Soups to Heal Your Soul

Campbell's Soup, Progresso, Healthy Choice: those were the staple brands in our house when I was growing up, served with saltine crackers or grilled cheese, and a can of ginger ale with a straw.  That was my mother's prescription for any ailment when we were sick and home from school; a sure shot of nourishment to cure strep throat, stomach flu, chicken pox, and whatever else we picked up in the petri dish of public education.  Illness was never treated as a catastrophe, but a rite of passage necessary for strengthening the immune system.  Even while I was away in Germany, I kept a couple cans and bottles of chicken noodle soup and ginger ale on hand, and my method for curing illness still consists of spending a good part of it resting in bed, sleeping, or curled up on the couch, soda in hand, catching up on some of my favorite shows, (In Germany: zoo reality shows (Penguin & Co.) or missed episodes of the soaps Alles Was Zählt (Everything That Matters).  When you are physically, sick, getting healthy again can feel like it is everything that matters, and being able to dump some soup in a pot or heat it in the microwave requires a minimum amount of effort, which is also important when you're feeling weak and incapable.

When I'm not sick however, my palette longs for something well, a little more palatable, and this is where soups to heal your soul come in.  There are days that when you might feel a little down, and a bowl of your own gourmet soup is just the thing to lift your spirits.  Good soup is not hard to make.  It's only slightly more complicated than opening a can and sticking a bowl in the microwave, and the cooking process is a lot more soothing than the instant gratification you get from turning the can opener.  Yes, it's fast food for food snobs.  Mostly.  The trick is to keep it simple.  There is basically one recipe that will work for any kind of soup:

1. Cover your vegetable of choice with water or broth, cook until the vegetable is soft, and then puree, adding more broth or water until you reach the desired consistency.  Add seasonings like salt and pepper, and enjoy.

That's it.  This is the foundation of any good soup.  I don't like my soup to be too thin, so I rarely add more liquid after the initial cooking.  Now, adding a few seasonings is going to take you in the realm of the divine, like this delicious carrot and fennel recipe I tried out last week: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Fennel-Soup-350600.  I'm rather proud of this work of art, pictured here in its Monet glory, having more than slightly spattered the sides of the bowl:

Now, I altered the recipe of course, by adding more garlic cloves, 1/2 a teaspoon of ground coriander, fresh thyme, 1/4 cups of ground walnuts, and a tablespoon of heavy cream to make it more filling.  The garnish on top is a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprig of thyme.  A soup like this can be vegetarian or vegan, and will keep you filled all the way into the later afternoon or early evening.  I even learned last week that soups, when done right, keep you fuller longer and help you lose weight.  This is a great documentary done by the BBC, satisfyingly lacking in doctors plugging the latest fad diets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJiF2WxNuqY.

There are a number of combinations you can try, such as a little bit of coconut milk with butternut squash or pumpkin soup.  I was particularly intrigued by the Barefoot Contessa's idea to add carrots to tomato soup, but they really do bring out the flavor of the tomatoes:  http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=110&S=0.

I find cooking to be very meditative, because, when you're not rushing through it, it's easy to get lost in the process of it.  All of the other things going on inside your head get drowned out, and you're left living in the moment of savory aromas and and quiet stillness.  Which, when you have worries on your mind, no matter what they are, is very healing indeed.