Blizzards, Fine Vegan Dining in NYC, and Miso Soup

Spring is taking its sweet time arriving here in Vermont this year.  After a dismal ski season with alternating snow droughts and ice storms, we’re on our second true blizzard in ten days.  I was lucky enough to visit good friends in New York City between blizzards and enjoy some exceptional dining, shopping, and just plain being-out-of-Vermont-time.

First the shopping:  I’m not much of a shopper (because my house has practically no closets), but Nordstrom’s, where my friend needed a few things, was a treat for the eyes.  Of course I have no use for the shoes they were displaying, but they were dazzling to look at!

Later, after a delightful stroll through Central Park in the early April sun to gawk at the blooming dogwood trees and forsythia, knowing that Vermont was socked in with snow and wind, it was nice to anticipate capping off this lovely day with dinner at abcV, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s vegan restaurant at 38 E. 19th Street.  https://www.jean-georges.com/restaurants/united-states/new-york/abcv

AbcV is a gorgeous restaurant, with its white-on-white rustic color scheme, super welcoming staff, open kitchen and exquisitely funky lighting overhead.  We opted for the tasting menu, and the show began. Dish after dish of inventive and delicious small plates, all served on mismatched delicate vintage china, appeared at regular intervals.  The table favorites were the dosas with 3 sauces (pineapple chutney— YES!), coconut curry with tofu, and grilled shiitakes with leeks.

Tiny demitasse cups of warm golden turmeric milk preceded the scrumptious desserts, and we  later walked back to their apartment in a warm glow of satiety.

Traveling back to Vermont on Amtrak the next day (where I make sure to get a window seat on the west, or river side, of the train), I love to watch the newly migrated birds and waterfowl on the Hudson River, the profile of the Catskill Mountains and later the Adirondacks in magnificent profile on the opposite side of the river. I even saw a few bald eagles high in the still-leafless trees along the river bank. Back home, the next blizzard was imminent, and it arrived on time with a fury.  First a nice glaze of freezing rain, then 40 mile per hour wind gusts, then 36 hours of heavy snow. A beautiful cardinal sat just outside the window next to my writing desk probably wondering what the hell was going on!

Returning from a successful pleasure trip is always an opportunity to look anew at your daily routine (or rut, if that’s more accurate) and change it up for the better; maybe getting up earlier than usual to review the high points of your trip, plan to cook some new recipes, or just appreciate the comfort of being home. As much as fine dining is appreciated during a trip, it’s also nice to get back in your own kitchen to cook a meal inspired by new tastes and food combinations you’ve just experienced. I didn’t have time to grocery shop before cooking my first post-trip meal, but I did find some shiitake mushrooms and a crisper drawer with some vegetables that needed cooking. I chopped them all nicely and threw in some miso for flavor for a nourishing pot of soup, perfect for enjoying while watching the blizzard rage outside while dreaming of fancy shoes, sharing good food with good friends, and warm weather.

Shiitake Soup with Miso

Serves 4-5

1/4 cup sweet white miso

5 cups water

1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)

1/2 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 large carrot

2 stalks celery

1 medium white or yellow onion

Freshly ground white pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery into uniformly sized pieces.  Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms, and thinly slice the caps.  Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-low heat, then add the onions, celery, and carrot.  Sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables soften and onion begins to turn golden.

Add the sliced shiitake caps and the water, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook the soup for 15 minutes.  Stir in the miso and the soy sauce (or tamari), grind the white pepper over the soup, and serve.

Note:  Miso retains its nutritional properties and flavor best is if it is not boiled, hence the addition of it at the end of the cooking.