Soup
Persephone was born just six months after we moved to Utah, and Kristina Erickson, a member of our new congregation, brought us this soup. It was the best taco soup I (Kate) had eaten, and I asked for the recipe right away. And then I didn’t believe that was the correct recipe because it looked simple and the soup had tasted too-wonderful for this level of simplicity. I was wrong. The amazing soup really was that simple.
Read MoreWe had big plans for what to post this week, but cancelled them in favor of this new favorite. Green, fresh, and just sophisticated enough to put a bounce in your step, this simple soup is our new rite of spring.
Read MoreAt home even friends who’ve lived in Italy enjoy this recipe, so we’ve continued to serve it for company as well as our family. I started to prepare it this afternoon just as Amelia was beginning a Zoom interview for a college she’d love to attend. I had some butterflies in my stomach on her behalf, hoping she’d learn from the interview experience and feel that her preparation time had been well-spent. As I chopped the onion and smashed the garlic, the old calm came to me that preparing this soup had afforded twenty years ago. Here’s hoping it will offer you the same.
Read MoreWe are thrilled that our friend Alice Faulkner Burch joined us to share her recipe for Black-Eyed Peas. Alice ate these when she was growing up, and she makes them again now. Alice’s peas have a milder flavor than those from other recipes we’ve tried--maybe because of the long soaking time. Her peas were creamy and soothing, and she taught us a few life lessons as we cooked like her mama used to do to her. Cooking the way her mama taught reminds Alice of the wisdom her mother shared, and we will remember her insights every time we make this dish.
Read MoreOne summer at the Ranch (the cabin we share with relatives) I couldn’t think what to make for dinner. A chic friend and her young son were staying with us, and I felt the pressure of wanting to feed them something they’d genuinely like but without easy access to great produce or spices to make some of the dishes I could have made at home. All of this was good, as I came to see. Because she made us dinner--the following soup--and it immediately became part of our regular meals.
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