A Sage Idea
If you, like me, live in the frozen tundra of the midwestern US, and you also happen to attempt growing things in your garden, now is a very sad time of year for you. Chances are good you’ve watched first one, then another of your beloved plants die off, and you know that some of them aren’t going to come back again.
Depending on what you’ve planted, though, some plants are in fact enjoying this weather. And will hang on for a little while longer before giving up the ghost. My sage, as you can see above, is still going rather strong. Which works out well, because this soup wouldn’t be the same without it.
You can’t get more basic than this: roast and season a butternut squash (I like a bit of thyme, salt, and pepper), cut into bits, cook in some water/veg broth/chicken broth, blitz with a stick blender, and season to taste. Oh, and of course fry up some freshly bruised sage leaves in a little butter and cook them in the soup so you get that lovely sage flavor. Have more sage on hand to garnish. You could, of course, add a little cream in at the end…but with a texture that’s naturally creamy like this, why would you?
I like a bit of nutmeg in my soup, too…but don’t go too crazy with it, or it will take over faster than you can say “butternut squash.” :9
Oh, you should also know that I took this photo, as I was in a bit of a hurry. My apologies if it’s not up to the usual standards. 
Corn Chowder
I don’t need to tell you how good homemade soup can be, do I? It’s a very sad thing that, as a society, we’ve fallen out of the habit of preparing even pleasures of the most simple sort for ourselves. Homemade soup is exponentially rewarding for a comparatively small amount of effort. Of course, you can put as much or as little effort into it as you choose; while a homemade stock upon which to base your soup will always be the paragon of taste, there are commercially available stocks that will serve to make a perfectly good batch of homemade soup as well. 1 From there, the sky is truly the limit. And the best part is, omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike can all make themselves exactly what they want to eat.
You have the power. You just need to use it. And why wouldn’t you, when the result is something this good and satisfying? I have a wonderful book on soup by Barbara Kafka called Soup: A Way of Life. I mention it here not only because it’s a great book, but because the title couldn’t be more accurate. Try making yourself some soup and instantly, you will understand.
- If you go this route, please choose a variety that says it’s “low sodium.” One major downfall of commercially prepared stocks and broths is that they do go rather heavy on the salt. [↩]
Day Eighteen: Barley Bread
I never, ever would have thought I would have had cause to complain about nigella. I mean, Nigella is awesome. Unfortunately, the seeds which share her name are very, very sneaky, chameleonic things. Nevertheless, I was quite sure I’d be able to find them fairly easily; I’m lucky enough to live near a few different markets that carry a wide variety of ingredients from all over the world. And, of course, I always learn something new whenever I go looking for something for which I’ve never previously looked.
So it went with these seeds. I looked everywhere, and although it’s quite easy to find several brands of toor dal and large bags of Assam tea, nary a nigella seed packet was to be found. I probably spent at least an hour looking before very nearly giving up…and then, finally, rummaging around in the packages behind the packages at the very front of the shelves. At last, my reward; labeled not as kalonji (which I’d have expected, since I was in the appropriate section of the store), but as “black sesame seeds.” Which they clearly weren’t. I slowed down, commenced breathing normally, and headed for the checkout.
Once home, I started work on this recipe, which sounded perfect. I had big plans for krupnik for dinner, you see. This bread sounded absolutely ideal, and I’m pleased to say that it was. Of the three loaves this recipe produces, Joe ate an entire one by himself, after declaring that with this bread, there was no need for a spoon. He sopped up all the soup on the tasty, light bread and absolutely devoured it.
The texture of the crust on this bread is among my favorites of the bread baked so far in 2008. It’s there, but it’s light. Crispy, and tasty, but not at all hard or chewy. It flakes apart easily when you cut the bread, and also when you chew it. The interior texture of the bread is very soft, almost pillowy. The flavor is very nice, and indeed you do get that slight hint of onion promised by the nigella seeds. Lovely.
This is what we love to eat; food that is good and simple, made from good ingredients and not filled with nasty things. The mushroom barley soup turned out very well; there are about a million variations on recipes for it (which is why I’m not linking a specific one), but generally if you use a good (homemade, if possible) chicken stock and some good dried mushrooms, you’ll get the most intense, best flavor possible. Vegetable stock would also work well, and then you’d have a nice, hearty vegetarian soup. Take out the butter and the sour cream and it becomes vegan. It’s comfort in a bowl—for everyone.
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Janaki
