Soup is My Bestie

 

Hi!
This is going to be a little tale of how I make my Soup.  My best friend in the whole wide world.  Yes, Soup is my best friend in the whole wide world.  Not one kind of Soup.  Soup, as a total concept, is My Bestie.  OF COURSE I WILL EXPLAIN!

Soup listens to my troubles.  Comforts all my sorrows.  Soup is whatever I want or need it to be.  Something about the process of making Soup is soothing to me.  You get to hack up a bunch of veggies, which is a proven therapeutic method for soothing the mind (just watch your fingers).  There are days when I will get a specific craving for a specific Soup when I am in a specific mood.  Sometimes I just want to use up veggies and sometimes I get inspired by a recipe.  It is not always emotionally-based Soup.  Sometimes it is inspiration-based.  It can be a short-rib stew when I feel cold and tired and weak.  It can be a powerful Veggie Soup with ginger when I want to boost my health.  I am a hard core Chicken Noodle fan.  Oh I LOVE SOUP SO MUCH!  If it had a face I would kiss it.
Of course doing something creative to express yourself is a great way to process your thoughts.  Then add to this the art of Cooking which is expressive and great for all the senses.  Working with your hands to create something THAT YOU CAN EAT!  WHAT!!!!!!?  Brilliant. Are you understanding why I have chosen Soup as my best friend? Of COURSE YOU ARE!
I have a trillion Soup recipes and we don't have all day, so I will give you some of the basics that I cover and you can add your own voice to the recipe when you make it for yourself.  SOUP IS SO EASY to make.  One more reason to LOVE SOUP!

#1) Make sure you have a nice thick bottom pot.  Thin bottom pots allow things to burn easily on to the bottom and that is lame.  I got a Creuset for my wedding and it has become my ONLY Soup pot.

#2) On medium heat warm 1/4 cup of olive oil and some garlic (I like a lot of garlic but you can use a little or none)(IF you don't like garlic at all, cut up a small yellow onion and use that, K)

#3) STIR When garlic starts to brown TAKE THE WHOLE POT OFF THE BURNER AND SET ASIDE for a moment.

Now it's time for the FUN!

You get to do whatever you want.  

I always add a flavor base.  A few bunches of fresh herbs (my favorite is thyme and sage), 3 or 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger, salt and pepper and any dried herbs and spices you love.  MIX AND MATCH!  

Cinnamon and Cloves are yummy.  Cumin and Smoked Paprika are great together.  Just add about a tablespoon of each so you don't over power the soup.  Then you put the pot back on medium heat and add another 1/4 cup of olive oil and mix it together until you can smell the herbs opening up.  This only takes a few minutes.  

 

NOW YOU ADD THE SOUP TO THE SOUP!

Chopped veggies?  Chopped Chicken? Rinsed, Canned Beans (rinse them well so they don't hold the canned flavor)?  Canned tomatoes?

Fresh Tomatoes?

For this one lets use:

10 cloves of Garlic - smashed

Two bunches of Thyme

One teaspoon of Cumin

One teaspoon of Smoked Paprika   

Salt and Pepper

Two tablespoons of Fennel Seeds  

A head of Kale - Chopped

One small bunch of Carrots - peeled and chopped

One knob ( I invented this term for ginger) of Fresh Ginger - peeled and chopped

Two small Yellow Onions - chopped

One large can of Cannellini Beans - rinsed well

 

One can of Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes - drained and rinsed OR five or six fresh ones - chopped, seeds removed.

One can of Artichoke hearts - drained and rinsed

 

Now turn the heat up to med/high and mix all the ingredients together completely BUT DON"T SMASH YOUR BEANS!

ADD - The juice of two two lemons and zest of one

 

Now add one large carton of Organic Chicken Stock and bring to a simmer.

Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and then Shut Off the heat and Cover.

The Soup flavors will steep like a cup of tea.  It's glorious!  Leave it covered on the stove for about a half of an hour and then bring back up to a simmer and serve.  Some people think you have to reduce a soup for hours but the problem with that is the veggies break down in the heat and get icky and mushy.

You can change all of these ingredients.   You will be making YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND!  Use whatever you love.  Don't like the chicken stock because you want it to be a full Veggie Soup! - Use Veggie stock or springwater.  Though spring water will not add any additional flavor so you may want to add a little more salt and pepper.

The thing about your Soup is it is alive.  DON"T LAUGH!  It will get better and better over the next couple days.  The flavors will bloom and change.  Just store it in the same pot in the fridge and spoon out what you want to reheat.

Top your new best friend with a little grated parmesan or drizzle it with Pesto or Pestou (Fun Fact - these are the same thing but one is Italian and one is French).

YAY!  BEST FRIENDS FOR EVERRRRRRRRR!

*Unfortunately not really forever.  You should freeze or eat your Soup within four days of making it.  The quality will start to break down and you will need to create A NEW BEST FRIEND! But that's OK. 

Ciao!