Garnishing with Vegetables

I hope everyone enjoyed and tested out the crouton recipe from last weeks post. They make an nice addition to numerous soups, but another option is to garnish with vegetables. Using vegetables can enhance the look of a soup by utilizing unique shapes and design forms, as well as change a soups composition, color, and flavor. Since I had beets and carrots at home (the "use what you have" mantra) I decided to incorporate that into a tasty garnish. Generally, when you use vegetable garnishes they are a component of a soup (you make an asparagus soup, most likely an asparagus garnish would be used), but they can also include different ingredients that enhance its flavor (an asparagus soup with a zucchini and rosemary garnish) may also be an option. It's really up to you, and most of the fun is experimenting with different flavors until you find the garnish that works best for your soup. Check out my quick and easy beet/carrot garnish to top off your next soup:

Garnishing with Beets and Carrots

Ingredients
2 beets, very thinly sliced
2-3 carrots, very thinly sliced
1/2 of garlic clove, chopped
1-2 sprigs of fresh sage (can also use rosemary, basil, etc)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
pinch of black pepper

Directions:
I had beets already prepared, but basically all you have to do is add water to a pot and let it boil. Then, peel the beets, cut them up and add them to the boiling water. After 15 minutes or so they should be ready. Once your beets are prepared (and cooled), cut them and the carrots into very thin, long strips. Cut up the sage (or your favorite herb) into fine squares and mix it into the beets and carrots, along with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a pan, add the vegetables and sautee for 10 minutes, making sure all sides of the veggies are cooked. Use 2-4 thin strips of a carrot and beet combination or just one vegetable and place it on top of the soup, along with a few squares of sage. Enjoy!

* For this garnish (beets and carrots), I would top it with a pureed soup such as squash soup, carrot soup, or a potato-based soup

Other Vegetable Garnish Options:

• Leeks
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Bell Peppers
• Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes
• Radishes
• Artichokes
• Eggplant 
• Asparagus

Soups that Work with Vegetable Garnishes

Vegetable Purees such as:

• Squash Soup
  
• Carrot Soup
  
• Asparagus Soup
  
• Tomato or Cream of Tomato Soup
  
• Potato and Leek Soup
• Leek Soup
  

What vegetable garnishes do you use and with what types of soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena