the wintertime blues

Just when I think there might be a glimmer of sunshine out there...it starts raining again. I actually did see some brave plum blossoms and a few daffodils this week on one of my foggy day walks, but now we're back to umbrellas, wet feet, and root vegetables. Time for some soup.

I crave vegetable purees. You can make them out of anything in your refrigerator and they are smooth, creamy and completely comforting.

Start by sauteeing your chunked-up vegetables in olive oil in a soup pot or saucepan. I love the sweetness and color of carrots, so I used onions, a little celery, a potato and alot of carrots. I'm also fond of celery root in this soup, butternut squash, turnip, rutabaga... you get the picture.

After the vegetables start to soften a little and smell good, add a nice big splash of white wine and let it reduce for a minute or two. Then cover your vegetables with chicken stock--homemade if you have it, or canned is fine.

Let everything simmer, uncovered, until all the vegetables are very soft. Adjust the seasoning.

To puree the soup, you can use an immersion blender right in the pot, or let the soup cool a bit and puree it in batches in a food processor or blender. You will probably have to add more stock to get it the right consistency. If you want it richer, add a little cream, but it really doesn't even need it.

Aahhhh... beautiful, warm and satisfying.

While I'm in the kitchen, I also peeled and sliced a few apples, tossed them in sugar, dotted them with butter and sprinkled on a handful of dried cranberries. Bake the apples at 350F-375F until they're nice and soft. Eat them on their own warm.... or top them with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

It may be dreary outside, but it's warm and delicious in the kitchen!