Mom, Can You Make Soup? 

It’s definitely soup weather

By Anne Postic  

Even in August, my son wanted soup. (If you live in South Carolina, you might remember the rainy week when we anxiously tracked Hurricane Debby.) Despite the heat outside, he had a point. We weren’t planning to leave the house, which is much colder inside. (At my age, I’ve abandoned my frugal upbringing and keep the air as low as I want, which is pretty low.)

When your almost-grown child asks for soup and mentions how much he loves your cooking, what can you do? With our nest nearly empty, I’m a sucker for requests with a side of flattery. Besides, I was already making marinara from the soft summer tomatoes in the fridge, and I had chicken stock from vegetable scraps and bones simmered the day before. (The golf course was closed, I’d binged 12 seasons of “Below Deck,” and even the laundry was folded and put away. Reading wasn’t an option—I hadn’t been outside in what felt like a month, though it was just a few days. Deep cleaning the house was possible, but not appealing.) What else was there to do but tinker in the kitchen?

With soup season on the horizon and busy days ahead, it’s a great time to talk about how easy soup can be. If you don’t have one, get an immersion blender, also known as a stick blender, or “brrrrrr” in my house, a name my mother-in-law coined. You don’t need a fancy one; my first stick blender, a brandless freebie from Greenbax stamps, lasted about 20 years. (What happened to the Greenbax Stamp Store? Collecting and licking the stamps, filling the books, and browsing the catalog was good for at least an hour of rainy-day fun.) But I digress.

The simplest soup is tomato soup:

• Start with a roux. It sounds fancy, but it’s not. Warm some butter or olive oil in a pot, sprinkle in an equal amount of flour, and whisk for a few minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

• Add some marinara, homemade or from a jar (no judgment). Whisk until completely blended.

• Add enough stock to reach your desired consistency and stir.

• Puree with your trusty stick blender and add whatever seasonings you like—salt, pepper, basil, cumin, garlic, chives, rosemary, thyme, curry, cayenne...seriously, whatever, just maybe not all at once.

Heat it a few more minutes on low to meld the flavors, make a grilled cheese sandwich, pat yourself on the back, and enjoy. You made soup!

You can make a pureed soup with almost anything:

• Start with the roux.

• Add whatever chopped vegetables you have and stir them in the roux until they’re soft. (Add vegetables that need more cooking, like carrots and onions, before quicker-cooking ones like bell peppers or asparagus.) Got leftover roasted potatoes? Toss them in. A couple of pieces of bacon or leftover meatloaf? Sure, why not? If the vegetables start to stick, add a splash of stock or white wine if you need an excuse to open a bottle.

• When the vegetables are fully cooked, add just enough stock to cover them and simmer for about 20 minutes.

• Repeat step four from above.

Optional:

• If you like your soup creamy, add some milk (or half-and-half or cream), bring the soup to a brief boil, then reduce the heat. Stir until fully blended.

Blended soup is one of the easiest ways to empty your fridge. It’s always comforting, especially with a side of toasted bread, and it makes for great memories—or at least that’s what I tell myself as these not-so-little birdies leave the nest.