Super Soup!

By Carol Shaw

There is nothing more satisfying, especially on a chilly day, than the tantalizing smell of a pot of soup simmering on the stove. What kind will it be this time? Pea soup from the Easter ham bone? Turkey from that carcass that was frozen after Christmas? Maybe traditional onion soup with its crouton smothered in cheese? Or perhaps my favourite – mushroom? Each of these soups is special, but at our house, soup is never the same and is seldom created from fancy ingredients. Do you recall the story of the hungry traveller who told some unsuspecting villagers that he could make soup with a stone, if they would just give him a pot of water? As the stone was boiling in the water, he suggested that it would be even tastier with the addition of a carrot, and maybe a potato. He kept these requests coming, and soon he had a real soup, despite the initial reluctance of the villagers to give him food, and no thanks, really, to the stone. Well, minus the stone, that is how most soups evolve at our house. My refrigerator usually has either extras or left over veggies of some sort – everything from the tough but peeled stalks of broccoli to carrots and cauliflower. May- be leftover meat too. Although homemade is best, I always keep store-bought containers of broths and cubes of beef and chicken on hand. If I think about it ahead of time, I may soak navy beans overnight to add to the pot the next day. Rice, barley, or small pasta shells work well. And, depending upon what finds its way into the soup, different herbs or a splash of lemon are great additions for flavour. The scope for soup experimenting is unlimited! Sometimes it is fun to puree whatever soup you have come up with, for a very different experience of the same soup, making it more like a cream soup. In fact, if a puree is too thick, the addition of either milk or cream works well. Grated cheese, or snippets of green onion are lovely garnishes. If you have pulled out all the stops and made beets into yummy borsch, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt adds to it when served. I even have a recipe for a wonderful peanut soup that is topped with bits of ham and cranberry sauce. In the summer, soup can be on the menu too, with fruit soups or vichyssoise, (basically a potato and leek soup), both served icy cold. Cold jellied consommé is a treat. Special crackers or cheesy bread sticks do well with these.

So you see, you can always mix up some sort of soup at the last minute with whatever you have at hand. Guaranteed it will be appreciated by family and guests, but when they request the recipe, you’ll just have to admit to having served them a unique soup, one that has never been made before and one that likely will never be the exact same again! Just be happy that it was enjoyed.

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