Soul fixing soup

Hi!

I've been away for so long... I'm still kicking though. I'm still eating too! :) I don't know where I'm going with this blog but in the meantime here is a comforting soul-fixing soup to try.

Okay, it won't really fix your soul. That's silly but it will fill you up when you're down and if you have a cold or feeling hungry with little to nothing in the fridge to eat, this will feel good and satisfying. It's more broth than soup with a few extra goodies like egg, Parmesan and garlic added to it. It's like Stracciatella but it's whisked instead of stirred. I used to eat a German-ish version of this (minus the cheese). It's too bastardized for me to call it anything but yummy. :)



The truth is, it's post Halloween here. I swear I don't steal chocolate from the kids but we do have a big bowl left that is full of cheap candy. I'm not really a sweet tooth but somehow I found myself eating about 12 bite size BabyRuth chocolate bars! Maybe more... I don't want to know. Yeah, not my best moment. I figured I should eat something smart to help me forget. It also had to be quick! I had 30 minutes before picking up the girls from school. I needed fuel! I was feeling off and tired and the poison I just binged on wasn't going to make things better. I needed a magic potion. Soup!



The good news is that last week, I made lots of vegetable broth so I had something to tinker with. I also had some canned beef broth to finish and little leftovers of this and that with big flavours. This is barely a recipe. Just good things put together. It only serves one. Just double it up or make more if you have to share. So here is what I used.

1 cup beef broth

1 cup vegetable broth

1 small handful of thin pasta like vermicelli, capellini or spaghettini, in pieces (small pasta works too)

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin or chopped

2 teaspoons tomato paste, pizza or pasta sauce (I used a small leftover of tasty tomato bread soup)

Olive oil to taste (it's probably a good tablespoon but I just drizzle)

1 large egg

Parmesan, grated (a good 1/4 cup)

Black pepper from grinder

Salt (I use Kosher salt and I'm hooked)

Cilantro or parsley finely chopped (I often have a small leftover kept in the freezer for such use).

In a small pot pour in your cups of broth. If it's all vegetable or all beef or chicken, that is fine too. Bring to a boil. Throw in your pasta and cook till it's close to ready (check the package's instructions). Add your garlic a couple of minutes before the pasta is done with a generous drizzle of olive oil. You can do this step first but if you forget like I do, it will make no big difference. I do it for taste. Speaking of taste, stir in your tomato paste or sauce if you have it. Stir it in and taste, if you want more, add more! While the pasta, broth and garlic simmer, quickly whisk your egg and grated Parmesan in what will be your bowl till it forms a runny paste. Grind some pepper, add a few good pinches of salt. Whisk that in and while still gently whisking, add your broth, pasta and garlic concoction. The hot broth will instantly cook the egg. It will be slightly thickened thanks to the starch of the pasta and the egg, Parmesan mixture.

At this point it's ready to eat but you can add finely chopped parsley or cilantro if you have it. It's a way for me to finish small leftovers that I keep in the freezer. I've been known to experiment with what's on hand. In this particular bowl, I added some lime juice and Sriracha with the cilantro. The Parmesan still worked but I have done without cheese many times. 

So there it is, lip-smacking good and ready to eat. Grab a spoon!

Chick-pea and tomato soup with rosemary

My favourite cookbooks don't have pictures. Or very little. Most of the cookbooks I grew up with or learned from didn't have many. With time, I learned to recognize a good recipe by reading about the main ingredients, the supporting ones, the key seasonings and the preparation. I'm not always right but I can usually guess if it is worth trying or not. One of these picture-less books is SUPER handy to have. It saved me more than once when I was too tired to think or too hungry to focus. The title says it all: What to cook when you think there is nothing in the house to eat by Arthur Schwartz. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I can thrive in the kitchen when there is little to cook with, but sometimes I need guidance and this reliable friend provides it.

