What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen

This week, I received a message on Facebook from a new/old connection that read, “How the hell did you get the nickname, SOUP NINJA? Tell me that story!!!” First, I have no recollection of actually typing “soup ninja” into my Facebook profile, nor can I find it on my page. So, that's a mystery. What is not a mystery is my long-standing love of all things soup. I love soup! I don’t think that I have ever met a bowl of soup that didn’t have at least one redeeming quality. I even regularly ask myself, “Is it soup?” and “Will it soup?” With most ingredients, the answer to at least one of those two questions is yes. 

Back in my Slanted Porch days, one of my most basic responsibilities was making the soup of the day. Sometimes I would delegate this task to other prep or line cooks, especially if someone looked inspired. But, more often than not, I started my mornings by chopping up some mirepoix and rooting around in the walk-in for ingredients that needed to be used up and would soup. We had a lot of autonomy when it came to the soup of the day – there were no rules about soup except that it needed to be properly seasoned and didn’t require a long list of specialty ingredients. We used what we had available to make soup that people wouldn’t regret ordering. 

We even had signature soups. My co-workers joked at the frequency with which I made some iteration of lentil soup. Sopa de lentejas, tee-hee. 

I remember the first time I met Edna Van Leuven – this was back in the day when she wrote a column for the Lahontan Valley News. Edna was sitting at the bar eating lunch and one of the owners called me over to make an introduction. I had been cautioned that Edna would sometimes write about her experiences in local restaurants, good AND bad experiences, so I was prepared. When I introduced myself to Edna, she misheard my title “Sous Chef” as “Soup Chef” and promptly launched into a speech about all the soup that she makes at home. I didn’t correct her (to be honest, I was a little scared); instead, I embraced the title – it seemed apropos.

You can never go wrong with soup.

For the hot days coming later this week, here’s the “Best Gazpacho” recipe from the New York Times:

Best Gazpacho

By Julia Moskin

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks

1 Italian frying pepper or another long, light green pepper (Anaheim), cored, seeded, and roughly cut into chunks

1 cucumber, about 8” long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks

1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks

1 clove garlic

2 tsp. sherry vinegar, more to taste

Salt

½ c. extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus some to drizzle

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onions, and garlic in a blender. Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least two minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
2. With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 tsp. salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until the mixture is creamy.
3. Strain the mixture through a strainer, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher and chill until very cold, at least six hours or overnight.
4. Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons of ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bow. A few drops of olive oil are a nice touch.