Simon & Garfunkel Soup

No, we don't eat people. We do listen to music, however, and so...well, just read the recipe, and all will be revealed :)

Today, I am dedicating my post to my husband and daughter, who are fighting colds here in (Not So) Sunny So-cal, and my cousin Alice, who is in the same boat 3,000 miles away. Alice, if the commute wasn't so completely unreasonable, I would have brought you soup, instead of just posting a recipe. Hope it helps.



The Soup (AKA: "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"):

This is the very best thing to make and eat when you have a head cold, respiratory infection, flu, etc. Lots of beneficial ingredients, nice steam filling up your home, comforting noodles. Trust me, this is just what you need. This, and a cozy blankie...and a big box of Kleenex...and maybe some footie pajamas...and some good, old t.v.

2 TBS olive oil
1 medium to large onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
2 TBS dried parsley
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4-1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 TBS chicken-flavour bouillon (I use a vegetarian variety)
1 cup fresh green beans, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup fresh peas
kernels cut from one large ear of corn
1 large or two small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 cups cold water
salt & pepper to taste
noodles*

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (this is why I call it the "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"). Sprinkle with a dash or two of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent. Add soy sauce, vinegar and bouillon, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or so, to combine the flavors. Add green beans, peas, corn, zucchini, cabbage. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. The zucchini and cabbage will start to look a little bit cooked. You don't really want things to brown, just for the flavors to meld, so keep the heat low and stir often during this time. Add the water and bring to a boil.

Now, you can really cook it for as long as you want at this point. If you need it in a hurry, throw in the potatoes as soon as it boils, and, about 5-10 minutes later, toss in the noodles and keep it boiling, stirring often, until potatoes and noodles are done. If you want to let the broth cook a little longer reduce to a simmer for pretty much as long as you want. When you are ready to add potatoes and noodles, bring it up to a boil and proceed as previously directed. If you cooked the broth all day, you might need to add a little water before bringing it up to a boil again. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with a big piece of good bread (I made beer bread, which is super quick and easy, and yummy).

Now, since you are probably making this soup because you have a cold, flu, respiratory infection, etc., you might want to try adding some of the following optional ingredients:

cayenne -- good for nasal congestion
turmeric -- good for cough, chest congestion
curry powder -- contains turmeric and other ingredients that can be helpful
more apple cider vinegar -- it's just good for you

I usually add the extras to my bowl, because not everyone enjoys the flavour they add, and some of them are pretty spicy. If you know of other ingredients that can be beneficial, throw them in (and tell me about them, so I can give them a whirl). Also know that, once you get the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, herbs, soy sauce, vinegar, bouillon and oil going, you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. It doesn't have to be green beans, peas, zucchini, corn (I would keep the cabbage and potatoes, but that's just me). Add squash if you have it, or lima beans. Use a bag of frozen mixed veggies. It really doesn't matter much what you throw in at that point. This is just the way I made it this time.

* Any noodles will work in this soup, but I especially like to use homemade noodles. They are pretty simple, but require a bit of elbow grease. Kids like to help with this, sometimes, so they can take care of the noodles while you do everything else.

Homemade Noodles:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and about 1/2 tsp. salt. Make a well in the center. Crack 4 large, fresh eggs into the well in the center of your flour mixture. Mix with gentle lifting motions with your fingers, until it forms a stiff dough (you might not need to incorporate all of the flour). Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth. The dough will be very stiff. That's normal. DO NOT over-knead it, or it will be tough. If it is crumbly and will just not hold together, try getting your hands just a little bit wet and knead in that little bit of water. Work in more flour as needed. Now, you get to roll it out. This is where you're gonna get your work-out today. Flour your work surface (we use our dining table), and your rolling pin. Now, roll. Roll, roll, roll. Keep rolling. Roll in one direction, then in another. you want to roll it out pretty thin. Not see-through, but…hmm…maybe about like a piece of poster board? That's what I told Kaia, and she got it perfect. You might want to turn over the dough every now and then, and you might need to sprinkle a little more flour under in when you do. When it is thin enough, cut your noodles. Big squares are the traditional shape for something like pot pie (bot boi), but we decided to go with long strips for our soup. (Kaia made herself a serving of random, unusual shapes to eat with tomato soup, since she is not a fan of vegetable soup.) It's best to let these dry for at least 10 minutes or so before you put them in the soup. If you are not putting them in soup, you can boil them in salted water. Cooking time will depend on how thick your noodles are. Just check for doneness every now and then.



EDIT: I should mention that I did NOT use the full recipe of noodles in this soup. I used not quite half. Another handful was cooked separately for Kaia, and I let the rest dry a little longer after they had been cut, then stored them in a container in the fridge. Today, I am cooking them up and serving them as an optional addition or side to (or, for the less adventurous, instead of) chili.

I also made some beer bread to go with this. It is super simple, especially if have self-rising flour (I never do). I'll include the recipe here:

Ingredients

* 3 cups self rising flour
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 12 ounces warm beer
* 2-3 tablespoons melted butter (I use margarine)

Directions

1.Make sure beer is room temperature.
2.Mix flour and sugar.
3.Add beer and stir just until blended.
4.Pour into well greased loaf pan.
5.Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
6.Brush with melted butter.

If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make it like this:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder