Springtime Vegetable Soup from the Microwave

Gosh, I see it's been a month since my last entry. That's because my life has taken a sudden right turn...I stumbled upon a beautiful tranquil (the rooster next door is crowing as I write this) spot in the country, under magnificent old oaks. It is modest but a perfect hideaway for me. For cooking, I have a sleek but small (5.5 by 6 feet) galley kitchen, all new, buttery tile, but no stove and a fridge you could put in your eye (the space was designed for a meeting place, not to live in). So online from Sears I bought a Kenmore 1.2 cubic foot TrueCookPlus countertop microwave for $118.99. How they can put so much technology into anything for that price amazes me...this kid can practically sing and dance. The 1200 watts are (here's an overused word but apt in this application) awesome. Using Barbara Kafka's incomparable, invaluable "Microwave Gourmet," the machine has changed the way I cook. I also bought an Oster two-burner hotplate and it's excellent...an electric kettle is super for my tea and for coddling an egg. I was content with these (brought my toaster from town since there's a toaster oven in my apartment) when a dear friend said, "But Grandma, what're you going to do when we come and want pizza?" so I got a Cuisinart toaster oven big enough for pizza and put it in the bathroom...I have no problem baking pizza--or polenta or apple pie, for that matter--in my handsome new buttery-tiled bathroom.
But today's topic is the soup I've been making with spring vegetables. I can't give you times because I discovered, when I tried it out in my mother's old microwave, they weren't the same. Proportions don't matter because all the vegetables, except the green garlic, have a delicate flavor, but I'll give you mine. What does matter is cooking the elements separately so nothing is mushy. As a general rule in cooking vegetables, Kafka suggests adding a little fat and a little water (I drizzle over a bit of olive oil, which gives a nice finish to the completed soup) and covering the vegetable (I prefer a Nordic Ware plastic dome or waxed paper to plastic film). Depending on the strength of your microwave, begin timing in units of 2 minutes...it's preserving freshness--color, flavor, texture--at which a good microwave excels.
As you will see, the colors are heaven.
This much makes 3-4 suppers for me:
1 small or 1/2 large green cabbage (savoy, when you can find it), in ribbons
3 small golden beets (cook whole unpeeled, then peel and slice)
The beets' leaves (if there are some), in ribbons
2 smallish unpeeled blue potatoes, in 1/4-inch slices
3 medium unpeeled carrots, in small wedges
1 small or 1/2 large fennel bulb, leaves included, thinly sliced
2 small branches celery, leaves included, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, leaves included, thinly sliced
AND THE SOUP'S SECRET: 3-4 green garlic, bulbs only, chopped (farmers' markets have green garlic now, as does Whole Foods)
About 1 quart boiling water
About 2 vegetable-based seasoning cubes--I use Star Garlic and Herbs (from an Italian grocery)
About 1 tablespoon tomato paste from a tube or 1 small can tomato sauce
Juice of 1 small or 1/2 large lemon (Meyer, if you have it)
Freshly ground pepper (I like mignonette, the blend of white and black, for subtlety)--you won't need salt because of the cubes
1 small bunch fresh dill
As you cook them, combine the vegetables in a big bowl. Make a broth with the boiling water and cubes, whisk in a concentrated form of tomato--just enough to add depth, then lemon juice and pepper for point.
Stir the broth into the vegetables. Refrigerate until serving time, then reheat in each bowl in the microwave. Serve sprinkled with snipped dill.
So good! Filling, barely any calories, and even more flavorful the next day.
P.S. As for my singing and dancing pal, the most succulent salmon I can remember eating was the first thing I cooked in my new microwave: a 6-ounce, 1/4-inch thick fillet of wild-caught salmon, lightly seasoned, skin-side down, tightly covered on a plate with waxed paper, nuked for 1 minute flat. Unbelievable.