Soup

It's soup night. I love soup. It goes with the cold outside and makes you all warm inside. Chicken noodle and black bean. The chicken noodle will be ready to eat in an hour or so. The black bean requires a little more preparation, the broth stage will be completed tonight and the rest of the ingredients will be added tomorrow. That means the cats are milling about in the middle of the kitchen floor hoping for a bite of whatever that is that smells so wonderful! On top of the stove the celery and carrots are steaming and await the addition of the chicken and pasta, but that's not what they smell. In the other pot is a pork hock covered with water and spices and is gently simmering. And not just any pork hock. An organic, free-range, smoked pork hock from the last time we got a whole pig from the locker in Elkton. Soup is a culinary gift from the goddess that we all must be thankful for. And it's okay by me if you don't make it yourself. If you like the stuff from the can or the dehydrated variety I will not pass judgment. I happen to love to cook, and to me, one of the hallmarks of a great cook is the ability to conjure up a delicious soup. Soup is kind of a free-form sort of cooking. You can use a recipe to the letter or open up the fridge and pitch. Using a recipe is akin to following the sheet music to the note while the pitch method is more like jamming. I have produced an outstanding pot of soup using both methods. Soup making can be an adventure in combining flavors and textures of many varieties. But if you're feeding suspicious children or maybe those who aren't so accepting of outlandish conglomerations, it's best to stick to a recipe. I have made chicken noodle soup pretty much how I do now since my sons were toddlers. The younger one still picks out the vegetables but I do have hope that one day he will come to appreciate the soup as it is without amendment. And chicken noodle is a bit of a misnomer, I don't use the standard egg noodles. Instead I use ditali, a small tubular pasta that is sturdy and doesn't slip off your spoon. I recommend the Racconto brand, no. 58, imported from Italy. One thing's for sure, nothing fills the house with the luscious smells of cooking quite like a simmering pot of homemade soup.