Warming the Soul

"A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting."  -- Abraham Maslow (http://www.brainyquote.com/)

You know, there was a time when soup was considered a poor man's meal.  I suppose if you just had a bone with no meat on it and a pot of water, yes it would still be considered so.  But I like soup and it not only warms the body, it warms the soul.

Mid-week post about Last Night's Soup

I had determined that Reuben sandwiches would be the fare for the evening.  But it seemed to beg for something more.  What could I add to the meal without having to purchase anything additional?  Home-made potato chips would be nice, potato salad would be wonderful... but those potatoes were beyond recognition.  "What about soup?" I asked my husband.  "That will be fine... what kind do you have in mind?" he replied.  "Tomato?" I responded... and off to the kitchen I went.

Well, I really had a craving for potatoes... and when I got to the pantry shelf I found that I had a can of potatoes, an equal size can of corn and two cans of diced tomatoes.  I don't know about you, but one of my favorite soups is Washington Chowder.  You may not have heard of it so I will describe it here.

I first heard about Washington Chowder in a vegetarian cookbook called: "Oats, Peas, Beans & Barley."  I bet you've never seen that one.  It was my one and only favorite recipe from the book and I made this soup often enough I knew the approximate proportions of ingredients.

Using canned potatoes instead of fresh definitely makes a difference... but we were here to create Washington Chowder from shelf-stable canned goods.  The only other ingredients we needed were an onion and a stalk of celery, and of course seasonings.

I chopped the onion (a little too large I think) and then the stalk of celery and sauteed them in some butter.  While that sweated it out, I diced the small potatoes and opened the other cans so I'd be ready to combine everything after about 10 minutes.  And finally, poured milk into the pot to make it the thickness I preferred.  The seasonings included plenty of Emeril's Original Seasoning, minced garlic, black pepper and salt.

After 25 minutes of simmering, we served it up in large bowls with a piece of fresh cornbread on the side.

I could have just opened two cans of condensed tomato soup and made quick work of it... but what would be the joy in that?  I love to cook but sometimes I'm just too wiped out to do something from scratch.  However, my Washington Chowder was "close to home-made" and fairly quick and easy to put together.  You notice I did not give you any measurements for the various ingredients.  I like to do it by sight and by taste and encourage you to do the same.  You'll have a wonderful soup put together in no time!