Cook and Drink

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a delicious vegan dinner at Lokaal, a small restaurant in the centre of Gent, Belgium. Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere and nice music. One of the specialties of Lokaal is fermentation, for instance homemade Tempeh from Bulgur. Lots of umami and length. We loved it!
Our dinner at Lokaal started with a nice winter soup made with kale and kohlrabi. We’re not the biggest fans of kale, but in this case it worked very well. The kohlrabi gave a nice, uplifting touch to the soup.

It made us think of other winter soups, like parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke soup, and parsley root soup. Ah, those forgotten vegetables! They bring us new flavours and combinations.

We used vegetable stock for all three soups. It is made with Carrot, Onion, Leek, Celery and Black Pepper (and optional a bouquet garni). Easy to make and lots of flavour. It freezes well, which makes it an even more important asset.

What You Need (Kale and Kohlrabi soup)

• 500 ml Vegetable Stock
• 200 grams of Kohlrabi
• 50 grams of Kale
• French Mustard

What You Do

1. Clean the vegetables
2. Devein the kale
3. Peel the kohlrabi
4. Coarsely chop the vegetables
5. Warm the stock
6. Add the kohlrabi
7. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes
8. Add the kale
9. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes
10. Use a blender to make a relatively smooth soup
11. Add mustard to taste
12. Serve
13. PS The soup doesn’t keep well, so not one for the refrigerator

What You Need (Parsnip and Jerusalem Artichoke soup)

• 500 ml Vegetable Stock
• 200 grams Parsnip
• 200 grams Jerusalem Artichokes
• White Pepper (optional)

What You Do

1. Clean, peel and coarsely chop the vegetables
2. Warm the stock
3. Add the vegetables
4. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are done
5. Use a blender to make a smooth and creamy soup
6. Depending on the Jerusalem Artichokes the soup can become fairly thick. Add some stock if so required
7. Taste (optional: add some white pepper)
8. Serve
9. PS You can also enjoy the soup the next day, it keeps well in the refrigerator

What You Need (Parsley Root soup)

• 500 ml of Vegetable Stock
• 200 grams Parsley Root
• 1 small Shallot
• ½ Leek (white only)
• 1 small clove Garlic
• Butter
• Parsley

What You Do

1. Warm butter in a pan
2. Peel and coarsely chop parsley root
3. Coarsely chop leek and onion
4. Glaze onion and leek in butter
5. Add parsley root
6. Add garlic
7. Leave on low heat for 5 minutes
8. Add stock
9. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the parsley root is soft
10. Blender
11. Pass through a sieve
12. Simmer for 10 minutes
13. Cool
14. Serve the next day
15. Decorate with chopped parsley leaves