soup walk

I don't really know what I've been doing for the last month or two. Mostly writing lectures. They're very bad in an objective sense, and I can tell from the way my students look at me that I'm losing most of them. But I'm trying to finish the whole semester's worth before next week, so there's an inherent necessity to do some corner cutting. Plus, it's becoming painfully obvious that I know bugger all about 19th century American history. And there's always the "they don't pay me enough to worry about this" track I can keep running on. So that's going. But good things are happening here too. I fit into my skinny jeans for the first time since Steve and I moved in together, so that was awesome. I also went to the best event ever known to human kind and possibly in the history of the galaxy: a soup contest. In a bid to get people into a certain part of town, the organizers of this annual soup-off paired local restaurants with local businesses who would serve their soup. Ticket holders got a punch card and a map so they could try all 21! It was like trick or treating if all the treats were soup and all the houses were chiropractors and dentists' offices. There were some great soups too: squash curry, onion bisque, tomato with a tiny croissant grilled cheese sandwich and some lamb stew that was a pun of a movie title that I cannot for the life of me remember. I want to say "Silence of the Lambs" but I know that's not it. I'll have to consult Steve when he comes home. (It was "The Lamb Shank Redemption.") There were also some truly gross soups like a "dessert" soup from an Asian fusion place that was more or less pieces of cantaloupe with tapioca pudding mixed with coconut milk poured over it. That one kind of made me want to yak, but it won in the "most original" category. The winner was a pineapple, tomatillo, habanero soup, that I also didn't love, but since I didn't bother voting, I'm not too fussed. The whole thing was totally awesome, and for the first time (maybe ever) made me really like the Big City I now call home.

smells like soup

I'm taking it as a sign of my improving health that all I've been able to think about today is taking an entire extra large pizza with the works and shoving it down my gullet as quickly as possible. Fortunately I've been living with my brain long enough that I know that it seldom has the best interests of my stomach in mind and that doing what it wants would likely send me back to moaning and writhing on the floor (this is also true when it becomes fixated on eating an entire carton of ice cream without breathing). So instead I had a bowl of soup for lunch. I really love soup. And it's really hard to make oneself sick eating soup. My mother can be quite obstinate about acknowledging that it's about the best food ever, but I offer as evidence the following three recipes. They're delicious, easy, and might I say once more, unlikely to induce vomiting.

Hot and Sour Soup

5-7 shiitake mushrooms

5-7 woodear mushrooms (I use fresh but you could probably use dried and re-hydrate them)

1 carton (c. 4 cups) vegetable broth

2 1/4 cups water divided

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup bamboo shoot slivers

1 package extra firm tofu cut into small cubes

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 lightly beaten eggs

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1/4 c. minced cilantro

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

chili oil (optional)

squirt of sriracha (optional)

Combine broth, 2 c. water, garlic and ginger in pot and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, bamboo and tofu and simmer 5 more minutes. Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 c. water until dissolved, add to soup. Bring to a full boil and then back to a simmer for about 3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Stirring constantly, slowly pour eggs into hot soup egg drop soup style. Remove from heat, add onions, cilantro, and oils. Tastes great with sticky rice and a little seasoned nori.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup (courtesy of cooking light)

4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
lime wedges

Bring water to boil. Add spinach and peas and blanch about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and put aside in a bowl. Add noodles to boiling water for about 3 minutes or until just cooked (and it's better if they're still firm). Drain and add to the bowl with the veg. Heat oil in a pot. Add shallots and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) and saute 1 minute. Add broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add chicken, onions, red pepper, sugar and fish sauce. Cook 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Return cooked veg and rice noodles to soup. Stir in cilantro and serve with lime.

Leftover Chicken (or Turkey) Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced leftover roasted chicken
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces (2 cups) uncooked wide egg noodles

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic clove; sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour, oregano, thyme, and poultry seasoning over vegetables, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes. Add roasted chicken, cream, and noodles, and cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.

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