Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 64

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

3 whole cloves garlic, crushed

2 leeks, cleaned well and roughly chopped handful (a loosely packed cup) fresh parsley

9 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

IN a large stockpot, heat the oil. Saute onions for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.

Let broth cool until it's an okay temperature to handle. Strain into a large bowl with cheese cloth or a very fine mesh strainer. Press the vegetables with a gentle but firm pressure to get all the liquid out. This will keep in the fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH WOOD EARS AND NAPA CABBAGE.

SERVES 6.

TIME: 55 MINUTES.

This is a totally inauthentic hot and sour soup, perfect for when you want to break out the cute Asian bowls and spoons. Wood ear mushrooms give the soup that traditional Chinese look and texture and they soak up all the flavors of the broth quite nicely. They can be a pain to find, so if you need to sub dried s.h.i.+takes, go ahead. We were able to track some down at a local Asian market, but ask at any natural foods or gourmet market; there's a good chance they have some.

This recipe calls for Asian hot chile oil but if you don't have any and don't think you will ever use it, add 2 extra teaspoons of white pepper, but don't sub hot sauce, cheapskate! The chile oil is great, though, and you will probably love it in stir-fries, so try to get it!

Raw napa cabbage looks like very pale green romaine lettuce. It isn't as tough as European cabbage, so you can use your leftovers on sandwiches instead of lettuce to add a pleasant crunch.

The tofu slicing doesn't have to be perfect; basically, what you want are long, thin rectangles that are small but big enough that they won't fall apart. If you want to just make small cubes instead, that's fine, too. To make the matchsticks, cut the tofu into eight slices widthwise. Then slice those slices widthwise about ten times.

ounce dried wood ear mushrooms

2 cups boiling water

8 leaves napa cabbage

4 cups vegetable broth

cup soy sauce

cup rice vinegar

3 teaspoons Asian hot chile oil

teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cups thick-sliced white mushrooms

1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

1 cup cold water

1 pound extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into match-

sticks (see tip)

cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped scallions

PLACE THE wood ear mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so that they are submerged by a few inches. Cover with a plate and let sit for 20 minutes.

To prepare the napa leaves, lay them on top of each other so that they're spooning. Thinly slice across them widthwise. Set aside.

Pour the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chile oil, sesame oil and white pepper into a soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the cabbage and the fresh mushrooms. Cook until the cabbage is completely wilted, about 5 minutes.

The wood ears should be ready at this point, so remove them from the bowl, cut into bite-size pieces, and add them to the soup as well.

Mix the arrowroot with the water until dissolved. Add to the soup and stir until just slightly thickened, a minute or two. This soup isn't going to be very thick, just more cloudy than anything else. But the starch gives the soup a little body.

Add the shredded carrots and tofu, and cook just until heated though, about 5 more minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions to serve.

MIDSUMMER CORN CHOWDER WITH BASIL, TOMATO, AND FENNEL.

SERVES 6 TO 8.

TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES.

This fresh, soothing corn chowder uses the best of the season's produce. You can expect the unexpected with the bold and tasty addition of fresh basil and fennel bulb. Make this on a lazy summer evening when you don't need to be anywhere anytime soon, and use that extra time to prepare the Fresh Corn Stock (next recipe), which gives this soup a rich, complex base. We like this corn chowder recipe because it doesn't rely on the addition of any soy dairy products (which usually is the case with vegan creamy soups) to achieve a smooth, velvety texture.