soup-ernatural

Movie trucks, production assistants and traffic hold-ups are a regular sight in "Hollywood North". In our 'hood, production shoots are pretty much a monthly occurance as apparently, this small neighbourhood is a movie location scout's dream. Almost every week there is a movie or television show shooting right outside our apartment. A few weeks ago, we received a notice that the show "Supernatural" was going to be filmed outside our door...and this past week, it was the tv show "Men in Trees". For my New Year's Resolution, I gave up cable, so I couldn't even watch these shows if I wanted to. But when I met with friends for a bit of league bowling, I was told that on last week's episode of Supernatural (a hunky sausage-fest ghostbusting show), my neighbourhood, tiny grocer and street were featured prominently. Oh well, I never watched that show anyway, but it still would have been nice to see!

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming. Trust me, there is nothing spooky or supernatural about this creamy chicken and vegetable soup. It is brimming with flavour, warmth and history plus has the power to slay through any gray day this northwest weather has to offer. Even if your grandmother never made you soup like this before, you can feel tradition in every slurp. Creamy but not heavy since it's made with milk rather than cream, each spoonful carries a bright tang with the addition of lemon juice. It's like a chicken pot pie in soup form and there is nothing wrong with that. This soup is a perfect meal for this grey, damp month. When it comes to Februarys and soup, I agree with Molly, they go hand in hand.

creamy chicken & vegetable soup
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 c button mushrooms, sliced
1 c celery, chopped on the diagonal
1 c carrots, sliced into coins
1 t dried thyme
3 T flour
6 c chicken stock
1 cup short cut whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 c milk
1 c cooked chicken, diced
1/2 c frozen peas
salt & pepper to taste
juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Add in onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, thyme and carrots and sautee until wilty. Add flour and mix well, cooking for about 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and pasta and cover. Stir occassionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. When pasta is tender, add milk, chicken and peas. Stir gently and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper and mix in lemon juice. Serve.

soup-ernatural

Movie trucks, production assistants and traffic hold-ups are a regular sight in "Hollywood North". In our 'hood, production shoots are pretty much a monthly occurance as apparently, this small neighbourhood is a movie location scout's dream. Almost every week there is a movie or television show shooting right outside our apartment. A few weeks ago, we received a notice that the show "Supernatural" was going to be filmed outside our door...and this past week, it was the tv show "Men in Trees". For my New Year's Resolution, I gave up cable, so I couldn't even watch these shows if I wanted to. But when I met with friends for a bit of league bowling, I was told that on last week's episode of Supernatural (a hunky sausage-fest ghostbusting show), my neighbourhood, tiny grocer and street were featured prominently. Oh well, I never watched that show anyway, but it still would have been nice to see!

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming. Trust me, there is nothing spooky or supernatural about this creamy chicken and vegetable soup. It is brimming with flavour, warmth and history plus has the power to slay through any gray day this northwest weather has to offer. Even if your grandmother never made you soup like this before, you can feel tradition in every slurp. Creamy but not heavy since it's made with milk rather than cream, each spoonful carries a bright tang with the addition of lemon juice. It's like a chicken pot pie in soup form and there is nothing wrong with that. This soup is a perfect meal for this grey, damp month. When it comes to Februarys and soup, I agree with Molly, they go hand in hand.

creamy chicken & vegetable soup
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 c button mushrooms, sliced
1 c celery, chopped on the diagonal
1 c carrots, sliced into coins
1 t dried thyme
3 T flour
6 c chicken stock
1 cup short cut whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 c milk
1 c cooked chicken, diced
1/2 c frozen peas
salt & pepper to taste
juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Add in onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, thyme and carrots and sautee until wilty. Add flour and mix well, cooking for about 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and pasta and cover. Stir occassionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. When pasta is tender, add milk, chicken and peas. Stir gently and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper and mix in lemon juice. Serve.

a schmaltzy offering

What's the next step after roasting a chicken? Why make stock of course! It's really simple. Just remove as much meat as possible (reserving for another use), dump the bones, skin and debris in a large pot (a stock pot is ideal!), add in an unpeeled onion with the skin (the skin adds a lovely roasty hue to the broth), a whole wack of garlic cloves, a couple of carrots and a couple stalks of celery (leaves and all). Then comes the seasoning. Throw in a couple of bay leaves, salt, whole peppercorns, and some dried herbs of your choice (I love rosemary). Cover the whole shebang with water, add a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and within the hour, your kitchen will truly smell like home. I like to simmer my stock for about 2 hours or so, which really brings out the gelatin from the bones making your stock hearty and rich and sticky with flavour. Remove from heat and strain. Chill stock in the fridge.

