The Bite (Issue 18): Soup week!

Grab a spoon and join us. none When I was in middle school, I really became obsessed with all things Food Network. On Saturdays, I’d prop up on the couch with my mom while she drank her coffee and watch the weekend lineup of “30 Minute Meals,” “Good Eats” and “Everyday Italian.” As my cooking vocabulary quickly grew larger than my limited set of cooking skills, she decided it was time to actually get me into the kitchen to learn to make a few simple dishes. Chicken noodle soup, which was a common post-Sunday church service meal, was one of the first. She walked me through her process: Season and sauté chicken in a big pot; add chopped onions and carrots; cover the whole thing in lots of broth; add a dried bay leaf (this was non-negotiable). After the mixture had simmered until it was fragrant and the vegetables were soft, she’d add a bag of egg noodles, take the pot off the stove and let them steam until they were tender and springy. We’d devour a bowl or two, piled high with crushed saltines, before retreating for a Sunday afternoon nap. There was always enough in the pot for leftovers, either to be eaten for dinner that night or ladled out into thermoses for work and school lunches the next day. Those late Sunday lunches helped solidify my ideas about comfort food and what cooking food, even simple one-pot dishes, and sharing it with other people can ultimately mean. It’s not a surprise that when I’ve needed warmth — both literal and figurative — throughout my life, I’d turn to simmering pots of soup. When I’d come in from figure skating practice as a teen, I’d make a “creamy chicken and rice soup” that was an amalgam of convenience foods like instant rice, pre-shredded rotisserie or canned chicken, boxed broth and a single melted Babybel cheese. I nursed one of my bigger heartbreaks with pozole, and eventually fell in love again over steaming bowls of pho. Just last week, after a long day at work, I found out that my partner had trekked out and back in the Chicago snow to bring me back a deli-tub of shredded duck congee. “I felt like you might need this,” he said, before cracking open his own takeout container. This week at Salon Food, we’ve focused our attention specifically on soup, diving into recipes, how-tos and essays about my favorite food group. We’ll do the same here today in this week’s issue of The Bite, our weekly food newsletter. I’m curious: What soups have you been making this winter? Is there a soup recipe you’d like to perfect that has thus far eluded you? Oh, and what are your favorite soup add-ons (see: the schmaltzy croutons down below)? Let me know at food@salon.com and you may find your response in next week’s The Bite! — Ashlie Stevens, deputy food editor Recipes [Cheesy, no-tear French onion soup](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjcvdGhpcy1jaGVlc3ktbm8tdGVhci1mcmVuY2gtb25pb24tc291cC1pcy1yZWFkeS1pbi11bmRlci0zMC1taW51dGVzL1cDc3BjQgph4GY69WF-_loxUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) “Lately, I've been craving a little piece of Paris — or at least of midtown Manhattan, anyway — in my own kitchen,” writes Salon’s Mary Elizabeth in her latest Quick and Dirty column. “By cobbling together a frankensoup that relies on the easiest and fastest tips I could find, I wound up with a cozy dish of cheese and onions sans the watery eyes.” Come for the immensely comforting soup that’s ready in less than 30 minutes, stay for the unexpected trick that prevents your eyes from watering when chopping the requisite onions. [Chicken stew with schmaltzy croutonsÂ](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjQvY296eS11cC10by10aGlzLW5ldy1jaGlja2VuLWFuZC13aWxkLW11c2hyb29tLXN0ZXctd2l0aC1zY2htYWx0enktY3JvdXRvbnMvVwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) As I wrote, this soup recipe was born out of my enduring pandemic-era fantasy of picking up and moving to a spooky cottage in some potentially haunted forest. I wanted something that was appropriately woodsy and earthy, hence the inclusion of wild mushrooms and anise-flavored tarragon. To top it off, toast up some hunks of bread in schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat. You’ll never go back to saltines again. none [The herbiest bean soupÂ](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjMveW91cmUtb25seS0zLWluZ3JlZGllbnRzLWFuZC0xMC1taW51dGVzLWF3YXktZnJvbS10aGUtaGVyYmllc3QtYmVhbi1zb3VwLWV2ZXIvVwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) While I often love the meditative experience that is a day-long cooking project, sometimes you just want lunch on the table in five minutes. Instead of reaching for wilted lettuce and cold cuts to make a sandwich — which doesn’t exactly scream “cozy” — combine canned beans and good stock with a secret ingredient to make a gorgeous soup packed with flavor and greens. none [Broccoli-cheddar arancini](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMTgvaG93LWktdHVybmVkLWJyb2Njb2xpLXJpY2UtY2Fzc2Vyb2xlLWludG8tbmV3LWNyZWFteS1jaGVlc3ktYXJhbmNpbmkvVwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) Alright, so this isn’t a soup — but it is a delectable soup topper. These “pseudo-arancini” are made by coating a mixture of broccoli, cheddar and rice in Panko breadcrumbs and frying or baking until they are shatteringly crisp. Take one or two and place them on your bowl of broccoli-cheddar soup. It’s a complete game changer. *** Not a subscriber yet? Sign up to get [The Bite](~/AASU4wA~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) delivered to your inbox every week! *** Essays [What Julia Child's favorite soup recipe teaches us about the art of cooking](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMjUvd2hhdC1qdWxpYS1jaGlsZHMtZmF2b3JpdGUtc291cC1yZWNpcGUtdGVhY2hlcy11cy1hYm91dC10aGUtYXJ0LW9mLWNvb2tpbmcvVwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) One of the most interesting recipes of Child's to analyze is also one of her simplest: vichyssoise. The traditional chilled soup has only seven ingredients: potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, whipping cream, salt, white pepper and minced chives. Compared to some of her other recipes — like beef Bourguignon or poached eggs in aspic — it's practically spartan. But when you take a step back and consider why this recipe works, you realize there’s a lot it can teach us about cooking in general. Read on to find out what five lessons can be taken from it. [Pho, menudo and Old Sober: A love letter to breakfast soup](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0RaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTIvMTUvcGhvLW1lbnVkby1hbmQtb2xkLXNvYmVyLWEtbG92ZS1sZXR0ZXItdG8tYnJlYWtmYXN0LXNvdXAvVwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) I told you that my love for soup is pretty unparalleled, and in this essay I encourage everyone to take soup season more seriously by sticking their spoons into the world of breakfast soup. Across the globe — from Vietnam, to Colombia to right in New Orleans — having soup for breakfast is just as typical as eggs and coffee. Food writers Liz Vaknin and Lauren Shockey, who is also the author of the 2019 book “Hangover Helper,” help contextualize the commonalities of breakfast soups, and also help me parse out why the idea has never quite taken off in the States. Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, 19801 DE [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0Q8aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvdGhlLWJpdGUvdW5zdWJzY3JpYmU_aWQ9QDM0NTA5VwNzcGNCCmHgZjr1YX7-WjFSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) Copyright © 2022 The Bite, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj179lP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgph4GY69WF-_loxUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~)