Claude Monet's Vegetable Soup (with matzo balls)

My grandma Judy brings this vegetable soup to Passover each year as a vegetarian option for the soup course. She says it is Monet's own recipe, taken from the cooking journals he kept at Giverny. I'm imagining that Monet was inspired to grow his own vegetables in the beautiful gardens at Giverny for this classical but inventive soup.

The soup bursts with an addictive sort of salty-sweet flavor that pairs so nicely with a matzo ball (which, of course, was added to this recipe post-Monet). I think the shredded sweet potato really does the trick.

To shred the vegetables, use a box grater or the shredding blade on a food processor.



Claude Monet's Vegetable Soup with Matzo Balls

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil for sauteeing (about 2 tablespoons)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 good-sized carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, diced
6 cups vegetable stock (or combination of stock and water)
1 parsnip, shredded or small dice
2 small potatoes, small dice
1 small sweet potato (or half of 1 large), shredded

DIRECTIONS

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent at the edges. Add carrots and celery and continue to saute for about another 5 minutes. Add stock, parsnip, potatoes, and sweet potato.

Bring soup to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Soup can be served as is or as a puree.

Matzo Balls (optional)
*note: matzo balls are not vegan, but the soup alone is

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup peanut or canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 cup matzo meal (whole wheat, regular, or both)

DIRECTIONS:

Beat the eggs well in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the water, oil, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. Add the matzo meal last and mix to combine, but don't mix more than you have to. Cover the mixture and let it stand in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or as long as overnight.

To form the matzo balls, first bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Remove the matzo ball mush (as my mom calls it) from the refrigerator. If it is too loose to form into balls, add more matzo meal at this point. Using your hands, form balls that are about one or two inches and drop them into the boiling water. Adding oil to you hands first may help the mixture from sticking. Do not roll them too smoothly or handle them too much, unless you like sinkers. Keep in mind that the balls will close to double in size as they cook.

Once all the balls are formed, cover the pot and turn heat to low. Let cook for 30-45 minutes, depending on how large they are. DO NOT REMOVE COVER (not sure if this really makes a difference, but it's a strict family rule). Remove from water with a slotted spoon and add to soup.