spring vegetable soup - in february

I made this back in October, which wasn't spring either I guess, but it was great ... and I bet it would be even better in the actual spring when all these vegetables are shooting out of the ground like rockets ... the actual recipe is so easy I am not even sure if it merits a post, you could pretty much add any sort of vegetable to it - in fact, the only thing that makes this soup fancy in the least is the addition of mint and egg noodles ... you know, maybe the only reason I have posted this recipe is to show off my future mother-in-law's rug hooking skills, would you look at those flowers? hacha 

ingredients

soup base

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced coarse
• 2 medium carrots, diced coarse
• 2 small ribs celery (leaves are always nice), diced coarse
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5-6 cups of vegetable broth

spring soup

• 3 medium new potatoes, diced coarse
• 1 cup (or 1 1/2 cups if you like them a lot) green peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 bunch of thin new asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup egg noodles
• 1 cup of packed fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced

do it

heat the oil in a large pot. add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until the vegetables begin to soften (around 5 mins). add the garlic and mix that around until you can smell it (around 1 min). now add some vegetable broth - how much? It is not an exact amount - I think five or six cups should do it? 

when all of this comes to a boil turn down the heat so the soup is simmering and add the potatoes and cook for an additional 5 or 6 minutes. now add the egg noodles and the asparagus. cook for another 5 minutes and then add the peas.  now you add the spinach and allow the soup to simmer for another 3 minutes or so ... now stir in the mint ... taste a potato - is it done? if so, the soup is too

the recipe wants you to let the soup stand for 2 hours to allow the flavours to blend, but we ate it right out of the pot piping hot with giant spoons

From: Cook's Illustrated, September 01, 1992

in a dance trance