Now you have the base of a really, really great soup. But the soup most suited to this rich broth is matzoh ball soup. I've made matzoh ball soup many times from a mix and it's easy, but the last time I went to the store, I found ground matzoh in a large container and decided that it would be just as easy to make my matzoh balls from scratch. And so yesterday, that's just what I did. And the results? Heavenly. The dumplings were light and fluffy and so flavourful! And the secret to this soup not only relies on the homemade broth but on the schmaltz, which is a lovely Jewish term for plain ol' chicken fat. Once you remove your sufficiently chilled stock from the fridge, you will notice a layer of white fat resting on top of your stock. This is the golden stuff of your matzoh dreams, so carefully remove the fat layer with a spooon and set aside in a small dish. This is the schmaltz that really makes your matzoh balls come alive. If you don't have any schmaltz, you can always use plain old vegetable oil in your dumplings, but trust me when I say that those matzoh balls won't elate your soup to heavenly levels.

heavenly matzoh ball soup
2 T melted schmaltz
2 eggs
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 c ground matzoh meal
1 large pinch of dried dill weed
1 heaping t of dried parsley
1/2 t granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
a large pinch of black pepper

homemade chicken stock (see 1st paragraph)
1/2 c diced carrots
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 c diced cooked chicken

1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir gently to combine the schmaltz and the eggs. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the matzoh meal with the salt, baking powder, dill, parsley, granulated garlic and pepper. Stir until everything is blended.

3. Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture and gently blend with a fork. OVERMIXING IS THE DEVIL. Don't do it. Put it in the fridge for half an hour.

4. In a large pot, dump in the stock, carrots, celery and onion, cover, and bring to a boil. Add in diced chicken and turn down heat to a simmer.

5. After matzo mixture has set, gently remove teaspoon fulls of the batter and lightly roll into 1" balls and drop into the soup. Cover and cook without stirring or peeking for about half an hour. Remove matzoh balls with a slotted spoon and place into soup bowls. Ladle soup over top and serve.

a schmaltzy offering

What's the next step after roasting a chicken? Why make stock of course! It's really simple. Just remove as much meat as possible (reserving for another use), dump the bones, skin and debris in a large pot (a stock pot is ideal!), add in an unpeeled onion with the skin (the skin adds a lovely roasty hue to the broth), a whole wack of garlic cloves, a couple of carrots and a couple stalks of celery (leaves and all). Then comes the seasoning. Throw in a couple of bay leaves, salt, whole peppercorns, and some dried herbs of your choice (I love rosemary). Cover the whole shebang with water, add a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and within the hour, your kitchen will truly smell like home. I like to simmer my stock for about 2 hours or so, which really brings out the gelatin from the bones making your stock hearty and rich and sticky with flavour. Remove from heat and strain. Chill stock in the fridge.

Now you have the base of a really, really great soup. But the soup most suited to this rich broth is matzoh ball soup. I've made matzoh ball soup many times from a mix and it's easy, but the last time I went to the store, I found ground matzoh in a large container and decided that it would be just as easy to make my matzoh balls from scratch. And so yesterday, that's just what I did. And the results? Heavenly. The dumplings were light and fluffy and so flavourful! And the secret to this soup not only relies on the homemade broth but on the schmaltz, which is a lovely Jewish term for plain ol' chicken fat. Once you remove your sufficiently chilled stock from the fridge, you will notice a layer of white fat resting on top of your stock. This is the golden stuff of your matzoh dreams, so carefully remove the fat layer with a spooon and set aside in a small dish. This is the schmaltz that really makes your matzoh balls come alive. If you don't have any schmaltz, you can always use plain old vegetable oil in your dumplings, but trust me when I say that those matzoh balls won't elate your soup to heavenly levels.

