“It breathes reassurance,
it offers consolation;
after a weary day it promotes sociability…
There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup…”
~The Soup Book, Louis P. Degouy
Everybody at my house loves soup. With a good loaf of bread and a big salad,
it’s everything supper should be: delicious, healthy, comforting, and nourishing. Soup is the opposite of fast food; it’s Slow Food, which can be prepared early in the afternoon and kept warm in the slow-cooker where it will only improve after a leisurely afternoon simmer. Like a faithful friend, a pot of soup will wait patiently until the last young Ninja has kicked, the last monkey bar has been navigated, and the last lap has been swum. I know that when we come home tired and rosy-cheeked after a busy autumn afternoon, the smell of warmth and goodness will fill our kitchen. Every moment of preparation earlier in the day will be rewarded tenfold as I toss the salad, slice the bread, light the candles, and ladle up some goodness. Supper has cooked itself.
With that in mind, I began collecting some recipes.
Since I’ve been so pleased with the other cookbooks written by the chefs at Cook’s Illustrated, I didn’t hesitate to check-out Soups and Stews from my library. As usual, I found a variety of tempting choices, which have already been rigorously tested. After choosing a dozen or so, I scanned each one for ingredients that could be kept on my pantry shelves. Items like onions, chicken broth, and good canned tomatoes commonly appear in many different recipes.
Here is my Soup Pantry list:
chicken stock
white wine
soy sauce
canola oil & olive oil
salt, garlic, bay leaves, dried thyme, cumin & chili powder
red & green curry pastes
14 oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
roasted red bell peppers (jar)
onions, red & Vidalia
red potatoes, sweet potatoes
14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
28 oz. cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes
small cans tomato paste
15 oz. cans cannellini beans, black beans & chick peas
red lentils
brown rice
small pasta shapes
yellow split peas
In the refrigerator or freezer:
butter
carrots
celery
frozen peas
Throughout the autumn and winter months, I plan to refer to this list before I do my monthly pantry staples shopping trip. Then weekly, I’ll only need to pick up a few remaining fresh ingredients at the grocery (or the autumn farmers’ market) to make the week’s chosen soups. Ideally, I’d like to make two or three soups a week.
And the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Here’s one of the recipes from Soups & Stews:
Caldo Verde
2T. extra virgin olive oil
1 lg. Onion
4 med. Cloves garlic, minced
6c. homemade or canned (low sodium) chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt
8 oz. chorizo or smoked kielbasa sausage
halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
1 sprig savory or oregano
6 ounces kale, stems removed and leaves cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
(about 4 ½ packed cups)
ground black pepper
1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 mins. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add three cups of stock, the potatoes, and ½ t. salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 mins. Remove the pot from the heat and mash the potatoes in the liquid until no large chunks remain and the potatoes thicken the soup slightly.
3. Return pot to medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 cups stock, sausage, and savory and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 mins. (or pour it into the slow-cooker on "Warm" until you are ready for supper).
4. Remove and discard the savory. At this point I’ll dish up a bowl for my youngest
(without the dreaded kale) and serve his with carrot sticks on the side.
5. Stir in the kale (turn the slow-cooker up to high) and simmer until just tender, about 5 or 10 mins.
6. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve immediately, drizzling each portion with olive oil, if desired.
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