Slice of Life Story Challenge Day 25 -A Great Day To Make Soup!


Today was a great day to make soup. It was windy and raining and generally most inhospitable for outdoor adventures. So, soup it was…

We did venture out for the obligatory weekend morning coffee, but not before we donned coats and scarves and suitably warm clothing. This is still early autumn for goodness sake! The wind showed us no mercy though. It slapped and shoved its way down Main Street.

Vicki planted the idea of making soup in my head while we sipped coffee. I’m generally the souper-intendent in our house, so I bought half a pumpkin and two leeks before venturing home. Making soup appeals to the alchemist in me. Hubble, bubble... 

 I peeled and chopped up the pumpkin into small chunks. I then topped and tailed the leeks before slicing them length wise and washing out any residual dirt and grit still caught in its multiple layers. I placed the pumpkin into a cooking pot, suitable for serious soup making. I then added with olive oil, cumin and chilli flakes, hoping the spices would add a little zest. I set to work slicing the leeks finely before adding them to the pot. The pumpkin provide the texture and the leeks were there to add a subtle sweetness in the same way their cousin, the onion does when cooked slowly. Nutritionally, leeks are very good for us. They lower cholesterol for one thing. Many people consider leeks a boring vegetable. I love them. They can be used in many dishes, not just soup.

I began stirring and mixing the ingredients, and as the flavours mingled a pungent aroma floated out from the kitchen. ‘Smells good,’ Vicki called down from the upstairs study.

A litre of vegetable stock was added before I brought my soup to the boil. After ten minutes of simmering, I blended the ingredients to a smooth broth like consistency.  Finally I seasoned the soup lightly with salt and pepper. It smelled good, looked good and I couldn't wait to serve it up. Five more minutes of simmering had the soup well and truly ready for serving.

I ladled the sweet concoction generously into two large bowls and garnished each serving with fresh coriander. Chunky pieces of bread accompanied the soup. Vicki joined me. We sat side by side enjoying our steaming bowls of soup. We were now sustained against the brutish weather. It warmed the cockles of the heart as the old saying goes.  Souperb!


Comments

  1. Terje 25 March 2012 at 19:03

    It's funny how thoughts go to food when the weather gets worse. Your choice of soup is healthy in addition to tasty and comforting. your writing has the slowness of stirring the soup and the smell of love in it. I cheered my family up on a rainy spring Sunday with some pancakes for breakfast. Funny enough, sliced about it too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. drferreriblogspot.com25 March 2012 at 22:55

    For us, onthe otehr side of the world, it was SPRING brocoi rabe...different seasons..different needs...I never really thought about the connections between comfort food and the season weather changes...another post...another day...

    ReplyDelete
  3. LibraryDragon/Storykeeper26 March 2012 at 00:12

    I like the sounds you captured in your writing. The idea of being an alchemist appealed to my whimsy. It made me smaile. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lennye26 March 2012 at 01:56

    Yum! However it is hard to believe as I sit here sweating in 80+ degree weather, that you are in a coat and making soups. My thoughts are more toward salads these days!

    ReplyDelete
  5. jenb.26 March 2012 at 02:12

    Yum! We are having our coolest day after an unusually warm stretch, and as I sit with the cool breeze streaming in through the window, soup sounds delicious! And, I LOVE leeks! :) My favorite line, though, was, "The wind showed us no mercy though." it took me straight to my childhood home where wind was one of the only constants.

    ReplyDelete
  6. jyk73026 March 2012 at 03:06

    Great way to end the slice with the old saying! I like how you described so clearly making the soup. It must have been delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jama26 March 2012 at 08:49

    Yum! You made me hungry just watching you stir the simmering soup. Vicki is a lucky woman.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amanda Villagómez26 March 2012 at 11:13

    I was just going to say it sounds like Vicki is very lucky and realized it was what Jama wrote as well.

    I liked your word play with soup.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Deb Day26 March 2012 at 11:40

    Whenever I read your blog, I have to remind myself that you are opposite of us. But in the fall, when the weather is cool and rainy, my favorite thing to do is make soup. This one sounds yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kat26 March 2012 at 12:29

    Hail to the "souper-intendent!" I love a good soup when it's chilly and that sounds delicious. Keep bundled up!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Juliann in WA26 March 2012 at 13:06

    Next time try some crisp green apples in your pumpkin soup, that became my favorite this winter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amy Rudd26 March 2012 at 13:32

    Soup-erb post by the souper-intendent! It made my mouth water just reading the description...soup is the best on a chilly fall day. It makes me think of my mom's homemade chicken noodle-the best! Soup-er YUMMY!

    ReplyDelete

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