heavenly matzoh ball soup
2 T melted schmaltz
2 eggs
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 c ground matzoh meal
1 large pinch of dried dill weed
1 heaping t of dried parsley
1/2 t granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
a large pinch of black pepper

homemade chicken stock (see 1st paragraph)
1/2 c diced carrots
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 c diced cooked chicken

1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir gently to combine the schmaltz and the eggs. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the matzoh meal with the salt, baking powder, dill, parsley, granulated garlic and pepper. Stir until everything is blended.

3. Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture and gently blend with a fork. OVERMIXING IS THE DEVIL. Don't do it. Put it in the fridge for half an hour.

4. In a large pot, dump in the stock, carrots, celery and onion, cover, and bring to a boil. Add in diced chicken and turn down heat to a simmer.

5. After matzo mixture has set, gently remove teaspoon fulls of the batter and lightly roll into 1" balls and drop into the soup. Cover and cook without stirring or peeking for about half an hour. Remove matzoh balls with a slotted spoon and place into soup bowls. Ladle soup over top and serve.

schlurp!

I always associate big bowls of steaming hot udon soup as a meal meant to be eaten alone. Japanese noodle bars always have long counter spaces which make them perfect for solo dining and the service is very perfunctory yet careful without the chit-chat. Oh, and did I forget to mention the slurping? Really, it's hard to eat those long chewy noodles without a slurp or two. It's an exercise in grace getting the noodles from your chopsticks to your mouth without so much as a drop of broth on the page of the book you've just borrowed from the library. And I guess it's because the library is right across from the noodle bar I like the best, that I find such pleasure in my solitary bowl of udon. For me, udon and books go hand in hand. Sure, I've gone for noodles with friends and often times, Cornelius and I have taken bowls of take out soup to eat at home, but somehow it's not the same. Sitting at the counter (a window seat is always best!) on a cold day with a big bowl of Charsiu Ramen with Shoyu broth is restorative. Maybe it's just about spending some quiet time in my own head, reading a good book, people watching and not so much minding the grayness outside that makes the whole experience seem so special. Who knew sitting at a counter eating noodles could do so much for a girl?

I came up with the recipe below on Monday after enjoying a lovely solo bowl of udon on Saturday with only my ipod, Run DMC, and the local entertainment rag for company. This recipe turned out amazingly well and if I could eat it every week, I'd be one very happy person. If you have corn or bean sprouts or spinach on hand, add it in! Don't like salmon? Top with tofu, shrimp or chicken. Don't sweat it.

udon soup with grilled salmon
(for two)
1 t maple syrup
1 T soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
a few dashes of hot sauce
a few dashes of sesame oil
1 salmon steak

sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 knuckle sized piece of ginger, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 green pepper, large dice
1 c broccoli florets
4 c vegetable broth
3 scallions, large chop
2 individual packets of miso (about 2 large tablespoons worth)
2 individual packets of udon noodles
juice from 1/2 lime with zest

1. In a shallow bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and mix well. Add the salmon steak to the bowl and brush the sauce mixture over the salmon. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill the salmon in a dry cast iron skillet until done, about 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Set aside.

2. Into a large pot, add a few dashes of sesame oil and add in the garlic, ginger, celery, green pepper and broccoli. Stir about until all the vegetables are slightly glistening and then add in the broth. Bring to a boil and add in the udon noodles, miso and scallions. Turn down the heat, stir to break apart miso and let the noodles cook for about 3 minutes or so. Turn off heat and squeeze in the lime juice and add the zest.

3. With tongs, add in the noodles and vegetables to 2 very large soup bowls. Pour in broth, but don't fill the bowl....keep the broth under the noodles as we want to create a noodle-y cushion for the salmon. Divide the salmon into 2 pieces and place on top of noodles, 1 hunk of salmon for each bowl. Now slurp away to your hearts content!

schlurp!

