A great photo! In our house it was based on a ham hock and was called ‘nothing’ soup, because nothing was left out. Mum would empty the fridge of the last bits and pieces of vegetables and even an occasional piece of fruit—bits of apple or pear or plum or even a bit of pineapple—everything seemed to disappear into the brew and it was (nearly) always delicious. At worst it was eaten without complaint. And yes to fresh herbs when possible. A sprinkle of fresh herbs and a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil to garnish make even a dull brew brighten up.
Making the soup on the patio was brilliant, Michelle! I'm doing that the next time we have guests so I'm not in the house while everyone else is outside. It's a great alternative to grilling as the weather cools down. Please consider sharing your lentil soup recipe, too. This witch appreciates fresh vegetarian brews. :)
Yum! Looks delish. And the patio vibes are impeccable! It’s more up front, but Better than Bouillon is about $5/jar and I can usually get more mileage from it, lowering the overall coast.
Yum, my kind of meal. Especially outdoors with friends. Centenarians in the world's "blue zones" supposedly eat exactly this every day, soup with in- season veggies and beans.
I love your idea, Michelle! I could rig that up on my outdoor firepit. Such a cozy, friendly meal it would be with great friends on a fallish evening. Bon appetit!
I bought the cast iron pot on Facebook Marketplace (best place I’ve found for deals like that) long ago. We bought the tripod when I realized one day OH-MY-GOD-WITH-THIS-FIRE-PIT-AND-MY-OLD-CAST-IRON-KETTLE-I-CAN-MAKE-SOUP-OUTSIDE-IF-I-SPLURGE-ON-A-TRIPOD! It unfortunately cost $42, but it’s made of iron and should last forever. You can also find combo units if you don’t already have a cast iron pot. (I bought such a combo from, I think, Gander Mountain for my dad years ago; I don’t think he’s ever used it even though he has a hunting cabin.) If I’d had more patience, I could have asked my son to weld one for me, but once I realized how close I was to living my dream of witch-hood, I just bought one.
Came here to read the post but got distracted by how much you made on that Medium post :-D congratulations! You must’ve been ecstatic seeing the views rise each day!
Although let's be honest -- if I were able to do this three times a year, which is a virtual impossibility -- I'd still be making what most people would consider to be just an OK salary.
Still, you’re doing what you love, you can do it anywhere, you’re making a difference, AND, you don’t have a boss :-) that must count for something, right?
Sounds delicious! A soup like this is a family favorite for us too. When my kids were younger and we were poorer I used to make a game out of trying to figure out cheap but healthy meals kids would eat. Let me also add that having a flexible schedule, freezer, and stocked pantry help in this game. No one should expect those in unstable housing or working 2 jobs to have time for all this stuff. We’re a mixed diner household with a vegetarian and omnivores who like veggies, beans and tofu (cheaper than meat.)
In those days I made and froze my own vegetable stock for minestrone. We called ours thumbs-up minestrone. We grew tomatoes in our tiny city lot. Dried mushrooms from Chinatown cost almost nothing and add flavor. I used to (ok I still do this) plop tablespoons of tomato paste onto a sheet pan, freeze and store for later use. The absolute cheapest is split pea soup made with water instead of broth but with lots of carrots and onions instead of meat. Drizzle of balsamic vinegar and maybe some green onion on top to serve. It’s surprisingly delicious. I calculated it once at something like .40/person (2008 prices!)
Even though I’m horrible at math, I delight in figuring out the cost per serving sometimes. Homemade bread saves a TON! Soup and bread are such a good combo, and so satisfying and delicious. I’m thinking of dumplings, too — the bread already in the soup!
Sep 17·edited Sep 17Liked by Untrickled by Michelle Teheux
I love all kinds of soup, and you're right, soups taste better the next day. Split pea soup is my favorite, closely followed by vegetable/beef. Split pea soup in Denmark is called "gule aerter" which translated is yellow peas, so our split pea soup is yellow, rather than green! I was curious about ancient soups made in an animal skin hanging over a fire. It was supposedly kept going all day by adding stuff on a regular basis! Oh, and I'm a paid subscriber, last pmt. Sept. 14th
It’s unreasonably warm here in Chicago but when I water the plants in the morning I can feel the season changing. All the light has changed, sun is lower and the summer show-off plants look tired (asters and mums are loving it despite the heat.) I have a farmers market squash waiting because it will soon be roasting time and soup time!
I’m about 3 hours south of you, but have been in Chicago suburbs a lot recently for family stuff and a funeral. Sometimes that short distance has dramatically different weather.
