Parsnip Celeriac Soup and Whole Wheat Bread

This thick pureed soup is soooo right this time of year, and with some fresh bread, it feeds the soul as well as the body.

Parsnip Celeriac Soup

1/2 of a gianormous onion (SWFM, ~$0.75)

olive oil (Sophia's Greek Pantry, pennies from a large can)*

~1 cup of white wine (from a gift)

~1 pound parsnips (Somerville Winter Farmers' Market, ~$1.50)

1 bulb of cerleriac (aka, celery root, SWFM, ~$2)

salt and pepper

dry dill (last summer's CSA)

~2 cups milk (SWFM, ~$1.50)

Soup Total: $5.75

Peel and dice the onion (about a cup or so) in olive oil. When translucent, add wine and stir for a few minutes. Peel and dice (small) parsnips and celeriac and add to pot. Stir. Add ~3-4 cups water (until nearly covered) or stock if you prefer, and salt, pepper and dill to taste. Cover and let simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Puree soup (either in the blender, or with a stick blender in the pot). Carefully add the milk. (I put the milk in a metal bowl and put the bowl in the soup to warm the milk up slowly enough that it won't separate. Other people scoop some soup into the milk and stir, scoop and stir, until the milk is warmed. Either way works.) Stir and warm through.

Whole Wheat Bread (from "Laurel's Kitchen")

3 cups whole wheat flour (bulk purchased at Harvest Coop; local sources for bulk quantities of flour welcomed! ~$1.50)

1/2 teaspoon salt

~1 teaspoon yeast

1/4 and 1 cups warm water, separately

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Bread Total: ~$2

Mix the yeast into the 1/2 cup of warm water. Pour that into the flour and salt (in a large bowl). Mix honey and oil into another cup of warm water, and mix that into the flour mix. Mix by hand until thoroughly dough-like. Add flour or water in tiny amounts to adjust to right consistency. Put in the fridge for the night. The next morning, take it out and let it warm up on the counter covered (for moisture) for a few hours. (This is slow and doesn't need to be watched too carefully.) When it has risen, punch it down, turn it over and let it rise again. (About half as long, even shorter. This rise should be supervised a little bit.) When it is ready, punch it down and roll it out flat. Fold the sides in and roll it up. Put it on a greased pan, and start preheating the oven to 350F. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350F. It is ready when a thump on the bottom sounds hollow.

Complete Meal: $7.75