Soups for a cause help to fight the winter doldrums
Right around mid-February, a persistent case of cabin fever sets in. The winter doldrums can leave us feeling stuck in a rut.
Thankfully, this year just as I started to spiral into a whirlwind of melancholy, my cookbook club was due to meet again.
This month, we cooked from “Soup for Syria” by Barbara Abdeni Massaad, which wound up being the perfect antidote to our winter blues.
“Soup for Syria,” released in 2015, is a compilation of soup recipes from famous chefs and cookbook authors coupled with strikingly intimate portraits of Syrian refugees. All profits from the sale of the book have gone toward relief efforts to assist displaced Syrians escaping persecution and war.
Soup is perhaps the universal comfort food, making it an ideal subject for a cookbook that connects home cooks to those who’ve been forced to leave their homes.
As Anthony Bordain said in his review, “Soup is elemental, and it always makes sense, even when the world around us fails to.”
The recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato Soup contributed by Oumayma Nadar jumped off the page. The combination of spicy chile, tangy lime, rich peanut butter and warm ginger seemed the perfect remedy for gray, frigid days. The texture is sublime, and garnishes of fresh cilantro and tangy lime zest-yogurt add a pop of color and creaminess.
The Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe, unlike many versions I’ve tried, sings with rich umami essence without being too thick or creamy. It’s simple at its core, combining easy-to-find white button mushrooms with onion and garlic, and seasoned sparsely with salt and pepper. It’s even better with homemade chicken broth.
Topped with a few slices of avocado, Black Bean and Chipotle Chowder could stand alone as a meal. It’s reminiscent of vegetarian chili, hearty and chunky with plenty of vegetables, beans and spice to satisfy hungry bellies after an afternoon of ice skating or sledding.
Kick up the jalapeño and chipotle powder for more soul-warming heat or take it down a notch for more sensitive palates.
No soup party is complete without a loaf of hearty bread. Because two members of our group avoid gluten, a tasty seed and nut-based recipe made a delicious choice. The base consists of 4 cups of nuts and seeds, held together by eggs. Served with a spreadable herbcoated goat cheese, this “paleo” loaf is my new go-to appetizer for sharing and savoring.
To top off the feast, assorted crackers make a nice spread, while chocolatecovered almonds finish the meal on a sweet note. We sipped wine with our soups, but microbrews or hot tea would do just as well. Each of us cooked a double batch of our respective soups and brought containers to take home shared leftovers.
It’s a good time of year to cultivate gratitude for our friends, our homes and our hot meals, while reflecting on how we might help those without. The cookbook’s full title: “Soup for Syria: Recipes You can use any combination of seeds or nuts for this recipe, which was adapted from Green Kitchen Stories blog. The recipe is adapted from the vegetarian blog, Green Kitchen Stories.
Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 45
minutes. Total time: 50 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a standard loaf pan with olive oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs to combine. In a separate bowl, combine seeds, almonds, salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pour eggs over nut and seed mixture and stir well to combine. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing. Store in refrigerator up to one week. Per serving: 287 calories, 10.5g carbohydrate, 13g protein, 25g fat (3.5g saturated), 7.5g fiber, 230mg sodium. to Celebrate Our Shared Humanity” invites us to do just that.
Ashleigh Spitza is a registered dietitian and freelance writer in Wauwatosa who blogs at funkybeetsblog.com.