Does anyone else hear a report of incoming cold and wet
weather and instinctively think, I’ve got to get a pot of soup started? Well,
that was me this morning. I knew we had rain expected, but my husband has a
super-specific-to-our-zip-code-weather app that said snow was expected at 6800
feet and we live at 7300 feet elevation. Since we’ve only had only a scant bit
of rain so far this year, our area is due for some moisture. Many of you may
have snow falling already, and others may look through a nearby window and see
blinding sunlight. But no matter the weather, soup is a great meal choice.
As I chopped potatoes, celery, carrots, asparagus and leeks
to pile into the crock pot, I couldn’t help thinking of pioneers and frontier
families and how the women might have prepared for bad weather. Of course, they
wouldn’t have a 72-hour warning that a storm would hit on Friday but be gone by
Saturday. I have no clue of how skilled people were at watching the behavior of
wild animals. Did they do something different to indicate a coming storm, like
they do in advance of a prairie or forest fire. I’d assume in winter most would
be burrowed in their dens. So, pioneers had to use other signs like horses and
cattle huddling together, ice on the water bucket, rigid ropes. And everyone
knows when gloves are needed and the regular winter coat isn’t keeping out the
chilled air well enough.
In research for my historical stories, I’ve read journal
accounts where a pot of soup or stew was kept over the fire all the time. When
times were good, the smell of roasting meat would fill the air. When times were
lean, maybe the scent was of earthy simmering root vegetables. Anyone remember
the children’s book Stone Soup? Great
lesson on everyone pitching in for the good of the group. Soup is forgiving—the
recipe can be only a couple ingredients like stock and pureed squash, or you
can toss in leftovers from the previous week’s meals. The ingredients really
don’t matter much—what matters is the instinct to prepare something warm to
combat the cold outside. For anyone who’s interested, here’s a recipe for the
soup I created right before I sat down to write this post.
Potato Soup
8 cups stock (now that we’re vegan, I use vegetarian stock, but you
could use 2 bouillon cubes of any type)
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced (I also chop the leaves and toss them in)
3 leeks, cut once lengthwise (white part only) then sliced (1 large diced
onion could be substituted)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
12 asparagus stub ends, diced (bottom 3-4 inches, peeled. These were
saved from an earlier meal where I served the top 5-6” of the spear)
1 tsp each marjoram, dill seed, caraway seed + ½ tsp paprika
Cook on high
heat in crock pot for 5-6 hours until vegetables are tender. Right before
serving, add 2 tsp of dried (or 1 T fresh) parsley. Scoop out 1 cup of broth
and mix with ¾-1-1/4 cup dried milk powder (I use blender. For vegans, use ½ cake
tofu or tear up 3 slices of crustless white or sourdough bread into 1” pieces)
and then add back to pot and stir well. Makes at least 10 servings. I like to
serve with fresh oatmeal or wheat muffins and a plate of cut-up fruit.
My family has often commented on how good soup smells as
it’s cooking (I swear men love the scent of onions cooking or frying), and I notice how we linger
around the table when soup is served. No matter what holiday you celebrate this
month, consider including a big pot of soup on your menu.
Linda’s latest release is a western historical novella titled
Dulcina, Book 5 in The Widows of
Wildcat Ridge multi-author series.
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My mother lived for soup and made it constantly. Like those pioneers, she's throw in whatever she had on hand, but boy was it good. Hope you stayed warm and have a wonderful winter of creativity. Doris
ReplyDeleteDoris, I appreciate hearing of your similar experience. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDelete