Two meals for the vegetables of one!

Saturday I went to the Farmers' market in the U district (after my eye doctor appointment) and got an entire sockeye salmon for $25, and a miscellaney of vegetables. I got squat rounded carrots called Thumbelina, golden beets (many of which were smaller than chocolate chip cookie dough portions), parsnips (which were labeled carrots, but I've never met a white carrot), and celery root. I diced up the veggies, adding in two potatoes and a number of garlic cloves, and tossed with olive oil and spices. The spices I grabbed were mixed peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, sage, kosher salt, and a little mustard seed, plus a dash or two of apple cider vinegar. I roasted them at 350 for 20 minutes, then raised the heat to 450 (so I could bake biscuits!) for another 15-20 minutes.

Today I dumped the leftover veggies into a pot, heated them up, and added about half a jar of roasted red and yellow peppers, and a quart ziploc full of veggie stock. I diluted the stock with maybe 3.5 cups of water, enough to cover and seem souplike, and brought it to a boil. I pureed the resultant mixture in the blender, leaving a little texture behind. Final flavor adjustments involved a titch of garlic powder and some salt.

I like the soup better than the whole vegetables, honestly. They didn't get quite soft enough during roasting, but the heating and blending process softened them up nicely.