« | Home | »

A year in a French market: When life hands you January vegetables…

By Ann | January 30, 2009

Lest we forget that it’s the dead of winter, my neighborhood Parisian market provided a stark reminder earlier this week. The colder-than-usual temperatures and weak northern European sun have brought forth only the most wintry of local produce — could anything say January more than carrots, leeks, turnips, and beets? 

(Side note: my favorite vegetable guy was missing from the market this week. Very worrisome. I like to buy from him because he offers cooking tips, calls me “ma chère amie” and gives me free lemons.) 

Anyway, faced with such a small selection, I made a quick decision to make soup. After all, as the old adage goes, when life hands you leeks and potatoes… make vichyssoise, n’est-ce pas? I bought a bunch of carrots, leeks, potatoes, and mature spinach, of which I asked for 300 kilograms — oh lordy, that’s a mistake that never fails to raise a chuckle.
 

Once I lugged my 660 lbs of spinach home (just kidding — I only bought 300 GRAMS), I decided that, in fact, the recent frigid temperatures called not for boring vichyssoise, but for spice, an antidote to the gray Parisian chill. I made my soup the usual way — chopped leeks sauteed in olive oil, a couple diced potatoes, some cubed carrots. Poured in water to cover, and simmered until everything was soft. With ten minutes to go, I put in the chopped spinach (took forever to clean!) and some leftover cauliflower purée that was hanging out in the fridge. Blended everything up with my magical immersion blender.

And then, the fun part — the spices! I went for an Indian flair, with some curry powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. The result is a warmly spiced soup that seems to cause a glow within.  

Soupe aux épices Indiennes
(This is the soup I happened to make Tuesday, but you can use any and all vegetables such as turnips, pumpkin, broccoli, peas, etc.)

Olive oil 
3-4 leeks, roughly chopped 
3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
1/2 lb spinach, washed and chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Salt

In a deep saucepan, over medium flame, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil then add leeks. Saute until fragrant, then add the rest of the vegetables (except the spinach and/or peas, if using) and stir to combine. Add water to cover by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. If using spinach, peas or any other vegetable that may lose color, add them during the last five minutes. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender, adding more water if the soup is too thick. Stir in spices. Return to stove and reheat.  

Topics: A year in a French market: Winter | 1 Comment »

One Response to “A year in a French market: When life hands you January vegetables…”

  1. Jolly Frank Says:
    February 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 am

    The quality and variety look fabulous! Your regular vendor may have taken time off due to the impending strike.
    Have you been to Rungis Market yet? It’s where most vendors and restaurants buy their produce, fish, meats, (1 rue de la Tour, BP 316, 94152 Rungis cedex). It’s an amazing place, a real life-changing experience, seriously!
    It’s not open to the public, but you’l easily be able to score an invitation if you contact them. rungisinternational.com/fr/rouge

Comments

« | Home | »