The Family Table: Simple soup weather
In the past few weeks, we’ve fallen like dominoes.
It started with 10-year-old Josie, the Energizer Bunny of the family. Sore throat, fever, coughing and aches left her wanting nothing more than sleep. Wes, 12, came next, though it seemed he left the lion’s share of the illness with his sister, recovering quicker than her and requiring no days off from school (though in typical kid fashion, he tried).
I got hit third, spending the past weekend in bed, and by Monday, Mike knew he was in for it too.
Gabe, 17, remains the last man standing, having avoided our family’s mini-plague. Perhaps he was spared due to the organically busy nature of teenage life, which feels like it keeps him out of the house as much as it keeps him there.
Changing weather and the start of school always bring the risk of illness, no matter how healthy we all think we are.
Last Thursday, when I had just started feeling poorly, Mike asked me what I wanted for dinner. Soup, I said.
What he came up with was more of a method than a recipe, kind of like a “chose your own adventure” book, only with frozen vegetables and seasonings.
He knew he wanted to make an Asian-style soup. He also knew he didn’t want to add a trip to the grocery store as part of his already-busy day.
To say he “made do” with what we had would incorrectly create the impression that my soup request got relegated to a ho-hum dish. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
It was a satisfying and comforting dinner — and one worth sharing for those days when the cooler weather blahs hit you, and only soup will do.
Frozen Veggie Asian Soup
10 cups of whatever stock or broth you have on hand, preferably low sodium
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (more if you prefer)
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
2-3 bags of frozen Asian vegetable mix
1 tablespoon five-spice powder
Boiled Udon noodles (Ramen without the seasoning package will also work)
Soy sauce and sesame oil to season
Sautè the garlic and ginger over low heat for a few minutes, seasoned with the five-spice powder. Add the broth and bring to simmer, seasoning the broth with soy and sesame oil to taste. Go easy on the sesame oil, adding, stirring and tasting. It can get overpowering quickly, so start with a half of a teaspoon and add from there to taste.
When the broth tastes as you’d like, stir in the frozen vegetables. Once they’ve warmed through, taste the broth and again and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve the soup over noodles and enjoy.