Pantry Raid! Bulk soup will save us from foodie’s block
Diana Sieger and Carrie Rowe
From the timbre of our column, you’d think we waltz into the kitchen in some sort of June Cleaver bubble, enveloped in a halo of chirping birds and prancing unicorns, magically making dinner from our fully loaded pantries.
The truth is, we don’t make our way through every evening with good ideas for dinner, in fact, there are plenty of nights where we should have food chaperones to stop us from calling a jar of sauerkraut dinner (we do use forks, we’re not animals). Sometimes we’re just too overwhelmed with life, too tired from carting kids around and too under-whelmed by our pantries to have dinner present itself (leaving us feeling unworthy to write about food via a food column).
You’d think a couple of girls immersed in food culture — selling food, writing about food, talking about food, reading about food − would have a never-ending supply of inspiration regarding what to make for dinner. Yeah … no. But we can change. We’re resolving to put down the sauerkraut, or any other single ingredient that is never meant to be a whole meal — pasta sauce, cottage cheese, canned beans − yep we’ve eaten all of these things (and more), leaning over the sink and straight from the container for “dinner.” In 2010, we’ve resolved to walk our talk on a nightly basis, if only to be able to look you square in the face and say, “We’re not posers. Or possums.”
“Huh. Bulk soup is the solution?” you ask. Yes, really… the soup mixes in the bulk aisle are some of the most versatile and often overlooked dinner options you could keep in your pantry. And while it’s no surprise that we’re totally willing to eat these soups just as they come (as in soup mix plus boiling water), with just a few add-ins you can create some really impressive and secretly simple dishes. With little effort or planning, you’ll find yourself placing your hands triumphantly on your hips, gazing into a bubbling pot of curried lentil and veggie soup, shrimp and quinoa corn chowder or smoky split pea in mere minutes instead of hours.
We know we’ll never be as cool as June Cleaver, or cripes, even Beaver Cleaver. But we also know we’re not completely ham-fisted when it comes to dinner. We’re just girls who love food and are at times a little distracted and uninspired. Dinner disasters are bound to happen but we always spring back − sometimes the rebound is so impressive that we indeed have a halo of chirping birds − or are those giant fruit flies? We’re willing to forgive us if you will. So we’re good? Good. Now go make some soup!
Shrimp and Quinoa Corn Chowder
The corn chowder soup mix is really quite lovely on its own so don’t be shy about eating it as is. And we realize that shrimp might not be in the budget for every shopping trip but a half pound is totally affordable and works great in an already satisfying soup. Quinoa is one of our favorite grains, packing all essential amino acids into a tiny, delicately delicious and easy to digest package.
Serves 4 plus leftovers
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup finely chopped leek
¼ cup finely diced red pepper
pinch of salt
½ cup quinoa – the ivory variety looks best in this recipe
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups dry corn chowder mix from the bulk aisle
4 cups water
½ pound peeled small shrimp
1. In a large heavy pot, heat butter or olive oil. Stir in leeks, red pepper, oregano and a pinch of salt. Saute about 5 minutes.
2. Thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer to remove the natural, bitter tasting saponin from the grains.
3. Add water and quinoa to the pot. Stir to combine and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
4. Add corn chowder mix, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. When the quinoa is done, some of the “tails” will unfurl and the white dot at the center of the grain will be gone.
6. At this point, add the peeled shrimp and a little more water if necessary. Cook until the shrimp are pink, about 1 or 2 minutes more.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Soup will thicken as it stands – stir in additional water and salt as needed. Garnish with flat leaf parsley or cilantro. We really like adding a few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce.
Curried Lentil and Veggie Soup
This is a stupidly simple soup that makes you say “oh yeah, I remember food.” Knowing that this is 15 minutes away from us on any given night has cured us from eating a jar of kim chi for dinner (now we reserve the kim chi for quesadillas). A little garam masala powder added to this is pretty great too − or more ginger or more curry. It’s not fancy food, but at least we’re not embarrassed to tell you we ate it.
Serves 3, heartily or 4 served with rice
2 tablespoons olive oil (or canola oil)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 inch of ginger, grated
1 medium carrot, 1 inch dice or 1 1/2 cups baby carrots, chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup curried lentil soup mix
2 cups water
½ bag of frozen spinach – or 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1. In a medium frying pan, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 15 minutes until the onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally. For the last minute, bump the heat up to medium high, add the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
2. During the last 5 minutes of sautéing your onions, put a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add the entire can of tomatoes (juice included), the soup mix and two cups of water. Stir to combine and add the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes over until the soup mix has thickened. (If adding garam masala powder, add about 1 teaspoon or to taste at this step.)
3. Combine the onion mixture to the soup and serve with a squeeze of lemon. Since rice only takes 15 minutes to make, we like to add a little to our bowls to keep the soup company – plus it’s makes a complete protein that way (and we’re suckers for that kind of stuff).
Smoky Split Pea Soup
Hot damn! This is some good ol’ comfort in a bowl people. All alone, this soup is quick, simple, satisfying and hearty. Throw in some diced carrots, celery and potatoes, serve over brown rice and you’ve got one heck of a meal. We would love you even more if you chopped up some bacon or a few hot dogs (Benji’s Deli-style) and threw them in too!!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup split pea soup mix
2 cups water
dash of salt to taste (the soup is pretty well seasoned already)
freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil.
2. Add onion, carrots, celery and potato and saute 5-7 minutes.
3. Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes.
4. Add water and split pea soup mix. Stir well to combine and avoid lumps sticking to bottom of pan.
5. Simmer 5-10 minutes until veggies are cooked through. Add more water if necessary.
6. Season to taste and serve over brown rice or with crusty bread for scooping up every last bit of soup.
Grocery List
onions
leek
red pepper
ginger
carrots
lemon
celery
potatoes
frozen or fresh spinach
½ pound shrimp
Pantry List
curried lentil soup mix
corn chowder mix
split pea soup mix
butter or olive oil
quinoa
dried oregano
garlic
15 oz can diced
tomatoes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
By Diana Sieger & Carrie Rowe
