When I was little, one of my favorite books was Stone Soup. You know the story, don't you? The version I had involved pigs. The pigs stumbled upon a village of people that were hungry andsince they didn't have much food themselvesthe pigs devised a plan to feed everyone. They took the largest soup pot they could find, filled it with water and added a smooth stone.
One townsperson came over and asked, "What are you cooking?"
"Stone soup," replied the pigs.
"Can I have some?" asked the townsperson.
"Only if you can put one vegetable into the pot," the pigs said.
Several villagers and vegetables later, there was enough soup to feed the whole town. The moral of the story involved community and sharing. What's the moral of the story if you are a cook? It's that soup can be made from anything ( even a stone ) .
Last week, my co-writer, Greg, issued a call to the kitchen with his chili recipe. He argued, and I agree, that soup is the perfect place to begin your culinary experimentations. Unlike so many recipes that require a dish be cooked to a certain temperature, seared a certain way, or crisped and browned, soup is pretty much foolproof. You can add whatever you have in your kitchen; you can build flavor slowly, adding more spices and seasoning as you taste; and it is nearly impossible for you to cook it improperly. As long as soup is served hot, it's good.
A couple of years ago, I was attending the last Oak Park farmer's market of the season and noticed a table where they were handing out steaming styrofoam cups. I was cold and a little hungry, so I went to grab one. When the volunteer handed me the cup, she also handed me a piece of paper with a recipe andmuch to my surprisea pebble taped to the bottom. The farmers had each contributed an ingredient andto celebrate the end of another wonderful farmer's market seasonthey made a huge pot of stone soup.
This soup is a version of that farmer's market recipe. Of course, the vegetables are interchangeable. I make it a little differently every time, and I use the preparation of this soup as an excuse to clean out my refrigerator. Sometimes I use chicken; sometimes I use beef. If I have it in the freezer, I usually add diced okra. If I don't have it on hand, it's no big deal.
That's the beauty of this soup ( and any other ) . It takes very little time to make, and it is very forgiving. As many variations as I've made, I've never had one turn out badly. If that's not a reason to put down the can and get out your soup pot, I don't know what is. ( And if you're still feeling intimidated, you can always start with a stone. The rest of the soup will soon follow. )
"Anything Goes" vegetable soup
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 quarts of beef stock
1 24-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 small head of cauliflower, chopped
1 handful of green beans, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
˝ lb. whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. chili powder
˝ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large soup pot, brown ground beef. Set aside.
2. Add a little olive oil to beef drippings and sauté onions, garlic, carrots and thyme.
3. When the onions are translucent, add all other vegetables and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes.
4. Add beef stock, crushed tomatoes and chili powder. Add browned ground beef. Let simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Add cooked macaroni and parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Serve with crusty bread or cheese toast.