MISO ONION SOUP

"This is a soothing remedy when you are coming down with a cold—though you need not wait for a cold to try it!"

2 tablespoons light olive oil
6 medium white or red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 to 4 tablespoons miso (any variety) dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and saute over medium-low heat until golden. Add the garlic and continue to saute slowly until

the onions are lightly browned, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add 5 cups water and the ginger. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Stir in the dissolved miso, remove from the heat, and allow the soup to stand for 15 minutes, covered, and serve.

Makes 6 servings
Excerpted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas
Copyright 2001 by Nava Atlas. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.