How to Extemporize a Soup
Well, hello! We are deep, deep into soup season (and no, I absolutely cannot say that to myself without immediately singing, “it’s the season of the souuuuuuups!” in my best Noah Kahan voice.). Maybe it’s the shock of coming back to New York after a lovely warm week away, but I have found myself cold (and angry about it!) so many times this week, and it’s only Wednesday! The only solution: SOUP.
Aaron is one of those people who unpacks all the way wherever he is—whether he’s spending one night in a hotel room, or if we’ve returned from a week away, dead tired and late at night. No matter the scenario, he doesn’t feel at home until he’s unpacked. I am…not the same. What I realized Sunday morning after a late Saturday night arrival, is that my version of unpacking—or the thing that makes me feel at home somewhere—is cooking.
That’s what I did, immediately upon waking on Sunday morning…suitcase still zipped, but cutting board out, burners lit. I rummaged in the freezer and pantry, finding a lone onion and some white beans, some pecorino and a little bit of white wine. Happily, I ignored the sandy, damp laundry and settled in to make soup.
I had a lovely college professor who wrote these beautiful list poems, and for years after college I kept one of her poems called What Every Adult Should Know on my desk. One line was “how to extemporize a soup,” and I still think of that, and I wholeheartedly agree with her—it is something every adult should know how to do, and also, it’s a really enjoyable way to spend a few hours in a cozy kitchen.
On a freezing cold day, who has it in them to fuss with the exacting details of a recipe? Let’s make it easier than that…instead of a recipe, let’s talk about it more like a set of building blocks, interchangeable and flexible.
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