Chickens Soup

I know. It doesn't have to do with Chicken and Rice soup but it is a good photo series.

Okay. First thing is first and that is the WINNER OF THE FIRST MONDAY SOUP HAIKU CONTEST.

This person is someone who is no stranger to poetry. From his first published poems in Folio to beautiful free style raps in car rides, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

Ladies and gentlemen, lets give a big hand to Mr. Ziggeh Karp for this quietly powerful master piece:

There comes a time when

everyone must choose, chicken

noodle or chowder?

Sadly, Alayna and I didn't snap any shots of this soup but Alayna did do an incredible job of sending me so many chicken soup cartoons in a row that I began to wonder if she has a chicken soup cartoon fetish thing.

Anyhoot, here she is: Chicken and Rice Soup. It was good. A nice mix of light but filling. This is a soup everyone likes and everyone should master. So get your chicken friends out of the coop and start ringing some necks.

To-Do!

In a side pot, cook 1 cup of rice (white or brown... or even fancy wild rice!) according to instructions

In your soup pot, dice about 6 cloves of garlic and an onion

and sautee in olive oil

(add a few shakes of hot pepper if you are cold and stuffy and feel the need to be revived)

Add chopped carrots (either 3 real carrots or a handful and a half of baby)

and a head or two of broccoli, also chopped

Add a small box of baby bella/cremini mushrooms and/or shitake

(and, if you still have those dried porcinis laying around, you could soak some of those and put in the broth and I think it would be delicious)

Once things are almost all the way soft, add two whole tomatoes, chopped,

and lower the temperature to simmer covered

In a separate covered pan, cook 2-3 boneless/skinless chicken thigh (or breast) cut into bite-sized pieces in olive oil with salt and pepper

When the rice is done cooking add it to the soup pot,

cover everything with chicken broth and bring up the heat

Once the chicken is cooked through, add it to the soup pot

and put in more broth if needed.

Bring to a light boil, and then take the temperature back down

Add a handful and a half of fresh parsley and voila!

Chicken soup for the soul.

Sausage Soup

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Writing a soup blog when I'm at work is a lot more dodgy than I thought. But it's Thursday and I know the people... i.e. Alayna... is freaking out that there is no new soup to look at. Though there is a new Friday's Dinners! which also doubles as Sunday Brunch.

There is a lot to say here. One: This is a nice Italian-esq. comfort soup. Very similar to Italian Wedding soup, Ryan. Alayna was in the mood for it because she is freaking out- so are most of the Suffolk apartment ladies. As the lease is ending and cha-cha-changes are a-happening. Moving, subletting, weeding out potential craigslist killers. It's stressful. (Hey! Anyone need a room in the Lower East Side in a week? Inquire within!)

So this soup made us all feel a little more relaxed. Thank you, soup.

Now for the contest. Drum roll please.

The First Ever MONDAY'S SOUP HAIKU CONTEST!

I know, how did we not think of this before.

Rules:

1. Write a haiku about soup.

2. Paste it as a "comment" to this blog post

3. Wait anxiously to see if you're the winner

You WANT to be the winner.

The Soup!

Slice about 6 cloves of garlic and saute in olive oil in the soup pot

add in 1 yellow onion, chopped

once the onions are getting opaque,

add about two fistfuls of kale, torn into smaller pieces

when the kale is getting softer, add about 1.5 handfuls of baby carrots, chopped

add the florets from one or two heads of broccoli

once the broccoli and carrots are getting softer, but still firm,

add a large can of crushed tomatoes with the juice

and bring the bot to a low simmer

add in a handful of fresh basil

and a handful of fresh parsley

in a separate pan, saute 4-6 Italian sausages cut into bite size pieces (half sweet, half spicy)

once cooked through, add to to the soup pot and fill with chicken broth to get to the right consistency

Bring everything to a boil and eat!

Artichoke My Heart

"You have a bright future ahead of you.

Go into the world.

And use everything we have taught you."

-Tyson Bedford, "Make Me A Supermodel"

Kate has a magic bullet. Alayna has artichoke hearts. You've heard this story before...

Nooo, you haven't.

