It may not surprise you, but it threw me for a loop. Apparently we have a national food day of some description virtually every day of the year. And of course, there are national food months, too, but there are so many recipes and only so many months, so some are crammed together. For example, January is not only National Soup Month (NSM in case you like acronyms), it’s also National Hot Tea Month, (since we’re slimming following the National Noshes of Thanksgiving and Christmas), National Oatmeal Month, and National Slow Cooking Month for those who want to go out and buy that slow cooker they weren’t given last month. But for me, it’s all about soup.
Christopher Robin knew that ‘soup is a comforting sort of thing to have,’ especially this time of year. In addition, it’s a one-pot meal and unless you get really fancy, it can be one of the most economical yet nourishing things you put on the table or in the lunchbox thermos. Prep is usually quick. Fling things into a pot of stock, put a lid on, bring it to a boil, turn it down to simmer and go do something else productive, like helping with homework or having a drink.
You’ve got stock in the freezer right? Oh, no? Well, there’s always ready-made stock or bullion cubes, which you can now get in fish and ham as well as chicken and beef flavors.
Soup, a word derived from the Latin suppa, meaning broth, offers infinite variety. Sweet and sour Sichuan, duck, snapper, oxtail, fish bisque, chili, split pea, curried lentil, Vietnamese beef noodle, Mexican tortilla soup with avocado, Louisiana gumbo. Italian wedding soup, Scotch broth, West Indian peanut, French onion. You can turn virtually any single, dominant pureed vegetable – broccoli with parmesan, tomato with garlic and white wine – into soup. And of course, the Eastern Shore’s signature soup is oyster stew. (I’ve also got recipes for muskrat and squirrel soups if you’re interested.).
Mulligatawny, whose name translates to ‘pepper water,’ is actually a substantial meal. This Anglo-Indian hybrid boasts almost as many recipes as people in both cultures, but it generally involves chicken or lamb broth and meat (leftover from a roast) vegetables, rice and curry. Apples give it a slightly tart sweetness. Add coconut milk or warm cream before serving.
Having soup in the frig is a great lunch option, too. Once a week take some to work in a microwaveable container instead of snacking on salt-and-sugar-laden carbs. One of my lunch favorites is quick but elegant: Cauliflower with mushrooms and blue cheese. Dump two cups of fresh cauliflower into six cups of beef broth. Add a large chopped shallot, about six mushrooms, some thyme, dash of nutmeg, and simmer. When vegetables are cooked, puree with an immersible blender. At the end, stir in a big dollop of whole yogurt and about 1/3 cup of broken up Stilton or other hard blue cheese. (Brie’s good too).
Soup — and rest and laughter, which often go hand in hand with soup — helps recharge batteries. The aroma of simmering soup is encouraging, a visceral signal that despite economical downturns, setbacks, and downright failures, we can go on.
Roasted Squash Soup
1 2-3 lb. Iranian squash or other winter squash
1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion
1/2 sweet pepper
1/2 large poblano
1/2 apple or pear
2-3 celery tops
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp worcestershire
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cider or other sweet vinegar
1 tsp grated orange rind
dash Pickapeppa sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Split squash, scrape out seeds and roast, skin side up on a greased baking sheet, the pieces at at 350F until fork tender, about 40 minutes. When cool enough, scrape pulp from skin and put into a large pot with all the other ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until all ingredients are soft. Puree with a hand blender or cool to room temp and puree in a food processor or blender. Serve warm with a little fresh cilantro.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mulligatawny-Soup-I/Detail.aspx
Nancy Taylor Robson 