After the holidays, I was craving the healthiest food I could think of. Even though I’d tried not to overdo it on the sugar because I knew I’d pay for it (I swear my fingers get achy if I have too much), the extra cookies and desserts and eating out added up.
And so I made this homemade soup.
I felt so accomplished during the whole process, which is pretty funny because it’s the simplest thing in the world to make. But I think it’s easy to start believing that cooking, to be good, has to be challenging. Maybe it’s because of all the cooking shows and contests we watch—there’s an element of suspense and even danger that gives the impression that cooking and baking aren’t for the faint of heart!
Which reminds me: recently, Will and I made a Napoleon—which admittedly is a bit involved, although not difficult—and Lily took it upon herself to yell out “Bakers, you have one hour left!” now and then to create some tension. Despite her efforts, we managed to stay calm and spent a really nice afternoon making something together.
So back to the soup. I just cooked a few cloves of garlic (I love the pre-crushed Dorot garlic from the freezer section) and a couple of leeks in a little bit of olive oil, then added chicken stock, celery, carrots, a couple big handfuls of baby kale, and some salt and pepper. And then boiled the whole thing for about 20 minutes, until the carrots had softened up a bit. It was simple and tasted really good and was just what I needed after all the over-indulging.
Do you think we’ve made cooking more complicated than it needs to be? Are we starting to believe that cooking is a luxury or that if you have time to cook you must not be as busy as you should be?
P.S. My mom’s Italian Sausage and Potato Soup is so delicious and great for serving a crowd.
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