Not-Chicken Soup

When I was vegetarian, this soup was a revelation. There were a few things that I missed from my meat-eating days, and chicken soup was one of them. This soup approximates a meat-based soup very well, especially if you put the parsnip and scallions in. The little bit of turmeric in the recipe helps make it seem meaty somehow, and the sweetness of the parsnip makes it taste like the good homemade (not)-chicken soup that it is. If you add some finely chopped fresh parsley to the finished soup, you will really be pleased with the result. This is so satisfying when you are sick, or anytime during the winter.

There is a matzoh ball recipe with the soup recipe that I have never tried. I have just put in some fine egg noodles near the end of cooking, but only in the amount of soup that I will be serving that day. The noodles do not store well; they actually ruin the soup if they're left in there overnight, soaking up too much broth and getting very large and slimy. Rice is also excellent in this soup but, of course, you have to cook it quite a while to get it tender. Same thing for the rice: only put a small amount in the amount of soup that you will be serving that day, or you will have rice porridge the next day.