I spent all of Tuesday writing and editing, writing and editing, writing and editing, and making five kinds of soup.
Yes, I am well aware that that sentence makes me sound as if I’ve lost my marbles. I’m okay with it because I’m starting to suspect that irrationality is part of the job description for starting a new magazine.
I’m was just working away, wishing like hell that I had a freezer full of soup so that I could just pop a portion into the microwave and produce something to quiet my growling stomach. Wouldn’t that be lovely? And it would be even nicer if there were several soups to chose from, right? And, of course, the soup would have to be made from scratch, ’cause love is the most nutritious ingredient of them all.
Then I remembered all those vegetables that we harvested on Sunday, just sitting in my kitchen, waiting to find their purpose.
And suddenly, this idea became an idea that must. be. acted. upon. I was positively compelled to drive to the market for missing ingredients and make my dream of a frozen soup wardrobe a reality. I can’t explain it. (Actually, I can. Lack of Sleep + Hunger= 3 Hours of Chopping, Stirring and Vacuum Sealing. It’s science, y’all.)
If you happened to be working at my house tomorrow and you find yourself hankering for a delicious cup of homemade soup, you can have your choice of Chicken, Vegetable, Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Curried Carrot & Parsnip.
The Curried Carrot & Parsnip is particularly amazing. It’s also vegan, which makes a nice change for those of us trying to eat less meat. I made the recipe up as I went along and you can totally take liberties with the proportions, depending on how you like your soup, thick or thin, spicy or un.
Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced medium
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into medium dice
1 pound parsnips, peeled and chopped into medium dice
1 glove garlic, minced
1 1/2 -2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes for garnish
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables and sauté for five minutes. Add curry powder and stir well. Sauté an addition minute or two to allow the spices to bloom.
Add vegetable stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender (or working in batches with a traditional blender) puree the soup until it is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
You can finish this soup with a touch of cream at the end (which would make it decidedly un-vegan) but remember to heat the soup gently after the addition of cream. You only want to heat it through. (If you are starting a magazine- and therefore making this soup for the freezer at two a.m.- do not add the cream until you are ready to re-heat and serve.)
EDITED TO ADD: I just realized that making soup when I am stressed is what I do. Remember the great “Your donkey isn’t pregnant” French onion soup of January, 2012?
