It's Cold

BOLIING STONES
(Things a man can do in the kitchen)
© January 4, 2010
By: George O. Martin, Jr.

It’s Cold

The only trouble with January in Kansas is that it is cold. January in Jamaica is pretty good, Brazil is even better, Argentina is delightful, but Kansas is really not good in January at all because it’s cold, uncomfortably so.
I have heard that there are people who really enjoy the cold. I haven’t met many in Kansas. As a youngster I loved the winter time in Buffalo NY, where I grew up; but that cold seemed different some how. It wasn’t as sharp or penetrating as it is here. I played outside in the cold everyday. Of course my mother made sure I had shirt, sweater, jacket, scarf, mittens, two pair of socks, shoes and goulashes on before I could leave the house, and that was when I was nineteen. Now I won’t leave my Kansas house even when dressed that well unless absolutely necessary. It’s cold!
A friend of mine spoke of knowing a man who came to Kansas from Alaska and thought he was going to freeze to death in the bitterness of our winters. That must say something about how cold it is; and that our cold is stouter and harsher, meaner and nastier than any other place. It is just cold!
But what to do about the extremely frigid temperatures is the question! And the answer is: Make soup, serve soup, and eat soup. Make it well, simmer it long, and consume it aplenty, hot and steaming. Bowls full of hot homemade soup will warm you from the inside out, and chase away any frosty feeling you may have acquired from looking out the window at the chilly plains. If you actually went out into the cold, then holding on to a cup of hot home made soup will take the frost from your fingers and warm your cheeks.
Notice I have used two words repeatedly. They are Hot, and Homemade. The difference between the homemade soups and the store bought varieties is like night and day; and in order to get the full effect of soup in the battle against the Kansas cold, the soup must be both Hot, and Homemade. You might say that the store bought soup will do in a pinch, and that is true. But a bicycle would get you to the next town, in a pinch, also; but a ride there in a limousine would be better. There is the difference.
Now let’s get down to making a pot of soup. My first recommendation is: Beef and Barley Soup. This recipe is as simple as it gets, and yet, if you want you can add all kinds of things to make it as complex as you want. There are 8 ingredients: 6 cups of purified water, 2 large tomatoes, diced, one-half cup pearled barley, one cup diced onion, one cup diced celery, one and one-half cups of diced stew meat, one teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and one fourth cup of beef soup base.
That’s it! Just put it into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about one and one-half hours. Salt and pepper to your taste and serve...
But if you wanted to make it a bit more complex you could begin by boiling a marrow bone that has been cracked open, this will add much more beef flavor to the soup. The addition of one cup of chopped carrots, one quarter teaspoon marjoram, 2 tablespoons parsley flakes, and a bay leaf won’t hurt either.
Bacon and Potato Soup is my next recommendation. It has flavors, textures and colors, all in the same bowl. A good way to begin is with about 15 minutes of preparation work. Chopping and gathering everything you need makes putting the soup together easy.
Start by crisply frying 6 slices of thick sliced bacon in a 3 quart saucepan. Drain on a paper towel and discard the grease left in the pan, and wipe the pan clean. When cool crumble the bacon. Chop enough onion and carrot to have one-half cup each. Also chop one stalk of celery, and enough potatoes to make 4 cups. If you have 4 cups of chicken broth, one-half cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a bit of salt and olive oil ready, you can begin making soup.
Add and one half tablespoon olive oil to the saucepan. To that ad the onions carrots and celery and sauté until the onions are transparent. Stir in the chicken broth and the potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cheddar cheese and heat until melted; be careful not to boil. Add the crumbled bacon. From this point on it is up to you and your own taste. Adjust the flavor with salt, pepper, and, if you are brave, a small amount of Cayenne pepper (Less than one quarter teaspoon.)
Once you have made soup in your own kitchen you will learn that it is far easier than you thought and tastes much better than what the canned soup companies offer. Soup making also gives you a freedom to experiment with your own ideas of flavoring. But keep in mind that soup always tasted better the second day. So, make enough for several meals and enjoy the flavors as they increase.