For many years, I did not know how to cook. It was a sad state of affairs. I desperately wanted to learn, but I had no idea where to start. I would walk down the aisles at the local market and stare longingly at jars of rustic soup. I had fantasies of stirring bubbling pots that would fill my home with mouth-watering aromas.
If only I'd known how easy cooking was. How I learned to cook is a story for another day – but today I want to assure all you anxious newbies out there that homemade soup is very much within your reach. Seriously. Even if you have never set foot in a kitchen before, I am confident that you can make this.
This is one of the simplest soups I know. I throw it together often in the winter, but really it's just as good in any other season. The backbone is from Mark Bittman's Food Matters. His book makes the argument that eating vegan some of the time (specifically until 6 p.m. every day) is better for your waistline, your overall health, the planet – and, not insignificantly, your pocketbook. In keeping with that spirit, I make it vegan sometimes and not others.
This dish is brilliant in how adaptable it is. You can make it with water, chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water and a vegetable bouillon cube. You can add canned beans or chickpeas. Canned tomatoes or fresh both yield delicious results. Chili flakes give it some spice. Cooked sausage or grated parmesan dress it up, especially on day two or three when you may be getting bored of it. Cooked potatoes give it heartiness. Cooked macaroni instantly transforms it into comfort food. Parsley lends it a springtime freshness. You get the idea. You have loads of options here, so feel free to choose your own adventure.
Basic Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Food Matters
Serves 4-6
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced or put through garlic press
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups of water or stock
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or one can of roma tomatoes with juices
4 to 6 cups of quick-cooking vegetables (such as zucchini, green beans, corn, kale ect.)
1/2 cup of boiled, chopped potatoes
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and then add the garlic. When the garlic starts to smell fragrant, add the onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the stock, tomato and remaining veg; bring to a boil then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the veg are very tender, 15 to 20 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve, ideally with a loaf of crusty bread.
