how to throw this one together
(everything in bold went into my soup)
Broth
Place 6-8 cups of water, 2-3 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes, and 1 16oz can of chopped tomatoes in their juices into a large pot stovetop. This will be your soup base. Now you’re going to want to season it.
Let’s go with 2 cloves of garlic, sliced; 2 shallots, diced (or an onion); a handful of chopped parsley from the garden; and a bundle of errant thyme and rosemary sprigs from the fridge. Diced celery will also go nicely. Season generously with salt, and less generously with black pepper and red chili flakes (unless you’re like the Piemaker and would prefer to chop up the world’s hottest pepper and throw that in there as well). Lemon zest would also be cool.
Bulk
Here you have several options for how to expand your soup. An Italian version would have you add noodles – I am partial to those extra wide egg noodles. You could also throw in some fresh barley (another favorite, but we were out), brown rice, and/or potatoes. If you go with brown rice, I suggest cooking it separately and pouring the soup over it at the end. Everything else can be thrown right into the pot as it simmers away on medium heat.
I chopped up 4-5 small potatoes from the CSA and also added about 1/2 cup of lentils I had lying around. We also threw in a can of pinto beans, but it could have just as easily been red beans or kidney beans. Now is the time to add leftover chicken or sausage you may have if so inclined.
Vegetables
Lastly, send in the veggies after your soup has come to a healthy simmer for about 20 minutes. Also, keep the lid on as much as possible so the liquid doesn’t evaporate.
I added chopped carrots, additional celery, additional onion, and a handful of brussels sprouts that were leftover from the whiskey pairing event last weekend. You could also add a deep green like swiss chard or kale.
And that, my dear friends, was it! Lid on, heat low, simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours. Serve with crusty bread, or over rice, or just by itself. We are having the leftovers tonight with a batch of fresh cornbread… because Monday.
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