A template for soup made with old vegetables – recipe

The zero-waste diet just requires a bit of imagination – finding delicious dishes made from whatever you have on hand, such as this colorful soup that is more a guide than a recipe

French chefs and gardeners coined the term legumes oubliés to refer to ugly or hard to grow vegetables left behind by modernity: think of gnarly root vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes, salsify and cardoons. In addition to limp lettuce and borderline beets, forgotten vegetables can include those not-at-their-best specimens in the back of the fridge.

A Recipe Forgotten Vegetable Soup

Unless we learn to cook without strict recipes, we will waste a lot of food, so it is imperative that we create delicious dishes from leftovers and past-its-best produce. A value-based approach to nourishing people and planet is laid out in my book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. However, the manifesto begins with “Eat for pleasure”. If a diet doesn’t include food we want to eat the next day, how can it be sustainable?

“Cook with love, confidence, and creativity” refers to embracing our inner chefs, cooking what we love, and creating delicious dishes from whatever we have on hand. Don’t overcomplicate things, and you’ll be fine. Despite their unexpected combinations, most ingredients work well together in simple combinations; some of my favourites are squash with orange, mushroom with vanilla, and parsnip with curry.

Ingredients in the “recipe” below are approximate and optional, and the amount used of any of them can be tweaked according to your preferences and ingredients availability. Multiply the quantities by how many mouths you intend to feed to get one 300-500ml portion of soup. As a general rule, I recommend batch cooking, because it saves energy and allows you to store meals for many weeks (or even months).

Dishes 1

Choose your style of soup – refined, chunky, or blended – then dice the vegetables accordingly (e.g., small or large).

Start on the soup – base by sauteing for five minutes in a dash of oil 50g chopped alliums and vegetables (eg, spring onions, celeriac, turnips).

Boost the flavour – by adding spices (e.g., garam masala, ginger, cumin), cooking for two minutes, and then stirring in hardy herbs and finely chopped soft herbs (e.g., rosemary, thyme, parsley stalks).

Eat more – veggies Add 100g of sturdy vegetables (e.g., beets, potatoes, turnips) and 50g of grains or pulses (e.g., rice, fava beans, lentils) to your salad.

Add the liquid … After bringing to a boil, add 200ml of water, stock, milk or a plant-based alternative, and simmer the vegetables until soft.

If desired – blend up to 50g leafy greens (e.g., beetroot tops, lettuce leaves, celery leaves) before serving.

Toppings Ladle – the soup into a bowl (or bowls) and top with croutons, torn stale bread, seaweed, pickles, edible flowers, spices, sprouts, nuts, seeds, etc.