One 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.