We ventured out Sunday morning in an effort to enjoy a last meal out before the storm at the Cozy Corner Diner on California and Milwaukee with the intention that we could stock up on a few items at the small grocery next door. After a food-coma-inducing breakfast, (try their corned beef hash skillet - so good - plus their pancakes are insanely fluffy), we slipped next door for groceries. Instantly, I was struck by the thought that making a giant pot of soup, packed full of fresh vegetables, would be an amazing enterprise to battle the cold over the coming days. The grocer sells a random selection of veg, so we grabbed the basics and reinforced them with a package of lentils and a big bunch of radishes. The cabbage, carrots, celery, cilantro, and mystery squash all came in a little shrink wrapped package that seemed to be a last ditch effort to sell some of the imperfect specimens - perfect for soup! The best part is, for two kids on a budget, this was an inexpensive way to create a delicious and nutritious (gah - hate myself for rhyming) meal. All in all, the ingredients for this batch of soup totaled under $20.
In my very humble opinion, there are few opportunities better served to devour loads of nutrient rich vegetables than in soup. The ingredients in this particular recipe are perfect supplements to your winter health regimen: garlic is proven to help fight alongside your immune system, celery is full of Vitamin C, broccoli is an anti-carcinogen and red peppers contain plenty of beta carotene.
Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage
6 large carrots
1/2 package of celery stalks
5-6 cloves garlic
2 red bell peppers
5 green onions
1 sweet onion
1 large head of broccoli
6 large radishes
parsley or cilantro to taste
As many red potatoes as you'd like/as your pot can fit
2 Tbsp. chicken stock (my boyfriend uses Orrington Farms, which comes loose in a jar, and is fantastic)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package of non-soak lentils
After returning from the store we spent about two and a half hours attempting to clear the alley behind our apartment of snow and ice (as well as helping neighbors out of snow drifts at the corners and essentially becoming arctic explorers) in an effort to ensure our little old car can make it out of the garage when my boyfriend's school reopens. Consequently, I was glad to stand over the large stockpot, 2/3 - 3/4 full of water, waiting for it to boil and warming my hands. During that time, I also did the following:
- Chopped the onion, half the green onions, garlic, and then browned them in a fry pan
- Once they were slightly soft and colorful, I went ahead and dropped them in the water with the chicken stock
- Next came an honest effort to quickly chop the celery, carrots, and other veg, which I added to the pot in the following order:
- celery
- carrots
- broccoli
- red pepper
- radishes
- cilantro
- potatoes
- cabbage
- lentils
Since I wanted the soup to be more of a "sToup," I chopped most of the vegetables in rather large chunks. I did add some smaller sized bits, but I wanted everything to hold up as much as possible while cooking. I let the soup simmer for about an hour before adding the lentils, and then let those sit in for about 40 minutes (per the package instructions).
The finished product was a very thick "sToup" with perfect amount of mushy goodness. The lentils were excellently cooked while the potatoes and bright vegetables held up enough to provide perfect excellent texture. I love cabbage in vegetable soup, as it adds a slightly sweet, almost nutty flavor to the broth. Any Irish American kid whose parents relied on stews with cabbage to feed their miniature masses will most likely agree that this is a comforting flavor. The carrots held up fantastically and added to the sweetness of the cabbage, while the celery and other green vegetables, partnered with the red pepper, balanced it with an effervescent savoriness. We devoured huge bowls with generous helpings of fresh brown bread from the little grocery store (smothered in butter - of course), a glass of pinot noir, and a cup of hot mint tea to wash it down.
We have loads left over to carry us through our cravings over the next week, and we're sure to freeze at least half of it to keep for longer. Does anyone have a suggestion for a great soup freezing container? We just used our "heartiest" takeout tupperware but I'd love to hear of something that would not only avoid freezer burn better, but not contain the typical plastic chemicals.
What I'd do differently next time:
I'd probably let the soup cook for slightly less time, adding the lentils in with the full pile of vegetables, to help everything stay a little less mushy. I'd also steer clear of corn (you'll notice I left this off of the ingredients list), as it was such a pain to scrape from the cob. It does taste amazing and add fantastic texture to the soup though, so if you're willing to suffer (or if you have a real technique - share!) then go for it!
I'd like to try the soup with more red peppers and some spice - as well as more potatoes. Maybe next week....
If you have a favorite winter soup or stew recipe - please pass it my way - this will be gone in no time and it's looking like it will be an epic winter this year!
And here is where the cat just danced on the keyboard. Yep - we're officially those people....
No comments:
Post a Comment