Escarole and orzo soup with meatballs. You know those stories about when you were a kid that your parents can’t get enough of?
That they’d go on. And on. And on about to their friends, your friends, prom date and future in-laws? Because apparently, when you were little you were cute. I mean, really cute. Well, apparently long before I had achieved actual literacy, I went for the next closest thing: memorizing books. Of course, this isn’t a story about how cute I was when I was four (though the correct answer is “very”), it’s about that favorite book: Snow and the fact that even today I still adore snow, but this winter, with just an hour of snow here or there has been an utter disappointment. Which, really, is a perfect time to tell you about a soup we made last week. I’ve been pretty slackish about making dinner lately, but this was one of those things that go me over it, albeit briefly, as it could be done in a reasonable amount of time on a weekday evening.
Makes 4 main-course servings. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Classic grilled cheese + cream of tomato soup. I don’t know about you but when I arrived at work yesterday I had both the appearance and seething demeanor of a wet cat.
I don’t know what exactly the point of carrying my green flowered umbrella was, if to get utterly soaked just the same, making my way through two phone calls irked by a lingering unpleasant zoo-like scent that turned out be emanating my sopping wool pants. Yech! After work drink thing? Cancelled. Pedicure? It’s funny, you know, when I talk about these “classic homey foods,” these “best childhood memory meals,” as I must confess that they’re not mine. This time, Cook’s Illustrated crew was searching for “a perfectly smooth soup with rich color and great tomato flavor” and I enthusiastically applaud their efforts. Now, the grilled cheese would have been better had I followed the recipe more closely. Cream of Tomato Soup Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook 1. 2. 3. Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook 1. 2. Chicken and dumplings.
I’ve been thinking this week–probably more than anyone should–about what it means to be a perfectionist.
I never considered myself one before; fussy, maybe; needly and exacting at times. Oh, and I have been known to cut cookie bars with a ruler, but I never thought it was about being crazed with perfection–I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t use a tool readily available to them. Nope, I’m thinking that being a perfectionist isn’t about so much what you do, but how you react when little, obviously unsubstantial things go wrong. You over-browned an edge of the cake but it has absolutely no bearing on the final flavor.
You accidentally measured wrong and now the aforementioned brownie bars aren’t all even. I confess, this is not my strong suit. The recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated, but by way of a writer for Philadelphia Style Magazine, Joy Manning, who had been kind enough to think of me for an article she wrote this fall (PDF a few bullets down over here) about food blogging. Beef, leek and barley soup. Seeing as my parents were spending the afternoon at my apartment on Sunday so I could pilfer content for my site from their recipe box, I figured the least I could do was make them some lunch.
And although it is not quite soup weather yet, I have not been able to get my mind off of a recipe I read recently, so soup it was. Oh, but this is not just any soup. This will be, hands down and no contest, the easiest soup you have ever made. You’re not going to believe how simple it is, and what you get as a result–something so unbelievably hearty, you’ll never have room for your next course. It’s filling and healthy and warming and delicious and oh my god, I bet you just want me to cut to the chase already, don’t you? Here you go: Put some stuff in a soup pot, bring it to a simmer and cook it for three hours while you go about your business. And did you catch that “go about your business” part? One year ago: Peanut Butter BrowniesTwo years ago: Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette 1. 2.