
Stir up the Campbell’s? Nope.
Chicken Soup for the Soul? Sure, that’s fine. But truth is, in winter, any kind of soup is good for the soul – especially if it’s homemade.
So far this winter, we’ve stirred up pots of Black Bean Soup With Cumin, My Favorite Lentil Soup and Curried Cream-less Broccoli soup, all from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book’’; Kale and Potato Soup from Alice Waters’ “The Art of Simple Food’’; Beef Minestrone Soup from Wegmans Menu magazine; Vegetarian Minestrone Soup from “St. Basil’s Celebration of California’s Cuisines’’; and Pasta e Fagiole a la Mary Anne Esposito, to name a few.
Mary Kiernan, a chef and instructor at Syracuse University, shared with me her recipe for Chorba Ras el Hanout, a hearty vegetable soup made with the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout, for a feature that will appear in the March-April issue of Central New York (The Good Life) Magazine. March will still be soup season. I can’t wait to try it.
Why soup? It’s warming, satisfying and comforting, and fills the kitchen with savory aromas. It can take a lot of chop-chop, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it’s no chore.
Soup is inexpensive to make, often uses what you already have on hand and provides multiple servings. Leftovers make a great lunch – or lunches.

Way better than Campbell’s or Progresso. Mmmm Mmmm good! And good for you.
Curried Cream-less Broccoli Soup
Adapted from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book’’
You will need:
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil (or a combination)
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon curry powder
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 2/3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 bunch broccoli, including the stems, cut into flowerets and ½- inch slices (about 1 pound)
1 large potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices
1 cup milk
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, heat oil/melt butter. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add the curry and pepper and stir. Add the broth and water to the pan, bringing the soup to a boil. Add the broccoli and potato. When the mixture returns to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until all the vegetable are tender (about 20 minutes).
Puree the soup using with a stick blender (or in a food processor or blender. Return puree to pan, stir in milk, and cook over low heat until hot. Do not boil soup once milk has been added.
Makes 6 servings. The recipe doubles easily. You might want to make it ahead, to allow the flavors to meld.
