It came on suddenly this morning -- that telltale catch at the back of the throat, and ears that felt as if they were filled with water balloons, and a bit of a fever. I suffered through our office potluck, then nipped out for a few minutes to go to the drugstore and buy some Zicam. (My jury is still out on whether this makes a difference at all, but I've got to tell you -- if the efficacy of a medicine is at all proportional to how bad it tastes, then I have every confidence that it's going to cure me; chewable Zicam is like a fruit-flavored Toosie Roll spiked with the mouth-puckeringly-bitter stuff that moms used to paint on babies' fingers to stop thumb-sucking. Nasty. Vile.)
Good thing I made soup last night. It felt wonderful going down, and now I'm all warm and comfy -- it was like getting a hug from the inside.
The following is something like a pork-and-butternut-squash soup I made last year from a recipe I saw on the Internet. I couldn't find it again when I searched for it yesterday, so I just approximated it by guess or by golly. It turned out fine. If you're somewhat alarmed by the number of root vegetables, what I like to do is keep a stash of the more uncommon ones in the freezer, because I like putting them in all sorts of soup, and then just take out what I need. If you are not carnivorous, I'm sure the soup tastes okay without meat -- use veggie broth and maybe just a shot or two of tamari for that evocative "I shop at a food cooperative and wear natural fibers" flavor that at least for me brings back fond memories of my misspent 20's.
Autumn Vegetable-Pork Soup
1 quart broth -- I used ready-made organic chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
3 large stalks celery, sliced
1 parsnip, sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 cups or so of shredded cabbage (savoy is nice but not necessary)
a little cubed turnip or rutabaga, if you've got it and like it
maybe half a pound or so of lean pork, like chops or a lean pork steak, cubed
salt and pepper, thyme and savory, maybe sage
1 small butternut squash, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 can white beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
a good handful of chopped parsley
Combine broth, onion and garlic, leeks, celery, parsnip, carrots, cabbage, pork and seasonings. You'll want to add some water to cover. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer until the carrots are getting done; add the potato and squash; simmer some more until just tender; add the beans, tomatoes and parsley; adjust the seasonings; simmer a little bit more.
Makes lots.
Enjoy with crusty bread.
Off to find the afghan now.
Artwork by Carl Larsson,at Scandinavian Treasures
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