I was doing who knows what in Jersey so I could not partake on this adventure but Monday Soup fan, Lauren, filled in. Everything was moving along great.

Onions were sauteing...

Alayna was chopping hearts...

Stuff was going in the pot...

The cat was in the bag...

And then... it's time to puree.

"Oh Lauren, it's time to blend," Alayna said, innocently. Having no idea what was about to happen next.

"Yes!" said Lauren, excited to watch Monday Soup in real time and not just recaptured on this blog.

"Lets go to the blender," Alayna says. Bowl in hand. There they go. Five feet from the kitchen. To the corner of the apartment. By the bookshelf.

No one had any idea what was about to happen.

It was the age of innocence.

THE BLENDER IS BROKEN!

Can't you see the crack in the blender?

And that's when Kate's magic bullet comes in. And the story reaches our Monday's happy ending.

Unfortunately, that magic bullet is a wee little thing. And Alayna and soup crew dirtied every dish in the apartment. But worse has happened. And I wasn't there to have to do the dishes.

Now, for the soup:

Ingredients

The hearts from 6 large artichokes
butter
2 leeks
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 chopped shallots
2 handfulls of baby red potatoes
Veg/Chicken Stock
1/2 bay leaf
Thyme
Handful of chopped parsley
half and half or heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1 Cut the artichokes lengthwise into quarters. With a small knife, remove the thistley choke part and discard. Cut away the leaves from the artichoke heart and reserve for steaming and eating later. This will probably take longer than you think. Cut or peel away the tough outside skin of the stems and discard. Chop hearts to 1/4 inch thickness

2 In a large pot, melt half a stick of butter and cook the artichoke hearts, leek, garlic, and shallots on medium heat covered until tender (can stick a fork through hearts). Add diced potatoes and broth, about 2-4 bay leave, a handful of parsley and some thyme. Bring soup to a simmer and let cook covered until everything is tender (about 45 min).

3 Remove and discard the bay leaves. Purée the soup with your magic bullet if you somehow accidentally broke your blender body (oops!) and add cream to taste once all blended. Add salt/pepper as desired.

Lauren, with all of our dishes, dirty.

Fennel Is Fentastic

Is it just me or has Monday's Soups become a really big deal? Alayna and I hear stories from all over the country... or world, thank you Aimee from Barcelona... about readers making our soups. And you know, it hits a heart string every time.


Ms. Lauren Cook (what an appropriate last name!) might take the title this week for being the most enthusiastic Monday's Soup fan. (Check out Ms. Cook in this week's Friday's Dinners). But there are others, Austin from Kentucky has stopped making Trader Joe's pizzas for good. (That might be a lie, but he HAS made a soup.)


My mom has been eager for me to post her fan quote that was something along the lines of "Mothers should teach their daughters how to cook but I'm learning how to cook from my daughter." Was that even the quote? I don't remember. I do remember when my mom bought one take-out meal for a family of three to split every night for my entire childhood.


Anyway, I regress. Monday Soup friends, get ready for this soup. You all know not to be afraid of Mondays but do you know not to be afraid of fennel, too? This soup is, hands down, the best soup we've had in a long time. I even considered making a second batch two days later. I said, "I wish this soup ran out of our faucet like water." I still wish that.


P.S. Lastly, soup lovers, if anyone has any idea how I can be paid for this, let me know. Thank you.

Ingredients!

• 2 large fennel bulbs with fronds
• 1 pound carrots, sliced medium thin
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, sliced
• kale
  
• extra-virgin olive oil,
  
• walnut oil (optional, sub olive)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• "chicken broth"

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.

Slice bulbs 1/4 inch thick and toss with carrots, onion, half of garlic, olive oil, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. Spread in a 4-sided sheet pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Once your veggies are in, saute the rest of your garlic in a little olive oil in your soup pot, and add 3-4 large handfuls of kale (stems removed and ripped into smaller pieces) once the garlic is slightly opaque. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender and turn off until the rest of your veggies are done.

Once your roasted veggies are tender, add them to the kale in your soup pot and cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then blend the whole soup to the desired consistency.

