There's a reason we tend to congregate in the kitchen: It's that warm spot in our home that feeds our soul as well as our hunger.
Whether kitchen duty is a longtime standby or a newfound luxury, there are many mealtime variations that take advantage of its daytime access. I've got soup on my mind, the kind that's like a welcome hug at mealtime _ and one that doesn't require 6 feet of separation.
Certainly, you can open a can of your favorite combo. I grew up on Campbell's condensed tomato, chicken noodle and its bean-and-bacon varieties. But _ ding, ding, ding (right answer!) _ you can fill your home with the fragrance of a soup-in-the-making, a lovely scent to behold and an even better dish when served.
Consider this: Soup is thrifty (waste not, want not, with the leftover tidbits that form its base). And, yes, it's even somewhat magical as you combine water and vegetables together, with or without protein, to create something entirely, and remarkably, new. The fable of stone soup (google the story, if you're unfamiliar) often comes to mind.
You can make soup from commercially made stock, of course. But if you've got the time _ and many of us do these days _ try making the stock yourself.
Though it requires little effort to start the process, it does involve unwatched time on the stove, perfect while you're busy with something else.
When my kids were young, I prepared stock while they were at the dinner table, post mealtime, doing their homework. Today I start a batch before I boot up my computer for a day of office work from home.
Here are the basics: To make your own meat-based stock, for the best flavor, start with bones that have been roasted. (Save the carcasses from the $7 roasted supermarket chickens and really get your money's worth.) Cut off any meat on the bones that you will want to use in the final soup, since simmering the protein too long will make it tough. Initially, I add coarsely cut vegetables to the water (carrots, onions and celery _ celery leaves are particularly flavorful), along with peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves, all of which will be discarded once the stock is done.
For a vegetable-based variation, consider a combination of celery, carrots, flat-leaf parsley, bay leaves, onions and black peppercorns and salt.
Cover the produce and any bones with cold water, so there's at least 2 inches of liquid above the ingredients. A tall soup pot is best (less water evaporates), but you can certainly use a smaller pot if that's what you have. Keep in mind that it doesn't take more effort to make a lot of stock than it does to make a little.
You'll want to bring the water to a boil, then drop it to a low simmer and keep it going, with the pot semi-covered, for as long as the meat and vegetables have something to offer. That's at least an hour and preferably several hours, adding water, if needed, as the liquid reduces.
Once the stock is done, strain it, discarding the bones, meat and vegetables, and cool the liquid in the refrigerator.
Then you're on to the next, step, which involves chopping and dicing, a sure way to relax. Sometimes I follow a soup recipe, and other times I let whimsy _ and my refrigerator or pantry _ take over. Will there be a starch (noodles, dumplings, rice, wild rice or potatoes)? Or meatless protein (think beans)? Will I use a blender to puree the final batch, or is this a chunky soup?
So many questions, but so much time.
