The Forgotten Folks: Broth up the Half-Used Veggies

You probably know by now that one of my favourite hobbies is to hunt down lonely half-consumed items in the fridge and pantry and turn them into feasts. Too often, we (all of us human beings) buy extra mushrooms or tomatoes when the recipe we are following only requires a handful and the rest stays behind, unattended to for weeks, bored to death. Let's also not forget that there always is at the very least one ugly carrot in the bag. This soup is for THEM. So raise your glass to these poor loners and get cooking. I apologise for the horrid lighting but the cold, unforgiving Canadian winter is upon us- I sometimes miss my lighting window depending on Ella's naps- but to be honest I adore winter just as much as I love carbs so we'll all good here.

You will need,

Beef broth (3 cups)

Chili oil (a dash, for taste)

Olive oil (I ran out of sesame, sesame is always best!)

Soy sauce (1 tbsp)

Sesame seeds (2 tbsp)

Fresh udon noodles (1 pack from the market)

Zucchini (1/2 I found in the fridge)

Carrot peels (from one damaged and ugly carrot)

Hoi Sin (2 tbsp)

Fish sauce (1 tbsp)

Garlic (3 cloves, minced)

French Shallot (1, thinly sliced)

(if you feel a cold coming, throw in some freshly minced ginger!)

*This is nothing that you haven't seen before, I often prepare spicy garlic broths for ramen or udon noodle soups, but the emphasis here is that any old vegetable can be thrown into the mix, no matter how small and not-incredibly-fresh it may be!

A few utterly simple steps,

1. In a large pot over medium-heat, toss the chopped garlic and shallots (+ optional: ginger) in the olive oil/ chili oil and soy sauce combo and let simmer for 3-4 minutes until fragrant

2. Add the zucchini slices and toss for another 2-3 minutes

3. Pour in the broth with the Hoi Sin and fish sauce (once brought to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes- I personally don't cover it)

4. Lastly, add the carrot peels and the noodles and garnish with sesame seeds

5. Serve when the noodles are fully cooked (at that point, the carrot peels will be as well)

As I say very often, congrats on giving the ugly vegetables a second life- and your wallet as well!