Soup. The quintessential comfort food. How many memories of a good soup do you have? Perhaps one from your mother when getting back from school; or maybe one you had during a cold winter day; or one that you had no idea you were going to like it but ended up loving.
Soup is definitely one of the toughest things to make the right way. Maybe because it is so simple, and the simpler, the better.
This past weekend, we moved into a new place. After packing, sealing boxes, moving stuff, throwing stuff away, etc. We were blessed to get a pot of soup from a friend of ours. It was the perfect way to help us transition into our new home.
After we had a chance to sit down and chat for a few minutes, we decided to go for it. The pot was still hot, the lid ready to open up the flavors. As soon as we opened it, the aromatics were there; bay leaf, good thyme - and I say good because it was so aromatic that it reminded me of the smell you get when you are in an open land full of wild herbs.
The soup was an interesting mix of vegetables, fish and pasta. The potatoes gave it a really comforting feel to it - think chicken soup or a good chowder. The veggies gave it the texture, soft peas and crunchy garbanzos. The pasta, orzo and tiny pearls (cous cous or fregola from Sardinia) provided the perfect combination of silkiness and hints of nutty flavors. The salmon must have been poached, it was flaky but still firm, and gave the soup its personality.
We decided to pair it with a good glass of Vermentino di Sardegna, a very aromatic white with very minerally taste. I couldn't have asked for more. On this type of wine, my favorite is "La Cala" from Sella & Mosca which comes from a region that is famous for its wild herbs. Natives say that it is in a part of Sardegna where the winds infuse the grapes with the fresh flavors of the sea.
A good soup is like a trip to a place where nothing matters more than the flavors you have in your mouth. It is warming inside out; it makes you feel pampered. No matter what the recipe calls for, play and try new things, just remember that veggies, aromatics and protein get along really well.
Thanks to our friend Beatriz for a wonderful soup and for making us feel so good.
I'd like to see a post on Canadian beers.
ReplyDeleteOn that, I will tell you that my favorite one is actually a French Canadian ale called La Fin du Monde.
ReplyDeleteI also love cooking with beer, so stay tuned!
Wow, what a great way to thank us for the soup. Glad you liked it, and that it helped your move to your new place.
ReplyDeletePlease note one of the magic ingredients is actually oregano, not thyme. However, it's oregano from the hills of central Spain, which we hand pick and dry while there visiting family. It has an aroma unlike any oregano we know or have tasted elsewhere. Maybe it's because this oregano shares the fields with wild lavender and rosemary, roaming livestock and wild boars; who knows?