NEVER TAKE SOUP FROM STRANGERS

I almost never eat soup outside, especially at the cafeteria at work. I am not very finicky, I can go around the world and almost eat anything, a bit like Andrew Zimmern in "Bizarre foods", but I like to draw the line at soup. Why, you may ask, well, simply put, I am never sure what's in that bowl of soup. It may be too much fat, maybe some lard, and I don't eat pork, or maybe, which is the worst case scenario, the soup is made of all the leftovers in the kitchen. Don't tell me you're surprised by this last notion. Haven't you ever made soup from leftovers? I did, and it usually turns out to be delicious. But these are my own leftovers, I know how they were cooked to start with, and how they were made into soup. I don't know what happens in other peoples kitchens. So no soup from strangers.

MINESTRONE 
                                             

The main reason I hesitate in ordering this soup at a restaurant or at the take out place around the corner, is that I know that some recipes for minestrone call for cooking the onion either in lard or in the fat rendered by pancetta. Since I don't eat pork, I prefer to always make it at home. And believe me it's the easiest soup to make. You almost don't need a recipe for it. But I'll give you one anyway, even with some variations. For this specific minestrone, you'll need:

1 cup small pasta, I used "stelline" small stars, elbows or orecchiette are fine too

1 medium zucchini

3 medium potatoes

3 to 4 celery stalks

1 carrot or about 8 to 10 baby carrots

1 can canellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tbsp oil

Start by preparing the vegetables: chop the celery, peel and dice the potatoes and the carrot, dice the zucchini (peel it if you want to, I didn't) by cutting it in half lengthwise, then again cut the two parts in half, and then dice them. The main idea here is to have all the veggies the same size so that they can all cook in the same time. In a large pot cook the pasta in the oil until light golden, stirring often so that you don't burn some of it on the bottom or the sides. If you want, you can add here some chopped onion and one finely chopped garlic clove. I didn't. Add some water, stir, then add the vegetables. Stir and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, stirring every now and then to make sure that the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can add a couple of vegetable stock cubes or granules, or stock from the start. It all depends on taste and what you have at hand. When the pasta and veggies are almost done, add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. At the end add the beans, stir, and let it simmer on low for a couple of minutes more, just to incorporate. Serve topped with some grated cheese.

BEEF AND LENTIL SOUP

                                                  

I used to have this soup in France. I loved it. It was our favorite lunch during winter when I went to study with a friend of mine. Her mom made it for us, and because she knew of my diet restrictions she made sure that it didn't contain anything that I should not eat. When I tried to make it here, I checked out many cook books, and discovered that they had very complicated recipes for it. Some made it in the slow cooker, others through a very elaborate process. But all that is not for me. The principle of this soup is very simple, so why complicate things? I waited for the good opportunity to make it. That's when I had a piece of beef leftover from a beautiful roast I had made for dinner with friends, and a cup of cooked lentils from the last tea party. Of course you can make it from scratch, sear the beef cubes in some oil, then add water and let it cook until almost tender, then add all the other ingredients. But my way helps you use the leftover roast in a way that no one will suspect that this is "recycled" meat. Now, you do understand why I don't eat soup outside? You'll need:

3 cups cooked beef cubes

1 cup green lentils, cooked and drained. Don't rinse them

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, or about 8 to 10 baby carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped (optional)

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped ( optional)

1 tbsp oil ( optional)

I made the last three ingredients optional because if you want, you can totally skip this part. I did. So, if you are using the onion, cook it in oil  in a large pot until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and stir for 3 to 4 minutes more, adding a pinch of salt and pepper. Add water to barely cover the veggies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the veggies are almost done. If you are using dry lentils, add them with the vegetables. If they are cooked, add them with the cooked beef when the vegetables are tender. Stir and let simmer until the soup is done. Serve topped with some chopped parsley for color.