Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Hinona Kabu Miso Soup
 
The lovely miso soup, so soothing and therapeutic,  sustained me for days, during my recent bout with COVID-19.  But you don't have to be ill to delight is this light, nutritious, fast and easy soup.  Start with a pot of water, add slivers of garlic, ginger root, and dried wakame seaweed. Then add carrot and shiitake mushroom slices. Then toss in a few gorgeous magenta-kissed hinona kabu tiny turnip, but any radish will work nicely.  After a few minutes, add the turnip or radish greens. Finally, slide in some soft or silken tofu, then season with miso for a delectible start to any meal. 
 
Miso is a live probiotic food, conferring delicious umami flavor and benefits to gut and overall health. Despite its salinity, research shows it actually can lower heart rate and blood pressure.
 
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Serves 3 to 4
 
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, cut in slivers
3/4 inch ginger root, peeled, and cut in matchsticks or minced
2 to 3 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
1 dozen small shiitake mushroom caps, cut in 1/4-inch slices
½ large Japanese or juicing carrot, sliced in half lengthwise, then in ½-inch slices, or 1 cup carrot, sliced
4-5 hinona kabu turnips or 6 small radishes, scrubbed to remove root hairs, sliced into ½-inch slices on the bias
2 cups packed hinona kabu turnip or radish greens, cut in a ½-inch chiffonade (leaves rolled together and sliced)
½ cake of soft or silken tofu, sliced into bite-sized pieces
About 3 tablespoons shiro or saikyo (mild, white) miso paste, or to taste
Scallion greens, sliced thinly on the bias, to garnish 
 
Directions
 Heat a pot with 6 cups of water.
Bring to a gentle simmer and add the garlic, ginger, and wakame seaweed.
After a minute add the sliced shiitake mushroom caps and sliced carrots
After 3 minutes add the sliced hinona kabu turnip or radish slices. Cook for 3 minutes.
Stir in the greens now, and after a minute gently slide in the sliced tofu.
After a minute of gently simmering, remove the pot from the heat. 
To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls, and season to taste with the miso by dissolving a tablespoonful of miso paste in the ladleful of broth only, then gently distributing it throughout the bowl.
Garnish with thin slices of scallion greens.