Harris - Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons

F IRST P UBLISHED IN 2012 BY V ICTORY B ELT P UBLISHING INC .

C OPYRIGHT 2012 K IMBERLY H ARRIS

A LL RIGHTS RESERVED . N O PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR DISTRIBUTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL, OR STORED IN A DATABASE OR RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER.

ISBN 13: 978-1-936608-34-8

T HIS BOOK IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES . T HE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR OF THIS COOKBOOK ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER FOR ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS ARISING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AS A RESULT OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS BOOK.

RRD1210

To my little family,
thank you for making
my life beautiful
and sweet.

Special thanks to Elena
for eating soup alongside her momma
these last 5 years.

Peasant-Style Brussels
Sprout and Egg Drop Soup

Italian Zucchini and
Sausage Soup

Egyptian Red Lentil Soup
with Caramelized Onions

Fava Bean and Vegetable
Soup with Pesto

Buckwheat and Root
Vegetable Soup with Meatballs

Smokey Lentil and Chicken
Soup with Dark Greens

White Fish Soup with
Fennel, Green Beans, and Tomatoes

Chinese Congee
(Zhou)

Thai Rice Congee
(Chok)

Japanese Congee with
Soy Ginger Salmon

Simple Brown Rice
Congee and Variations

Spiced Moroccan Millet
Porridge with Milk

Chilled Avocado and
Cucumber Soup

Chilled Honeydew and
Cucumber Soup with
Coconut Milk

Basil Parsley Gremolata and Garam Masala
Spice Mixture

W ith the dawn of humanity came soup. True, it was in a simplified form, but soup nevertheless. And as tribes turned into civilizations and nations, their soups evolved with them, transforming from simple, necessity-driven forms into art. Soup nourished native populations after a hunt, delighted the gourmet in ancient Rome, fed a family and servants from a pot kept over the fire continually during the medieval era, and stretched out bits of meat and vegetables during famines and the Great Depression. Soup has been with us since the earliest days of our culinary history. It has seen us in happy times, it has welcomed the harvest on our tables, delighted us at feasts, nourished us when ailing, served as a first food through the ages, and brought comfort in our last days.

Soups predate pots. Early forms of soup were made in animal hides placed over a fire or heated with hot stones. These hot stones could be dropped into pits in the ground or sand and filled with water, meat, and whatever else could be gathered or hunted. The hot stones brought the water to a boil, and within a few hours, there was a delicious hot soupwithout a pot.

New methods and flavor combinations have been developed in the last 150 years, such as the Vietnamese noodle soup pho, which is a flavorful beef or chicken soup that tantalizes the senses. Ancient flavor combinations have continued to evolve with us through the dance of produce, meat, and the work of our hands.

Along with the advent of factory-produced meat, lab-invented flavorings (such as the infamous MSG), and the technology and knowledge to can foods, our soup experience has changed. A mother might open a packet and add hot water to create a chicken noodle soup for an ailing child instead of stirring a soup in a stockpot. The memory of soup as nourishment for the body still lies deeply embedded in the human psyche, even when our form of soup no longer rebuilds a sick body. Restaurants often serve soups prepared in a factory or made of many canned products. Ethnic restaurants sometimes spike their soups with MSG, and lets not even mention the typical soup served at a grocery store deli. If all I had ever been served was a typical deli or restaurant soup, Id probably believe I hated all soups.

But, thankfully, in my own early experience in the kitchen (when my skills were quite primitive), I discovered a love for homemade soup. During high school, I found several recipes that were delicious, frugal, and easy to make. My fingers grew weary of peeling butternut squash after hours of practicing piano, but that hot bowl of soup was always worth it in the end. While my own knowledge of cooking has grown substantially since those early years in my mothers kitchen, I still enjoy those first couple of soup recipes I created.

Today, as a mother on a budget, I appreciate the myriad of ways a soup can be made inexpensively. As the primary cook for my family, Im grateful for the incredible nutrient-rich stores a stockpot can hold. As a lover of good food, I am thankful for the gourmet experience a homemade soup can provide. Soup can be rough and tumble, hearty fare, or as delicate as a breeze over lavender. We like to enjoy all sorts of soups and stews in my family, for there is certainly a recipe suitable for all occasions.

The aim of this book is simple. I wanted a soup and stew cookbook that was practical enough to use on a daily basis. I wanted it to contain plenty of simple-to-prepare soups that would bring warmth to my familys bellies and nourishment to their bones. I also wanted it to contain soups that were tempting enough for special occasions. I wanted my recipes to have new, fresh ideas, as well as historical soups that are still well worth making. In short, I wanted my book to be one that I planned on opening up myself on a daily basis. I figured I couldnt lose if I created a book that I would use regularly, because at least one person would be happy with my work!

But to make sure that this book didnt simply make me happy, I brought along more than one hundred volunteers to try my recipes, feed them to their families, and give me invaluable feedback. The vast majority of my recipe testers have no professional background but are just real people trying to nourish themselves and those around them. One of the questions I asked was, Would you ever make this recipe again? I wanted the majority of my recipes to be ones that they would want to enjoy over and over. Im thankful for their faithful work on this book alongside me.

To help those with certain dietary restrictions, weve labeled recipes in this book with the following: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian-Friendly, Budget-Friendly, GAPS-Friendly, and Quick Recipe. Note that some recipes with these labels have vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free options, so make sure you pay heed to those changes if they matter to you.

If you are a soup lover already, I hope this book adds more favorite recipes to your pile. If youre a new cook, I hope that the explanations, recipes, and pictorial guides help you find your feet in the kitchen. Soups are a great place to start. If youre a soup-reluctant eater, I hope you find some recipes you can enjoy. Most of all, its my goal that these recipes bring enjoyment and nourishment into your weekly lives.