Soup Songs #4: Right Life Wrong Life

It has finally come my friends, this week is an escape week. There is something in the air making me itch for an adventure. Perhaps it's talking to a friend in Ghana, another who is about to travel cross country, another in going to Panama in a month and realizing that I don't know where Bhutan is. Maybe it is just a reaction to the recent warm front creating much talk of the fearful onslaught of summer. Maybe I am simply bored far too easily.

A friend once told me that the hardest part about ending your travels is that in one very short instance, your life goes from being extraordinary to a bit below ordinary and there isn't anything you can do about it. You come home broke, jobless, dirty and fairly crazy. But what happens next? Is there a way to merge those two lives? How do you create extraordinary things within a comfortable and ordinary life? Sure, you can claim you're living the wrong life but slowly depleting your savings in Cambodia isn't real life. It's more fun, but it's entirely unsustainable. There is value in staying put but as I said, this is an escape week. Where do you want to go next?

The following soup was by request from my old roommate. He loves comfort food and this week I think a lot of us could use some comfort. Let's cook together and dance around and talk about the great adventures to be had.

Potato Leek Soup
[adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine]

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces*
5 cups canned chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups water
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whipping cream/half & half/soy milk/soy creamer
1/4 cup minced fresh chives or green onion tops
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
hot pepper sauce
salt & pepper

Potential Toppings:
chopped fresh chives
green onion tops
crushed red pepper
sour cream
shredded sharp white cheddar

*try sticking a couple of sweet potatoes in the mix

Bring first 8 ingredients to boil in heavy large pot or over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are very tender and soup thickens slightly, about 1 hour.

Transfer 2 cups of soup to blender and puree or use an immersion blender inside the pot. Return puree to pot if using regular blender.

Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with desired toppings. Enjoy!

Here's la musica from tonight. We had folks cooking up a storm in Santa Fe, Chicago, Brooklyn, Hanover, Tucson, Tempe, PHX, and likely some other fine locations around the globe...

Soup Songs #3: Making Stories

No matter where your politics lie, it is clear that this is an important week in this fine country of ours. Sure, unemployment is on the rise, we're still futzing about in loads of other countries and you can't spit without hitting a Starbucks but hey, this has got to be at least one step forward. In light of this historical week, I find myself wondering how I treat my own life. Is life about leaving a legacy or is it about making the most meaning you can within the time frame you are given? Does one inadvertently leave a legacy by creating meaning in their daily lives? I'd venture to say not. I say, you have to work really damn hard at it. I say, making stories worth telling is a heck of a lot of work.

I'd like for folks to post on here more so this is my last attempt at getting participation before it gets pathetic. Tell a story. Doesn't matter what. History doesn't have to be serious, in fact, it's often quite hilarious. Let's give meaning to unsubstantial so the lofty weight of creating a legacy is lifted just a little bit. I'll tell you some stories this week...

This is the most governmental soup I could find. I've never made it but it sounds pretty delicious. I broke it down to vegan again but feel free to adulterate it to your hearts desire....

U.S. Senate Bean Soup
[adapted from the Joy of Cooking aka the Bible]

1 1/4 cups dried white beans such as navy or Great Northern
[if cooking dry beans isn't in your time frame, feel free to use canned and double the amount]
1 large onion, diced
3 medium stalks of celery, chop with leaves
1 large potato, peeled and finely diced
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
** the recipe calls for a ham hock. you can use a ham hock or you can use fake ham or you can use a teaspoon or two of molasses. I usually use molasses and a bit of sugar to get a similar flavor. Get creative!

Optional:
Serve with garlic toasts and parmesan

garlic
olive oil
margarine
crunchy baguette, sourdough works well

--If you are using dry beans, go ahead and soak them ahead of time. Afterwards, drain them and place them in 7 cups cold water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about 1 1/4 hours. If you are using a ham hock, include this in the boiling process.

--Add your onion, celery, potato, garlic and chopped meat/fake meat/fake meat seasoning to the pot. This will simmer until the potato becomes soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

-- When soup is cooked to desired consistency, use either an immersion blender, regular blender or an old fashioned potato masher to blend half of the soup.

--Stir in parsley, salt and pepper to taste and heat to desired temperature.

If you are making the garlic toasts:

--Thinly slice baguette and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350F until toasted. These will cook quick!
--Brown minced garlic in olive oil on stovetop. Mix with margarine and spread on toasts.

I think you know how to shred parmesan... Enjoy!

Great show tonight, minus the 20 minutes of tech difficulties in the beginning. Hit 15 tonight and it stayed at 15 for most of the show. Thanks for hanging out!

