Aaah, soup
Spring=new greens, wild leeks and asparagus.
Summer=tomatoes and corn.
Fall=roasted potatoes, buttercup squash and dried hot peppers.
Winter=SOUP! and bread
We made a big pot of mushroom, bean and barley soup in our house this week. I start most soups the same way: saute a couple of diced onions and a few cloves of garlic with a few diced carrots and celery stalks; sprinkle in a range of seasonings–salt, hot pepper, some mixed italian (thyme, oregono, basil, rosemary), perhaps a generous splash of cumin or curry, bay leaf, a whole dried pepper. Add vegetable or other stock or bouillon, canned tomatoes or water, and simmer for an hour or two. Then add grains and/or beans, some diced potatoes, any vegetables in the fridge or freezer (corn is always good). Simmer some more, and voila! Soup. A hunk of fresh, heated bread with butter or olive oil completes the meal. (Full disclosure: my husband, who is not a vegetarian, likes a sliced up sausage or two in the vegetable and grain concoctions I come up with.)
Remember Seinfeld? Remember the NYC soup nazi? Here’s the link to a great clip:
And Julia Child? Oh, sure, she cooked all kinds of soup…including the primordial kind (do not try this at home):
Okay, this is where I ask you to share your favorite winter soup recipe. Leave it in the comment section below. Slurp.
Tags: soup
Even the satirical news site / newspaper the Onion agrees, Ellen:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/perfect-soup-weather-coming,19187/?utm_source=recentnews
This winter, my absolute favorite soup is vegetarian split pea. I use a whole thing (that’s the correct term, isn’t it?) of celery, a large onion, a bunch of chopped up carrots, a cup of brown rice, garlic, salt and pepper, water, oh, and a bag of split peas. I throw it all into the crock pot and let it cook over night. I could eat it every day….unless, of course, Ellen brings in her mushroom and barley soup to share!