Soup = Love (and ritual, community, warmth ... and can taste really, really good too!)

Making soup is such a perfect way to slow down and enjoy adding a little witchcraft to your everyday cooking. Ingredients go into the pot one way, alone and maybe simple, and come out changed, bonded to others, and often elevated. The options are endless, the basics are simple, and the time is fluid. Many come together quickly but the real magic is when you let them simmer. You’ll enjoy the benefits of passive cooking time, the knowledge that dinner (never ending house guest that they are) is already on its way, and the warming comfort of smelling something delicious throughout your day. 

THE COMFORT OF COMING TOGETHER

Soup showed up shortly after fire hit the scene and is represented around the world in endless variations. It is often the entry food to literally breaking bread, the real-life symbol of bringing people together. So, in this first month of the new year when it feels like we are being pulled apart from each other, maybe soup can bring you some peace, help you connect, heal, and find a way to reach across a table, even if it’s just the one at your house.

SOUP BASICS

Almost anything goes, good stock is a must, sometimes an immersion blender is magic. Your aromatics like onion, garlic, shallot, leek, celery, and sometime carrot, love a little sauté to get things started. Add a little olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot, over medium heat, and sauté 2 to 5 minutes until things soften a bit and just begin to brown. Then add your stock (see below about making your own), I prefer vegetable stock, regardless of what am making, because I feel it has the best depth of flavor. 

Now you can add … well … almost anything! Just try to add in order of cooking time. Carrots, potatoes, rice, will need about 20 minutes to simmer and become tender. Pasta, fish, precooked chicken, will only need about 10. Ingredients can be added in layers, starting with the heartier and ending with fresh greens or herbs at the last minute. 

Delicious creamy soups, with little or no dairy required, can be created by using an immersion blender at the end (or near the end) of cooking. Great candidates for this are lentils, winter squash, carrots, potatoes, leeks, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Experiment with what’s in your fridge, pile in the veggies, and see what magic, soul-healing, potion you can create!

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK

I like to keep a silicone bag in my freezer and whenever I am prepping veggies I add the leftover bits and bobs to it. Think the ends of onions, the dark greens of leeks, the tushies of carrots, and the not-so-tender outer celery stocks. Once the bag is full, I plop everything into a stock pot and cover it with just enough water to keep everyone submerged. Add in a tablespoon of salt (or to taste), a tablespoon of peppercorns, a bay leaf or chili pepper, and maybe a few slices of ginger. Of course, this is very customizable, but I would never skip the salt or the peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes to an hour until all the veggies are soft, soft, soft! Let it cool so it’s easy to handle then strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing the solids to release all the yumminess they contain. Use right away, refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to a month.