Soup Songs #2: Falling in Love in 2009

At what point in the year does one lose the drive of New Years Resolutions? I wonder if it has already overcome us in the tired eyes I see and the cynicism I hear. In all attempts to re-motivate and re-energize those around me, this show is going to get a little bit preachy... perhaps I can be your motivational life coach for a brief moment this week. I think it's easiest when life gets you down to opt out, close down, isolate... I challenge you to do the opposite. Dig deep, hold on tight, throw yourself in with full force. We're all going to fall in love in 2009, no opting out.

Here's my three-prong approach to ripping the rug out from under you in 2009:
1. selfish karma searching
2. buying the change you seek
3. pretty things with pretty people

Please post ideas, resolutions, thoughts, complaints, loves, hates, where you're listening from, where you'd rather be listening from, why you think I'm an awful life coach, solutions, problems, cheesy quotes... you get the gist.... throughout the show. This is a collaborative project so get involved.

Here is a simple spicy soup to jump start your ride. I have this distorted sense that we made this soup every weekend in college when in actuality, we probably only made it a few times. It was just that memorable. I combined my friend Arthur's instructions with some that I had written on a shotty website back in the day, so take it with a grain of salt, spice slowly and make adjustments as necessary.

Note: Arthur says that this recipe is a lot easier with at least two people and a lot of beer. I say, aren't most things? Enjoy.

Classic Tortilla Soup
[by Arthur, with some credit to the friends that have made it with him over the years]

1 large white/yellow onion, cut into 1/2" rounds
6-10 cloves of garlic, leave the skin on
3+ jalapeños (mdepending on spice tolerance)
6-12 corn tortillas (preferably stale) or tortilla chips if you are crunched for time
canola/vegetable oila
32oz vegetable stock
12oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

Toppings:
avocado
limes
cilantro
queso fresco (optional, you can also use a mild feta if you're hanging by the wrong border)

--Lay tortillas out on paper towels so they can dry out a bit while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat oven to its broil setting.

--Slice the onions onions into 1" rounds, keep garlic cloves unpeeled, leave the chilis whole and lightly brush all of them with oil. Flip the veggies as they brown. Broil until everything browns and slightly blisters on all sides. A little burnt is fine and will lend a nice smokey flavor to the soup.

--Remove veggies from oven. Peel the garlic, remove the stems, pith and seeds from the jalapeños. Save seeds for later seasoning. Partially blend the garlic, onions, chilies, tomatoes and half of stock in a blender.

--Place mixture in a large pot along with remaining vegetable stock and bring to a medium heat.

--While the soup is heating, cut tortillas into 1'' strips and fry in a pan with remaining oil until they are brown and crisp. They will brown quickly so be mindful of your oil temperature. Place fried strips on paper towels to soak up some of the oil. If you are crunched for time or find your tortilla-frying skills debatable, you can use store bought chips.

--Prepare remaining toppings. Slice limes and avocado. wash cilantro and remove stems and crumble cheese if desired. Place in separate bowls for fun hands-on eating.

--When the soup is at your desired temperature, season to taste with remaining jalapeño seeds, salt and pepper. Separate into bowls and let everyone put their topping on (ice cream sundae style). Hopefully you still have some beer left to cool your palate as you eat.



Thanks again for listening tonight everyone. Looks like we were streaming to 14 different locations, possibly a Radio Phx record! Here is more or less what you heard tonight:

Soup Songs #1: Nerve Wracking Nonsense

I'm pretty sure this show contains far too many favorites. I may very well run out of all the decent songs I know after tonight. If proves to be the case, this can simply be the most epic first and last radio show that I ever do. You see, I think favorite things are lucky and I do believe that I'll be needing a bit of luck this evening. I don't know the first thing about music or radio...nor do I speak eloquently on the air or have grace when it comes technology. For whatever reason the folks at Radio Phx took a liking to me and are letting me go on nonetheless. I hope you take a liking as well.

This is the most monumental soup of my 23 some odd years on this earth. It is my father's signature dish and it is my favorite soup. Make sure to blend thoroughly or it will taste like baby food and you will be convinced that I have no taste buds and you can't trust my musical taste either. Enjoy.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
by Daddy [adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook]

4 Tbsp margarine
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
4 to 5 tsp curry powder
2 medium size butternut squash [about 3 lbs]
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup apple juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 shredded apple for garnish

--Melt the margarine in a pot. Add chopped onions and curry powder and cook, covered, over low heat until onions are tender, about 25 minutes.
--Meanwhile peel the squash, scrape out the seeds, and chop the flesh.
--When onions are tender, pour in the stock, add squash and apples, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apples are very tender, about 25 minutes.
--Pour the soup through a strainer, reserving liquid, and transfer the solids a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth.
--Return pureed soup to the pot and add apple juice and additional cooking liquid, about 2 cups, until the soup is of desired consistency.
--Season to taste with salt and pepper, simmer briefly to heat through and serve immediately with garnish.



Thanks to everyone for listening tonight, it was a lot of fun. I apologize for any static and technical difficulties. I'll do my best to get the kinks worked out by next week. Here is more or less what you heard: