Part 64 (1/2)

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

3 whole cloves garlic, crushed

2 leeks, cleaned well and roughly chopped handful (a loosely packed cup) fresh parsley

9 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

IN a large stockpot, heat the oil. Saute onions for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.

Let broth cool until it's an okay temperature to handle. Strain into a large bowl with cheese cloth or a very fine mesh strainer. Press the vegetables with a gentle but firm pressure to get all the liquid out. This will keep in the fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH WOOD EARS AND NAPA CABBAGE.

SERVES 6.

TIME: 55 MINUTES.

This is a totally inauthentic hot and sour soup, perfect for when you want to break out the cute Asian bowls and spoons. Wood ear mushrooms give the soup that traditional Chinese look and texture and they soak up all the flavors of the broth quite nicely. They can be a pain to find, so if you need to sub dried s.h.i.+takes, go ahead. We were able to track some down at a local Asian market, but ask at any natural foods or gourmet market; there's a good chance they have some.

This recipe calls for Asian hot chile oil but if you don't have any and don't think you will ever use it, add 2 extra teaspoons of white pepper, but don't sub hot sauce, cheapskate! The chile oil is great, though, and you will probably love it in stir-fries, so try to get it!

Raw napa cabbage looks like very pale green romaine lettuce. It isn't as tough as European cabbage, so you can use your leftovers on sandwiches instead of lettuce to add a pleasant crunch.

The tofu slicing doesn't have to be perfect; basically, what you want are long, thin rectangles that are small but big enough that they won't fall apart. If you want to just make small cubes instead, that's fine, too. To make the matchsticks, cut the tofu into eight slices widthwise. Then slice those slices widthwise about ten times.

ounce dried wood ear mushrooms

2 cups boiling water

8 leaves napa cabbage

4 cups vegetable broth

cup soy sauce

cup rice vinegar