I always associate big bowls of steaming hot udon soup as a meal meant to be eaten alone. Japanese noodle bars always have long counter spaces which make them perfect for solo dining and the service is very perfunctory yet careful without the chit-chat. Oh, and did I forget to mention the slurping? Really, it's hard to eat those long chewy noodles without a slurp or two. It's an exercise in grace getting the noodles from your chopsticks to your mouth without so much as a drop of broth on the page of the book you've just borrowed from the library. And I guess it's because the library is right across from the noodle bar I like the best, that I find such pleasure in my solitary bowl of udon. For me, udon and books go hand in hand. Sure, I've gone for noodles with friends and often times, Cornelius and I have taken bowls of take out soup to eat at home, but somehow it's not the same. Sitting at the counter (a window seat is always best!) on a cold day with a big bowl of Charsiu Ramen with Shoyu broth is restorative. Maybe it's just about spending some quiet time in my own head, reading a good book, people watching and not so much minding the grayness outside that makes the whole experience seem so special. Who knew sitting at a counter eating noodles could do so much for a girl?

I came up with the recipe below on Monday after enjoying a lovely solo bowl of udon on Saturday with only my ipod, Run DMC, and the local entertainment rag for company. This recipe turned out amazingly well and if I could eat it every week, I'd be one very happy person. If you have corn or bean sprouts or spinach on hand, add it in! Don't like salmon? Top with tofu, shrimp or chicken. Don't sweat it.

udon soup with grilled salmon
(for two)
1 t maple syrup
1 T soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
a few dashes of hot sauce
a few dashes of sesame oil
1 salmon steak

sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 knuckle sized piece of ginger, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 green pepper, large dice
1 c broccoli florets
4 c vegetable broth
3 scallions, large chop
2 individual packets of miso (about 2 large tablespoons worth)
2 individual packets of udon noodles
juice from 1/2 lime with zest

1. In a shallow bowl combine the first 5 ingredients and mix well. Add the salmon steak to the bowl and brush the sauce mixture over the salmon. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill the salmon in a dry cast iron skillet until done, about 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Set aside.

2. Into a large pot, add a few dashes of sesame oil and add in the garlic, ginger, celery, green pepper and broccoli. Stir about until all the vegetables are slightly glistening and then add in the broth. Bring to a boil and add in the udon noodles, miso and scallions. Turn down the heat, stir to break apart miso and let the noodles cook for about 3 minutes or so. Turn off heat and squeeze in the lime juice and add the zest.

3. With tongs, add in the noodles and vegetables to 2 very large soup bowls. Pour in broth, but don't fill the bowl....keep the broth under the noodles as we want to create a noodle-y cushion for the salmon. Divide the salmon into 2 pieces and place on top of noodles, 1 hunk of salmon for each bowl. Now slurp away to your hearts content!

smooth like orange velvet

Mmmm, there's not much more that I love on a blustery day than some good homemade soup. Today was so windy that when I ran a few errands in Chinatown most of the electricity in shops and many of the traffic lights were down! Thankfully, just 4 blocks east in our cozy little apartment, things were business as usual. All of this crazy weather we've been having lately (from torrential downpours to snow and now blustery winds) makes a hot bowl full of soup seem extra nice.

After using only half a can of pumpkin puree for yesterday's pumpkin loaf, I knew that soup was on the agenda for tonight's meal. I looked about and found a gigantic sweet potato (or a "big, fat, hairy tuber" as Cornelius refered to the hideous beast), a couple of carrots and a few other random veggies and got down to business. After a bit of peeling, chopping and a nice rapid boil, soup was on! This soup had the right amount of sweet and heat and really felt luxurious and rich in my mouth. So creamy and full of flavour that after every bite I exclaimed, "oh wow, this is good!". Seriously good and smooth like velvet.

winter vegetable soup
1 T butter (or olive oil for a vegan soup)
small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, diced
water or vegetable broth
salt & pepper
1 t cumin
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t chipotle powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 T maple syrup

1. In a large pot, heat oil or butter and add in vegetables. Sautee until fragrant. Add salt and pepper and enough water or broth to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. When vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes or so, add in spices, pumpkin puree and maple syrup. Stir well and continue to cook another 5 minutes.

