Miso Hot Pot and Cauliflower Soup w/ Prosciutto Fougasse

Meal 1: Cauliflower Soup, Butternut, Sage & Prosciutto Fougasse, Green Leaf Lettuce Salad.
• Heat the fougasse on a cookie sheet, in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the crust crisps a bit but don’t let it over darken.
• Warm the soup on the stovetop.
• Dress and serve the salad.

Fougasse means "windows."

Meal 2: Miso Hot Pot, Soba Noodles with Broccoli, and Roasted Diakon and Kohlrabi w/ Honey and Miso.
• Warm the soup gradually on the stovetop. Do not allow it to boil but let it almost simmer for a minute or two until the vegetables heat through.
• Serve the noodles at room temp.
• Heat the vegetables in the oven at 350 for 12-20 minutes until warmed but be careful to not burn the honey-miso glaze. You may consider transferring them to a cookie sheet to speed the cooking. Use a little oil or a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet to prevent sticking and scorching.

Menu Notes

Cauliflower soup is one of Kate’s favorites, so the pressure was on. Prairie View had such beautiful cauliflower that I just had to make this though. There is some dairy in there : Tom and Sally Murphy’s hand rolled butter as well as Some Sassy Cow Organic milk and a little of their ½ and ½ too. But most of the body comes from the vegetables ( including leeks ) and the addition of white beans. Almost all of our soups are made with beans or bean broth. This adds body and mouthfeel as well as all of the nutritional benefits of beans to a seemingly simple soup. It’s not enough for our meals to taste good. They need to be nutritionally balanced for you as well.
The fougasse is one of the prettiest breads and this fall version feature butternuts from our garden and some prosciutto from our cellar. We made this prosciutto almost 2 years ago from a ham pasture raised by Prairie Fire Farm. It is the third I have made. The fourth is hanging now and has yet to be cut. I am very pleased to be able to share some with you all.
The Tree Farm yielded the great cabbage, carrots, diakon, and kohlrabi in the second meal along with a little misato ( rose heart) radish from Blue Moon. The secret to a good miso is the broth or dashi. We made ours with onions, diakon, dried shiitakes and kombu – a dried kelp. There is also a little wakame seaweed in the noodle dish. It is the dark, savory, wrinkled bits on top as a garnish with the sesame seeds. We grew the wakame ourselves in a wave tank in the backyard. Just kidding, but you know I would if I could  !

Enjoy!