One cold, rainy, quiet, gloomy February, when I was deeply missing the camaraderie and belly laughs of good times misspent with warm and funny friends, I decided to throw a soup party.
…and it made everything better!
So much better, in fact, that we’ve turned it into a tradition. Every year our group throws a big soup party, with different families from the group taking turns hosting the event. The idea is incredibly simple and practical. Each family brings a different soup in a great big pot — whatever kind of soup they want to make — then everyone parties and relaxes and catches up with each other while dining. It’s like a big all-you-can-eat pop-up soup buffet, with the addition of wine and great conversation. Then, at the end of the party, containers are passed around so people can take home as many of their favorite soups as they’d like, to enjoy later. (In my group, we also distribute recipes, so everyone can make more of what they liked whenever they want.)
Of course, soup parties don’t have to be held in February, and they’re great in any kind of weather. All you need is good friends, a big pot, a place to get together, and your basic human capacity for joy. The big boost comes naturally from the smells and flavors and slurping.
The Menu
This is the easiest part for the host, since the idea is to keep it simple while creating a space to showcase everyone’s different soup contributions.
When I host I provide lots of green salad, beautiful artisan breads warmed in the oven, a bowl of gorgeous creamy butter, and a cellar of flakey sea salt. For dessert, I put out an assortment of cookies (the more diverse, the better). And for drinks I bring a variety of nice wines for the adults plus sparkling cider for the kiddos.
Serving all the soups means having enough ladles and spoons, plus an lots of small bowls. I like to use stacking hand-size bowls from Ikea, but of course you can make do with whatever you have. Ramekins work too.
Sending soup home afterward takes a lot of sealable containers, so throughout the year I’m always saving plastic and glass containers from stores so I have enough on hand when party time comes. Mason jars also work really well.
Soups!
We get all kinds: Chilies! Chowders! Bisques and stews! Beans! Noodles! Lemongrass! Italian meatballs! Hot and cold, creamy or chunky, brothy, hearty, heavy, light, you name it. Soups from next door, soups from secret family recipes, soups from all over the world! It’s always fun to try a new recipe or share a favorite (and yes, once some people get into this as a tradition they do tend to try and surprise everyone).
Ah…bowls and bowls of soup with hunks of warm bread slathered with butter…and it must be a hunk, not a slice (as torn bread tastes better according to my son). Blues no more!
There’s just nothing quite like a good soup party.
Recipe
Southwestern Crab and Corn Chowder
Here’s a soup recipe I’d love for you to try. If crab isn’t available (or you are allergic), shrimp or a firm white fish is nice too. I have been making this soup for so long, over the years it has evolved from wherever the original recipe came from. The pesto is good on everything, fish and steak or blended with butter and slathered over corn, summer squash , steamed cauliflower.Cilantro Pesto
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and stemmed
- 3 peeled cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp lime juice
- Zest of 1 lime
- ½ tsp. salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients except one jalapeno and then blend in a blender till smooth. Add more jalapeno and salt to taste. Set the mix aside or refrigerate until needed. Remember: pesto will be more flavorful after sitting a while.
Corn Chowder
- 4 slices bacon (good, but optional)
- 1½ cups chopped white onion
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped small
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 6 corn on the cobs (or 2 ½ cups frozen corn)
- 4 cups chicken broth (optional)
- 1 lb. red potatoes, chopped into about ½ inch chunks
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 12 ounces lump crabmeat (or either shrimp or firm white fish as an alternative)
- 2 avocados
- 1 lime
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTE: The first two steps in preparing your chowder have alternate versions, depending on whether you want corn broth and/or bacon fat in this soup. See the note at the end of each step for your suggested alternative.- To make corn broth, start by carefully cutting the corn kernels off of the cobs. To prevent corn from getting all over I do this in a sided oven sheet. Put the corncobs in a pot and cover them with 4-6 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, and cook low for 35 minutes. Finally, remove the corncobs and set aside the corn broth for your soup. (NOTE: if you don’t want corn broth, skip this step and just use four cups of chicken broth instead.)
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook four slices of bacon. Render the fat from the bacon, then set the bacon aside and keep two tablespoons of fat to cook in. (NOTE: if you don’t want to use bacon fat, skip this step and substitute two tablespoons of olive oil for it.)
- In the fat or oil, sauté onions till soft, then add garlic and pepper and sauté two minutes more. Add wine, and reduce to half. Then add four cups of either the corn broth or chicken broth, simmer 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, and cook for 15 minutes at a simmer. Add corn, then cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add whipping cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Then add crab (or your shrimp/white fish alternative) and cook a few more minutes until cooked through.
- Serve the soup with diced avocado, a wedge of lime, and a generous drizzle of cilantro pesto.
бетсити промокод – olimp промокод, melbet промокод
Amor omnia vincit – Все побеждает любовь.