2. Puree with an emersion blender until no lumps remain. Add salt and pepper to taste, if necessary, and serve.

smooth like orange velvet

Mmmm, there's not much more that I love on a blustery day than some good homemade soup. Today was so windy that when I ran a few errands in Chinatown most of the electricity in shops and many of the traffic lights were down! Thankfully, just 4 blocks east in our cozy little apartment, things were business as usual. All of this crazy weather we've been having lately (from torrential downpours to snow and now blustery winds) makes a hot bowl full of soup seem extra nice.

After using only half a can of pumpkin puree for yesterday's pumpkin loaf, I knew that soup was on the agenda for tonight's meal. I looked about and found a gigantic sweet potato (or a "big, fat, hairy tuber" as Cornelius refered to the hideous beast), a couple of carrots and a few other random veggies and got down to business. After a bit of peeling, chopping and a nice rapid boil, soup was on! This soup had the right amount of sweet and heat and really felt luxurious and rich in my mouth. So creamy and full of flavour that after every bite I exclaimed, "oh wow, this is good!". Seriously good and smooth like velvet.

winter vegetable soup
1 T butter (or olive oil for a vegan soup)
small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, diced
water or vegetable broth
salt & pepper
1 t cumin
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t chipotle powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 T maple syrup

1. In a large pot, heat oil or butter and add in vegetables. Sautee until fragrant. Add salt and pepper and enough water or broth to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. When vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes or so, add in spices, pumpkin puree and maple syrup. Stir well and continue to cook another 5 minutes.

2. Puree with an emersion blender until no lumps remain. Add salt and pepper to taste, if necessary, and serve.

headache for two

Yesterday both Cornelius and I had splitting headaches. I think it was due to our lack of caffine (we ran out and were too lazy to get more). By dinnertime, we both couldn't get off the couch but we realized that we couldn't survive on Gilmore Girl repeats alone. We needed something quick and simple and then I remembered Crystal's package and the small packets of Mexican macaroni. She taped a short recipe to the package and a simple and satisfying dinner for two was born.


simple sopa de conchas
1. Saute the pasta in a bit of olive oil until the pasta browns a little, stirring frequently.

2. Add 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes, 1½ - 2 cans of water, salt and pepper and stir.

3. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.

* I added a couple cloves of crushed garlic to the sauteed pasta.
** Crystal eats this in bowls with avocados. We ate it topped with grated mozzerella cheese since we were avocado-less. So good!!

Crystal has a slightly more elaborate version on her blog, which you can find here.

---

Next Day:

Yes, dinner was another lazy meal and I took the above recipe and expanded it. It turned out fabulous. I sauteed bacon until crisp and added chopped garlic and onion, and followed the rest of the recipe. Five minutes before the meal was ready, I added some chopped broccoli to the mix for a bit of green. Tasty!

Thanks Crystal for a great base to a fantastic meal that will definitely be a repeat in this tiny kitchen!!

my first weekend cat blog

Yes, it's true. Cornelius and I have a little furry friend named Snoopy. She doesn't do much around the house other than nap and leer at us with her yellow eyes. If only she could do the house cleaning! But we still love her regardless of her inability to contribute to the run of the house. I realized that I don't take very many photos of our cat...and isn't that the joke about bloggers? Oh well, I'm taking the plunge - this time.

Yesterday, I spent the day walking everywhere. I went to a cool craft fair, shopped for rick rack and ribbons at my favorite fabric shop and bought a bunch of plain tea towels for a highly secret xmas craft involving screen printing and cakes! When I got home, my feet were sore and I wanted something warm and filling, so I decided to make a corn and potato chowder.

