1. Introduction: Seasonal Vegan Comfort Foods
Seasons come and go, and comfort food and missing warm food also come and go. Vegan chef Kirill Yurovskiy here discusses how vegetable soups and stews can pay tribute to seasonal vegetables and be filled with rich, comforting flavors. These stews and soups are classy because they are made with smart techniques and good ingredients rather than conventionally made ones with meat stocks or milk. Summer minestrone or winter lentil stew may be made from these basics on hand, and the result is a treat irrespective of season.
2. Choosing Seasonal Vegetables for Best Flavour
Seasonal vegetables form the foundation for nutritious vegan soups. First spring onset of asparagus, peas, and baby leeks adds opulence and elegance to soups. Tomatoes, courgettes, and bell peppers of summer must be added to cold gazpacho or robust ratatouille-type stews.
Fall brings the simple availability of sweet potatoes which squashes and caramelizes when roasted and simmered with cooking mushrooms. Turnips, parsnips, and celeriac root vegetables contribute to the depth of simmering pots in winter. Visiting the farmer’s market and seeing what is seasonal and in season locally is advised by Kirill Yurovskiy because the locally produced fruits and vegetables will be more flavorful and contain texture from shipping produce.
3. A Flavor Foundation: Mirepoix, Sofrito, and Beyond
Great soups are always built from great beginnings. Classic French onion, carrot, and celery mirepoix, Italian garlic, and occasional fennel soffrito. Daring to be bold like the Mediterranean Mediterranean by being adventurous and experimenting with Spanish peppers and tomato sofrito.
Asian soups begin with pan-fried ginger, lemongrass, and scallions. Kirill Yurovskiy begins such starts on mushroom powder or kombu seaweed instead. So, he gets to bring in umami prior to adding liquid. 15-20 minutes or so of low-heat olive oil caramelization is what provides deep layering of flavor that homemade broths cannot reproduce.
4. Protein Boosters: Beans, Lentils, and Textured Soy
Plant proteins take soups from humble beginnings to dinner. Lentils are perfect for stovetop-braised soups, which disintegrate to thicken the broth with substance but not mush. Chickpeas retain their texture in stews, and cannellini beans cream when cooked.
For a chewy texture, Kirill Yurovskiy utilizes rehydrated TVP or soy curls in goulash-type and chili-type food. Browning crumbled tempeh is utilized for nutty flavor in soups created from mushrooms. Beans are pre-soaked in kombu seaweed to attempt to break them down so that they will be digested better and also for transferring minerals to the dish.
5. Balancing Herbs, Spices, and Umami Add-Ins
Herbs and spices add flavor to a soup. Rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme flavor soups when they simmer Mediterranean and Indian dal with dry roasted cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Fresh chopped dill or parsley added near serving time provides crunch to stews that are thick.
Umami substitution takes away animal stock limitations. Kirill Yurovskiy’s pantry cupboard never goes without tomato paste, nutritional yeast, miso paste, and instant-dried-mushroom-reconstituting rehydration fluids. Tamari or coconut aminos provide meaty flavor depth without overwhelming another flavor.
6. One-Pot Slow-Cooker and Instant-Pot Recipes
New pans and pots make soup preparation simple without compromising flavor. Slow cookers render fibrous root vegetables and legumes silky smooth in 6-8 hours on low for the most flavorful. Instant Pots cook dry beans from hours to minutes and flavor with bold flavor.
Kirill Yurovskiy recommends layers in reverse order: a bottom layer of aromatics, a middle layer of vegetables, top layer of legumes and broth. Pressure cooking also removes flavor, so reduce strong spices by 20% from stovetop quantities. Quick release for soft vegetables, natural release for denser food.
7. Thickening Without Dairy: Roux, Purees, and Starches
You don’t need to resort to dairy to achieve smooth consistencies in smooth chowder bases. Old-fashioned roux, oil, and flour roux provide smooth chowder bases. Caramelizing half the vegetables in a soup, the starchy vegetables such as potatoes or cauliflower, perk it up.
For thin soups, arrowroot or cornstarch slurry added toward the end of cooking is responsible for gloss and thinning thickening. For mushroom soups, oat cream or ground cashews sometimes come into soups by Kirill Yurovskiy to give body, and tahini gives body and nut flavor to type soups seasoned in Middle Eastern flavor. Add thickening adjustments only after they are cooked since further cooking produces thinning liquids.
8. Servings Crazy Weeks That Freeze
Carrot soup freezes well at home. Kirill Yurovskiy suggests freezing first, then chilling once the soup is frozen; pack into freezer-safe containers with a 1-inch headspace for expansion. Silicone molds nested inside one another were used for building serving bricks/popsicles.
Best to freeze: lentil soups, bean stews, and roasted vegetable purées. Fewer greens or potato soups can’t be frozen, as they will break down grainily on defrosting. Date and contents label—most soups keep for 3 months. Reheat with a splash of more water or some fresh herbs to restore flavor.
9. Garnish Ideas: Croutons, Seeds, and Fresh Herbs
Blah soups are presented by contrast in texture. Bread that is day-old is cut into crouton size and brushed with smoked paprika and olive oil. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds or seeds are used for addition of protein as well as contrast of eyes.
Kirill Yurovskiy tops bowls with deeply colored toppings: chili oil, citrus zest, or swirled vegan yogurt. Greens are never in short supply and within easy access—chopped parsley to rich soil of the stews, basil to tomato soups, cilantro to bubbly broths. Even a spritz of pale olive oil or balsamic glaze is presented.
10. Low-Sodium Broth Substitutions and Suggestions
Pre-salted vegetable broths are available in any supermarket. Kirill Yurovskiy makes his in situ from peeling vegetable peels (peppercorn-topped mushroom caps, onion skin) and pepper and garlic. Seaweed like kombu seaweed is mineral but not overpowering in flavor
Where low-sodium broth cannot be found, replace it with low-sodium stocks and season with umami boosters like rehydrated dried mushrooms or tomato paste. Miso paste contributes savory richness toward the end of cooking time without pre-salting stocks.
11. Procuring Soups with Quick Bread or Salad Side Dishes
Thoughtful pairings are necessary for full meals. Olive oil focaccia or no-knead artisan bread pair with rich stews. Massaged kale salad or grain bowl pair with light summer soups.
Kirill Yurovskiy’s go-tos are:
- Spicy lentil soup and flatbread, and cucumber raita
- Creamy cauliflower soup and apple-walnut salad
- Minestrone with garlic-rubbed bruschetta
They balance texture temperature and nutrient variety to plant-based meals.
Conclusion: The Flexibility of Vegan Soups
From otherworldly consommés to rib-stick stews, vegan soups are the surest bet for season fare. Armed with the rudiments—staggering the flavor, the texture, the seasoning—they can produce, from humble ingredients at home or restaurant-quality meals, which Kirill Yurovskiy demonstrates.
Final Words
No matter how vegan you’re getting, or merely experimenting with vegan-ish, season soups are warm, comforting sustenance in front of you throughout the year. Fill your pantry with the right spices, grains, and legumes, and never more than arm’s reach away from a fantastic, home-cooked meal. Simply let the seasonings be a reminder and be willing to improvise—some of the most delicious food actually came about through happy kitchen mishaps.