Can also be served cold, and I think it would also be good roasting the other veggies in walnut oil instead of olive.

Yeah, I know, holy heck we even made pie.

Alayna is sitting next to me right now watching Law and Order for the 3rd time tonight. You want to know how to make that pie don't you? It's really, really good.

This is what Alayna says:

Crush finely a packet and half of graham crackers,

mix with a quarter cup of sugar,

six tablespoons of melted butter.

Mix until moist and press into a pan.

Cook it at 360 for 7 minutes

(After 7 minutes, let cool for a little before put the mix in)

Mix 3/4 a cup of whole milk

with 4 eggs

a splash of vanilla

and a pinch of nutmeg

Mix this all together.

Then mix together in separate bowl a tablespoon of flour and a cup of sugar

After mixed slowly mix in with wet stuff above.

Place two small boxes of fruit (any kind of berries) and arrange them evenly (as one layer) in the pie crust.

Then pour the liquid on top

and cook at 450 for 35 to 45 minutes

until the center has set.

If not sure if it's done, tap the center with a fork- if it jiggles like jello it's not cooked enough and give it a few more minutes.

Oyster Stew

This how family helps you make soup

Alayna's email to her sister:

Do you know mom's oyster stew recipe? I want to make it tonight.

Sister's email to Alayna:

Mmm... no. I asked mom once and she was like, you know, just throw in potatoes, onion, butter, celery, cream, oyster and call it a day. I'd ask her for a more specific recommendation.

That sounds delish, though!!

Alayna's email to her mother:

Hey Mom,

Can you send me the oyster stew recipe? I know it's easy!

Mother's email to Alayna:

Ok, no recipe. Use a can of oysters- add it to: onion/celery/potatoes that have been sauted and cooked and then add milk/butter and pepper to taste.

Today's soup?

I'm sorry I wasn't so talkative last night... last 10 minutes of new Law & Order....

Love,

Mom

Alayna's email to her mother:

Haha! Definitely understandable. There was some good Law and Ordering happening last night.

Do you think the stew will be bad if I add some stuff to it? Like maybe spinach for iron? I guess that's it.

Love you!

Mother to Alayna:

I think it would be delicious!!! Love, mom

Thanks for understanding.

Alayna's Mom's Oyster Stew

Set 2 handfuls of red potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces to boil in a separate pot

Saute 1 medium sized yellow onion chopped in olive oil (in soup bowl)

and 1/2 a stick of butter

Add 2 or 3 leeks cut into bite sized pieces (just the white parts)

Chop 5 celery stalks, with the stringy ends cut off, into bite sized pieces and add to saute

Add 1 box of baby portabella mushrooms

While that's cooking add another 1/2 of butter

Wait until the veggies aren't all the way soft, but still sort of crunchy (same with potatoes) Drain the potatoes and add to the soup.

Pour in 2 cans of oysters with their juices

And top it off with whole milk just so you cover all the stuff you put in

Add salt and pepper to taste

Add an additional 1/2 stick of butter (optional but Alayna really likes butter)

Presto!

We also made roasted eggplant, asparagus and brie sandwiches on whole wheat pitas.

Follow up:

(Tuesday, lunchtime of leftovers, at work)

Alayna: Mary! I just found a wee pearl in my oyster stew

Mary Lorraine: ??

Alayna: By biting it

Mary Lorraine: liar!

Alayna: no! true. i will photograph for evidence with camera phone

Mary Lorraine: holy heck!

Alayna: I took a picture of it next to my pearl earring

Mary Lorraine: We will figure out how to transfer camera phone picture to blog.

Turns out, we could not figure this out.

We just make soup.

The Veggies in Your Fridge Soup & Pizza

Well, well, well, wasn't last week an exciting Monday? For reasons unknown Alayna had the Monday after Easter off. Did anyone else in the world have that day off? I haven't heard of a soul except for the Easter bunny... ba-da-bing... but I was still excited because that meant she could start cooking earlier.

Sometimes Alayna and I worry that we aren't going to be fed enough so we make things in addition to soup. Turns out we're always fed enough. But still. So we made soup, and a pizza because she had a vat of left-over pesto she made last week. (That I would sometimes stick various objects in, cover entirely, and eat.) And a sheet of brownies.

