spring miso with lemon

I am out in the garden daily now, finding any excuse to be there. I love the fresh air and experiencing spring in its full glory. It can still be cold and unpredictable, but we are blessed with warm weather days that lift us and put a spring in our step.

~ precious evening twilight and a walk in the garden

I wrote this at the start of spring last year, but it was put aside by other inspiring dishes. Here it is now! It’s a lovely light cleansing soup.

tips

• You can vary this recipe using whatever vegetables you like. In summer, I add a whole cob of corn, cut into fours, with thinly shaved garden zucchinis.
• For a more substantial meal, add a small amount of cooked noodles when adding the blanched vegetables.
• It is important not to boil the miso; otherwise, the rich enzymes and nutrients from the fermentation will be lost.
• If you want to make this soup ahead of time, leave out the miso and keep the blanched vegetables and dashi separate. Reheat together, then add the miso, lemon zest, and juice.

spring miso with lemon

I have been slowly working through Amy Chaplin’s – At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen. This recipe is another from her book – ever so slightly adapted.

Serves 4

dashi

6 cups water

4-inch piece kombu

2 large slices fresh ginger

soup

8 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut diagonally

1 cup tiny broccoli florets/sugar snap peas, strings removed and chopped in half lengthwise

1 carrot, thinly sliced into rounds

2 small radishes, thinly sliced

6 – 8 Tbsp sweet white miso

zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

handful of baby kale/spinach leaves

prepare the dashi

1. In a medium pot, place the kombu, ginger, and filtered water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the kombu and ginger using a slotted spoon.

prepare the soup

2. Bring the dashi up to a simmer over high heat, add the asparagus, broccoli/sugar snap peas, and carrots, and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add the radish rounds and cook for another 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low, then remove all the vegetables using a slotted spoon. Set aside to cool.
4. In a small bowl, mix the miso to a paste using a little of the soup. Pour the soup through a small strainer. Taste and add more miso or a small spoon of salt if necessary.
5. Add the blanched vegetables and small kale/spinach leaves and warm over a gentle heat for a minute or until the leaves are wilted.
6. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice. (Adding a pungent flavour, such as ginger or lemon, to miso soup just before serving will activate the enzymes, making them more beneficial.)

Serve immediately.

Goodness shared from Stacey