If there is a book out there that shouldn't be judged by it's cover, this is it! :)

I'm a visual person. As an illustrator with an education in graphic design, I can appreciate beautiful cookbooks. That said, when it comes to recipes, I learned to be skeptical of the pretty pictures in the glossy pages. They influence your opinion with a visual that, in the end, isn't about the taste but about presentation. I love a good presentation but let's face it, it's worth zilch if the recipe isn't good! If only we could lick a page and find out! :) I like rustic food. Tasty peasant food. The comforting kind that helps you let go of the stress and worries at the end of a long day. It's not always pretty or picture friendly but it quickly gets overlooked when it leaves you with a happy tongue and a distracted mind. This basic book can deliver that kind of satisfaction. Arthur Schwartz was a restaurant critic for the New York Daily News. He is a knowledgable food lover who can also find great pleasure in a simple, home cooked meal made with mundane ingredients. You can feel his enthusiasm in the book which is pared down enough for the basic cook. I truly enjoyed reading this one.

I wanted to ignore it the day I saw it in the bookstore. I was in my early 20s and had no idea who Arthur Schwartz was. I just stared at the cover, feeling sorry for the poor design sitting ugly in a sea of beautiful books. Now I wonder if that was designed on purpose so that it could stand out because it worked! Almost defiantly, I picked it up. Mainly out of curiosity. I admit, I appreciated the title as I had been asking myself that question too many times. I felt like it was worth a look inside. After perusing through a few pages, I felt guilty for judging. Arthur Schwartz was no fool. I was! Here was a food lover who knew how to improvise with a small larder and tackle the challenges of a late night craving or unexpected guest. He was talking my kind of language! I read a few recipes in the entry 'Beans and other legumes' and then further under 'Tomatoes'. My mind was made up. SOLD! I dropped the pretty books that I wasn't too sure about and took this one home. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Thank you Mister Schwartz!!!

Before I sound like a lame book reviewer (too late?), I'm going to talk about the recipe I love. Actually there is two which I cooked so many times, I stopped counting. They're both simple, quick and tasty chick-pea soups. One has Italian flavours and is from the late Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook (Harper's Magazine Press 1973). It's so flavourful! The second one is a chick-pea chili soup with Mexican, Southwestern flavours. Another winner. Marc never complains when those soups are served. Usually after the kids are in bed. Tonight it was rainy, grey and a bit cold and I was in the mood for one of these soups. I was feeling like having the Mexican chili version but mainly had the ingredients for the Italian so I did a cross over. It didn't disappoint. Like always, Marc approved. My only wish was for a second bowl but the first one was quite generous.

This is my improvised version thanks to Mister Schwartz. I would love to have dinner with this man!!

I wish I had a picture to share but it was too good and I like to eat hot. All I have is this! ;)

Chick-pea and tomato soup with rosemary 

Adapted from Arthur Schwartz's What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat and Marcella Hazan

1 onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves chopped fine, or dried and finely crushed between your hands

28 ounce canned tomatoes, roughly chopped with their juices

19 ounce can chickpeas, drained

3 cups beef broth, or 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in chicken broth or water (see Note below)

Salt, pepper to taste

Parmesan

Olive oil

Note: About the beef broth. I rarely make homemade beef broth and I rarely buy it in a can. That said, I often find myself buying bouillon cubes to cheat. What I often have is homemade chicken broth. It tastes great but somehow beef holds better in this recipe. I felt guilty once to add a beef bouillon cube in my homemade chicken broth but the end result was so good in my soup that I never looked back. This is a quick recipe when you are stuck with what you have. If you have beef broth great. If you have a beef bouillon cube to throw in water, fine. If you have homemade chicken broth and a beef bouillon cube, even better! :)

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in the oil for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook 2 more minutes. Careful not to let it brown. Add the finely chopped rosemary, stir around and add the tomatoes with their juices. If they're not chopped, you can break them with a spoon. Cook for 20 minutes. It will start looking like a sauce. Add the drained chick-peas, stir and add the broth (the original recipe says to add 1 cup but I always end up adding more liquid and the soup still gets thick), stir it all together and let simmer for an other 20 minutes. I often let it simmer for 30.

Taste, add salt and pepper. Purée all or part of the soup in a blender, food processor or food mill. An immersion blender is the best for this. It allows me to control what I want directly in the pot. I like to chase the tomatoes if too big but I like this soup chunky. If you prefer it smooth, go for it but personally I think this soup deserves texture. Reheat if necessary (I never need to and always burn my tongue). Serve in bowls with some grated parmesan.We don't always have some but I always drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and hopefully have a chunk of bread with butter to mop the bowl. It's that good! Happy flavours!!