Years ago, during my "lean" years working at a record store, I used to make this soup all the time. I made it vegetarian because I was one at the time (for 10 years in fact) and I made it dairy free because it never occurred to me to add milk. This time, I gussied it up a little bit with the addition of turkey sausage and a splash of milk and Cornelius and I loved it. You can definitely play with the spices here. Instead of rosemary, use cumin and coriander or add in some chipotle or smoked paprika.

potato, corn & turkey kielbasa chowder

3 large potatoes cut into a small dice
1 small onion, finely diced
1 T olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
vegetable or chicken stock
1 t rosemary
1 c frozen corn
a small knob of turkey kielbasa, diced
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

In a large pot, heat up olive oil and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the diced potatoes and rosemary and add enough stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the corn and the kielbasa along with enough milk to get the soup to the consistancy you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

miso hungry

After coming home from the gym in the pouring rain, I needed something warm and an equivalent to what Nigella Lawson would call "temple food". I looked into the fridge and pulled out a block of tofu, some green onions and a couple sachets of miso. Easy! I would quickly whip up some miso soup and then settle down to watch my guilty pleasure, America's Next Top Model. In my mind, going to the gym and eating miso soup would negate any negative effects from enduring a trashy tv show. Actually, who am I kidding? I'd watch ANTM any old time! Pass the Cheetos!

miso soup
4 c water
4 T miso (or 3 individual sachets purchased from your local asian grocery)
2 green onions, finely minced
1/2 cake tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Heat oil in a large pot and lightly saute the green onions. Add water and miso paste, stirring until the miso has dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add tofu* and serve with a splash of soy sauce or hot sauce, if desired.

*I had some fresh chinese noodles on hand in the fridge so I added that before I added the tofu. I also added a large handful of frozen corn to the simmering broth. If I had some peas, I would have added that too.

curious orange.

butternut squash & apple soup

This soup is still simmering away on the stove, so I have no idea how exactly it will taste, but if I can go by smell alone, "Damn! This is fine soup!"

1 small butternut squash
1 granny smith apple
1 onion
1 T butter
3 cloves garlic
water to cover
vegetable bullion
1 t thyme
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1 t cumin
1 t corriander
1 t red pepper flakes
1 T curry paste
salt to taste

Melt butter into a heavy pot. Add the cubed onion, garlic and apple to the pot and saute until translucent and soft. Add a dash of salt. Add cubed squash to the pot and mix in all the spices. Cover the vegetables with water and let simmer until squash is soft and the mixture is fragrant, about 30 minutes. Taste and reseason if necessary. Puree and serve with a dollup of yogurt.

soup n' such

After living with Cornelius for a few months (and after dating & cooking for him for at least a year before) he told me, with a full bowl of soup in front of him, that he doesn't really care for soup. I was shocked! Who doesn't care for soup (homemade, even), is there even such a thing?

I grew up on the stuff. My mother made vichyssoise almost every sunday in the winter and a cold buttermilk borscht in the summers. She made her own stock from scratch and I was eager to try every new recipe she discovered -- blended, creamed, chunky, hot or cold -- and loved eating the leftovers. I was a soup fanatic! When I moved out on my own, I found that making soups were not only cheap but healthy too. I was a vegetarian back then and used vegetable broth cubes when I had them and made my own vegetable stock when I didn't. Soups were a standard in my weekly repertoire and I didn't think twice to serve it to friends and roommates. So it was quite a shock when Cornelius told me that he didn't really like eating soup all that often.

There is one exception with Cornelius: matzo ball chicken soup. I made it for him before we moved in together and he declared it his favorite soup ever (little did I know then, that it was his only favorite!). On Sunday, I had made a roast chicken out of a great tasting free-range bird and on Tuesday night, I boiled up the carcass, the left over meat and some vegetables (including the lemons that I had stuffed into the cavity of the chicken) and made some homemade stock. As the soup was to be dinner, I didn't have time to really let the stock simmer and flavour, so I cheated and added a bullion cube (a beef cube, at that!). I made matzo balls according to the directions on the package and added them to the strained, slowly simmering stock -- I also added some left over rutabaga that I had left over (also from Sunday's dinner). After 20 minutes, the matzo balls grew in size and the soup was done. It was fantastic. Cornelius was happy and so was I.

I still make soup on a frequent basis. As long as I'm doing the majority (ie. ALL) of the cooking, it's just going to be that way. Take it or leave it.