Japanese garden creamy Winter soup

When it’s so cold inside, you need a soup every day. Yes, I wrote inside that’s not a typo, as outside the weather is mild, it’s Winter, but not freezing. In my place without heating, the day is just OK, but at night it’s a little chilly. So I put on a big sweater, my half-gloves and I get a bowl of good soup to warm me up…

It’s very quick to throw stuff in. Then, just let simmer a while. Today’s soup is a miso-minestrone. See the 3 steps at the end, but first let’s look at what is in it :

It’s full of season produce. Can you recognize them ?

Do you know that animal ? His name is taro. Well, he is a potato… and it’s usually called…

…satoimo here.

That’s the season of black soy bean kuromame. I had them boiled.

Some greens.

Shungiku, chrysanthemum leaves.

Kezuribushi, bonito fish flakes.

Koji-miso. There exist very different types of miso. The color depends on ingredients. The more rice, the whiter, the more soy, the darker. This one is light colored miso with a high content of fermented rice (komekoji), and it’s rough textured. Its taste is sweet and mild.

Step one : in some water, put to simmer some dry daikon radish skins (I keep them to make broth), a few peeled satoimo taros, a ts of pasted garlic, 2 tbs of tomato paste, a dry chili and a cup of boiled black beans with their broth. Let 20 minutes.
Step two : I made a 1/2 cup of neri-goma (tahini, white sesame paste), mixed it with a tbs of miso, a ts of fish flakes. I’ve diluted that in the soup and let 2 minutes on low heat.
Step 3 : pour the soup on shungiku greens, top with more fish flakes.
If you want it vegan, just don’t add the fish flakes, replace the topping with aonori seaweed flakes.

A Winter minestrone with mizuna greens and pancetta

A hot, warm, earthy soup meal with a charming perfume of rosemary.

Winter minestrone is when you don’t get many fresh ingredients. In this season that’s normal. There are no tomatoes, no fresh broads beans. It’s the time to use dry beans. I had some white ones already cooked (my freezer stock).
They discounted the pancetta. As you can see more package than bacon, but well they sell it like the butter at the pharmacy, not cheap. There is a huge “exotic tax”. I buy it only on sales. Yesterday, 50% discount, that was mine !
I had mizuna greens. So why not ?

First the bacon, onions, garlic. Then the rosemary, potatoes and water. After 10 minutes : tomato and stalks of mizuna. After 20 minutes, beans, more green, more garlic. After 20 minutes, finition with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese.

PLUS ! PLUS !
What can you had to this great soup to make it even greater ?
Pancetta fried in olive oil, and oil.
Or mizuna raw leaves and grated parmesan cheese.
I put all that.