We ate all of this within an hour. Granted we had Lindsay's help. And Kate's meager attempts at slicing off the smallest brownie sliver I have ever seen. But still. Everything was eaten. And we were merry. Even after we realized Gossip Girl was a repeat.

Sigh.

Mmmmkay, now that you're getting the hang of soup you should have realized that veggies can be swapped pretty easily. Especially for soups like these which are mostly a hodgepodge based on what we have a lot of in the refrigerator and what we worry is going to go bad.

So ladies and gentlemen, cats and kiddies, here you go...

The Veggies In Your Fridge Soup ... & Pizza!

Start by heating 2 cups of water in the microwave for 3 minutes

and then adding 1 oz of dried porcini mushrooms for 30 minutes

chop up 1 yellow onion and saute in olive oil
add fresh rosemary and thyme, a few shakes of red pepper
add in 3 celery stalks, also chopped
add in a large handful of chopped carrots
add 1 smallish eggplant, cut into pinky sized pieces (Alayna always likes to compare her veggie slices to parts of the human hand.)

Cover the pot to catch the steam
cut up 1 box of baby bella mushrooms,

2 porta bella mushroom caps (optional)

& a handful of shitake mushrooms (with bottom of stems cut off)

& add to the mix once the eggplant is becoming more cooked

let it all hang out together until things are becoming cooked through.

Once they're almost done,

add in the porcini mushrooms WITH THEIR SOAKING JUICE
add chicken broth (or water with cubes) to cover the rest of veggies

bring to a light boil
toss in several handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted (about five minutes)

stirring occasionally
blend (in a blender) chunky and serve!

Adding milk (whole) is optional (but good).

Here is the lovely pizza we had in addition to the soup.

Alayna put on (store bought pizza dough) home-made pesto, andre cheese, tomatoes and broccoli

and it was all DELICIOUS

Look at that. I just learned how to make fuzzy things around the edges so it looks like a postcard from long ago.

While we enjoyed our soup, Zizi enjoyed her shoes.

Asparagus Squash Soup

aPoor sad and wonderful Harold Brodkey the dead author I discovered in the smallest used bookstore with the most books in Camden, Maine, concludes arguably his most famous story First Love and Other Sorrows with the love of soup.

I was reminded of this while I was re-reading this story on a walk to a friend's apartment in the East Village. I mastered the art of walking and reading long ago. Even after I arrived at the apartment's walk-up I stayed outside in the crisp early evening Saturday leaning on the railing to finish the story as couples and crazies passed me by.

The story is set in the late '50's. A daughter is about to get married to rich man she probably doesn't love. The father is long dead. And there is the pre-teen son observing it all.

"I'm hungry, too," she said. "I don't know why." She drifted over to the table, and bent over the chicken. "I guess emotion makes people hungry."

The mother pushed open the swinging door, from the dining-room side. "There you are," she said. She looked flustered. "Are you eating at this time of night?"

My sister said she was hungry, too.

"There's some soup," my mother said. "Why don't I heat it up." And suddenly her eyes filled with tears, and all at once we fell to kissing one another- to embracing and smiling and making cheerful predictions about one another- there in the white, brightly lighted kitchen. We had known each other for so long, and there were so many things we all three remembered... Our smiles, our approving glances, wandered from face to face. There was a feeling of politeness in the air. We were behaving the way we would in railway stations, at my sister's wedding, at the birth of her first child, at my graduation from college.

This was the first of our reunions.

Perhaps This Was Their Soup

In soup bowl saute

1/2 an onion chopped

2 leeks chopped

1 yellow squash chopped

1 bunch of asparagus cut into inch pieces or smaller

Add in olive oil and 1/2 a stick of butter

with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

At the same time boil a handful and a half of red potatoes (with skins) in separate pot

When the veggies are crispy but mostly cooked through add the potatoes into the soup pot

Add a squeeze of one lemon

And add enough chicken broth to cover the veggies

Take off heat, puree in a blender.