert on Japanese cooking, but every recipe I’ve seen for it called for kombu, not kelp.  And the mention of chicken and vegetable broth baffles me.  Anyway, when I made this the first time I just used a vegetarian broth I had on hand instead of dashi.  I also tried it without broth and couldn’t taste a difference.  And I found I can make a cup of it in the microwave easily with already cooked ingredients.  Just fill a bowl or mug with a cup of water, add your “favorite” ingredients and the miso, then mix and cook for about two minutes stirring halfway through cooking.  It tastes really good if you garnish it with shredded nori.  My nephew thinks so too.  This is one of his favorite foods now.  He is surprisingly open-minded about new foods for someone his age.

Now for this week’s recipe:

Short-Cut Potato Soup (found on Craft Stew)

Ingredients:

• 10 cups water
• 10 cups vegetarian chicken bouillon
• 2-3 large potatoes, diced into small pieces
• 2/3 cup frozen baby carrots
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• salt to taste
• sour cream, optional

Combine water, chicken bouillon, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer till all vegetables are very tender. Do not cover.

Add milk and cheese and stir well. Add salt if needed.

Serve in large bowls with an optional dollop of sour cream in each.