Soup Night (29 page)

Serves 6

Rich with the flavors of Thailand — coconut milk, ginger, and lime — this wonderful soup is comfort food at its most exotic.

• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
  
• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened light coconut milk
  
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 (1-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  -inch chunks
  
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, including some tender green tops
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  
• 1 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups frozen corn kernels
  

• Thai red curry paste
  
• Lime wedges
  
• Chopped fresh cilantro
  

1. 1.
   Combine the coconut milks, broth, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, and zest in a large soup pot, heat to medium-low, and add the chicken. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded.
   
2. 2.
   Stir in the mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, snap peas, and corn. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook just until the snap peas are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
   
3. 3.
   At the table, add curry paste to taste (start with
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₄
   teaspoon or less per serving) and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.
   

Make ahead?
Through step 1; refrigerate.

For large crowds:
Multiply by as much as 4.

Chicago, Illinois

Noah Stein is a young man on a mission: getting families involved in projects that promote healthy living — in particular, urban farming.

In Chicago neighborhoods, as in much of the country, community gardens are a very popular way for people without traditional garden spaces to grow fresh produce. Noah, a Chicago native who returned home after living in California for several years, was struck by what he describes as the “territorial nature” of community gardens there.

To break through that, he hit upon the idea of a community soup night. The overall goal is to get people who are involved in community gardens and gardening in general to know each other, to share ideas and resources. “Sharing soup,” he says, “is of course an age-old idea.”

He found a perfect venue in the Logan Square Kitchen, a commercial kitchen and event space committed to sustainability. He recruited volunteers to help with cooking and cleanup, got local grocers to donate bread and crackers, and found a sponsor in a local food co-op that offered him wholesale prices.

Noah did all the organizing, but “people I had never met came to help wash dishes. Some people brought desserts; we didn’t ask, they just showed up.” Sitting together at long tables, people were meeting each other for the first time and making good connections.

Soup Night is held monthly, on Tuesday evenings. There is no specific charge, but donations are welcome. At the first event, February 2011, more than 50 people attended; the next month, 75; and the third month, 100. Noah is especially pleased that about 25 percent of those attending are children. Getting whole families involved was his main goal.

• www.logansquarekitchen.com
  

Serves 6–8

Dennis Battles has had the great joy of taking cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Back home in Long Beach, Washington, he uses those skills to create his own specialties, including this soup that honors the one item he says he can’t imagine cooking without — garlic.

• 6 large sweet onions (such as Walla Walla or Vidalia), cut into
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  -inch slices
  
• 2 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  
• 5 cups chicken broth
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoons dried thyme
  
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 cups heavy cream
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  

1. 1.
   Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. 2.
   Place the onions and garlic in a shallow roasting pan, and add 3 cups of the chicken broth. Sprinkle with the thyme, pepper, and salt. Dot with the butter. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   hours. Stir once or twice while roasting.
   
3. 3.
   Purée the onions and garlic with the liquid, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the 2 remaining cups chicken broth and the cream.
   
4. 4.
   Pour the soup into a large saucepan. Taste and adjust the seasonings and slowly heat through. Do not allow the soup to boil. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
   

Make ahead?
Yes. Or, depending on your schedule, through step 3.

For large crowds:
If you have a big enough roasting pan, you could double or triple this recipe.

Serves 6–8

This simple carrot soup is delicious both hot and cold. In warm weather, consider serving it chilled, in tall drinking glasses.

• 4 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes
  
• 2
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups sliced carrots
  
• 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced (see
  page 186
  ), or 1 small red onion, diced
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
  
• 2 cups cream or half-and-half
  
• 1–2 teaspoons salt
  
• Pinch white pepper
  
• Shredded carrots, for garnish
  
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
  

1. 1.
   Combine the potatoes, carrots, and leeks with the chicken broth in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. (The potatoes will be falling apart, which is good.)
   
2. 2.
   Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot.
   
3. 3.
   Gently mix in the cream, salt, and white pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and heat through.
   
4. 4.
   Garnish each serving with shredded carrots and parsley.
   

Make ahead?
Through step 2.

For large crowds:
It’s perfect for a crowd. Just multiply by as much as you need for your party.

Salem, Oregon

On the first Sunday in May, the youth group of this church puts on a soup luncheon in the downstairs meeting room. It’s a fund-raiser for the youth programs.

Parents and other adults have volunteered to bring soup, bread, or dessert. For a while the large, bright room is mostly empty and quiet. Then, about the time church service begins upstairs, chaos slides in downstairs. Seven soups arrive in large slow cookers, and there is a mad scramble for more extension cords. There aren’t enough ladles. One of the tent cards, displaying the soup name, has fallen in the soup kettle. Teenage boys stand around, willing to work but clueless. Teenage girls take over, directing the boys to set up tables and chairs. Over all, the calm guidance of
Ann Armstrong
, youth education coordinator, keeps everything moving smoothly. She ran a restaurant kitchen for many years; she knows what she’s doing.

When the worship service ends, people start to filter downstairs, dropping donations into a beautiful woven bowl, and line up to be served their choice of soup. In what seems like no time, everyone is seated at one of the long tables, enjoying hot soup, and the noise level has ratcheted up significantly.

One of the parents (and soup contributors) explains why she loves this event: “We’re a family, people in this church. So on this day, I get to sit down with all my friends in one place and enjoy this lovely lunch. What could be better?”

Marilee Corey
and her daughter Allison came up with the idea of Soup Sunday, and still serve as sponsors. “It’s our way of giving back to the congregation that has given us so much,” Marilee says. “These Sunday Soup lunches give everyone a chance to support our kids and get a nice meal at the same time.” Allison, herself not far from teenagerdom, adds, “And the kids helping here get the satisfaction of knowing they are doing a service to the church.”

Unlike some of the neighborhood gatherings profiled, this soup event was not created as a way to bring people closer. Most church members already know one another, in varying degrees of closeness. But it has that effect nonetheless. Eating together means that acquaintances grow into friendships, friendships get deeper and richer.

• African Peanut Soup
  
• Fruit Soup Fit for a Princess
  

Recipe from Ann Armstrong,
Unity Church
, Salem, Oregon

Serves 6–8

The taste of the peanut butter is almost unrecognizable here, but it adds a depth of flavor that you don’t want to miss. Don’t skip the sesame oil; it provides a flavor note I can only describe as haunting and essential. And sesame oil also adds authenticity: along with peanuts, sesame seeds were introduced into the United States by slaves from Africa, who called them benne. The soup is equally good and equally nutritious with or without the chicken.

• 2 tablespoons salad oil
  
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 2 (14- to 15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon black pepper
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon salt
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup uncooked rice
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup peanut butter
  
• 2–3 cups diced cooked chicken (optional)
  

1. 1.
   Heat the salad oil and sesame oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic, and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, water, tomatoes with their juices, curry powder, black pepper, pepper flakes, and salt, and simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Add the rice, and cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
   
3. 3.
   Add the peanut butter, whisking until dissolved. Taste and add seasonings, if needed.
   
4. 4.
   Add the diced chicken, if you wish, and bring the soup back to a simmer before serving.
   

Make ahead?
Sure. But hold off on adding the chicken until dinnertime, so it doesn’t get rubbery.

For large crowds:
This is very easy, and very economical, to expand, especially if you opt for the vegetarian version.

For vegetarians:
Use vegetable broth, and skip the chicken.