A great photo! In our house it was based on a ham hock and was called ‘nothing’ soup, because nothing was left out. Mum would empty the fridge of the last bits and pieces of vegetables and even an occasional piece of fruit—bits of apple or pear or plum or even a bit of pineapple—everything seemed to disappear into the brew and it was (nearly) always delicious. At worst it was eaten without complaint. And yes to fresh herbs when possible. A sprinkle of fresh herbs and a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil to garnish make even a dull brew brighten up.
Mmm, and I’ve got a lemon tree!
If you want to really go to town, make a gremolata.
I very often do want to go to town!
Not just namesakes, then 🫶
Sounds delicious and the vibes are immaculate
Soup is God's gift to the poor
Making the soup on the patio was brilliant, Michelle! I'm doing that the next time we have guests so I'm not in the house while everyone else is outside. It's a great alternative to grilling as the weather cools down. Please consider sharing your lentil soup recipe, too. This witch appreciates fresh vegetarian brews. :)
Yum! Looks delish. And the patio vibes are impeccable! It’s more up front, but Better than Bouillon is about $5/jar and I can usually get more mileage from it, lowering the overall coast.
Yum, my kind of meal. Especially outdoors with friends. Centenarians in the world's "blue zones" supposedly eat exactly this every day, soup with in- season veggies and beans.
Good article and good recipe! I haven’t cooked with cannellini beans yet, but will have to try them. The backyard kettle sounds like a great idea!
I love your idea, Michelle! I could rig that up on my outdoor firepit. Such a cozy, friendly meal it would be with great friends on a fallish evening. Bon appetit!
We really had just the best time.
Maybe I missed it but can you tell us more about your tripod cauldron set up, please? It makes the patio ambience = perfection.
Also LOVE the soup recipe.
We’ve got the cooling down fall soup weather here in Denver and I am on board. Nom nom nom.
I bought the cast iron pot on Facebook Marketplace (best place I’ve found for deals like that) long ago. We bought the tripod when I realized one day OH-MY-GOD-WITH-THIS-FIRE-PIT-AND-MY-OLD-CAST-IRON-KETTLE-I-CAN-MAKE-SOUP-OUTSIDE-IF-I-SPLURGE-ON-A-TRIPOD! It unfortunately cost $42, but it’s made of iron and should last forever. You can also find combo units if you don’t already have a cast iron pot. (I bought such a combo from, I think, Gander Mountain for my dad years ago; I don’t think he’s ever used it even though he has a hunting cabin.) If I’d had more patience, I could have asked my son to weld one for me, but once I realized how close I was to living my dream of witch-hood, I just bought one.
Came here to read the post but got distracted by how much you made on that Medium post :-D congratulations! You must’ve been ecstatic seeing the views rise each day!
It was honestly like winning the lottery.
That’s wild!
Although let's be honest -- if I were able to do this three times a year, which is a virtual impossibility -- I'd still be making what most people would consider to be just an OK salary.
Still, you’re doing what you love, you can do it anywhere, you’re making a difference, AND, you don’t have a boss :-) that must count for something, right?
“[B]ecause I fear some Italian grandmother will take me to task for inauthenticity . . . ”
Or cultural appropriation!
Sounds delicious! A soup like this is a family favorite for us too. When my kids were younger and we were poorer I used to make a game out of trying to figure out cheap but healthy meals kids would eat. Let me also add that having a flexible schedule, freezer, and stocked pantry help in this game. No one should expect those in unstable housing or working 2 jobs to have time for all this stuff. We’re a mixed diner household with a vegetarian and omnivores who like veggies, beans and tofu (cheaper than meat.)
In those days I made and froze my own vegetable stock for minestrone. We called ours thumbs-up minestrone. We grew tomatoes in our tiny city lot. Dried mushrooms from Chinatown cost almost nothing and add flavor. I used to (ok I still do this) plop tablespoons of tomato paste onto a sheet pan, freeze and store for later use. The absolute cheapest is split pea soup made with water instead of broth but with lots of carrots and onions instead of meat. Drizzle of balsamic vinegar and maybe some green onion on top to serve. It’s surprisingly delicious. I calculated it once at something like .40/person (2008 prices!)
Even though I’m horrible at math, I delight in figuring out the cost per serving sometimes. Homemade bread saves a TON! Soup and bread are such a good combo, and so satisfying and delicious. I’m thinking of dumplings, too — the bread already in the soup!
Love it. I live alone and I make slow-cooker stuff like this all the time. I can eat for a week for very little!
I love all kinds of soup, and you're right, soups taste better the next day. Split pea soup is my favorite, closely followed by vegetable/beef. Split pea soup in Denmark is called "gule aerter" which translated is yellow peas, so our split pea soup is yellow, rather than green! I was curious about ancient soups made in an animal skin hanging over a fire. It was supposedly kept going all day by adding stuff on a regular basis! Oh, and I'm a paid subscriber, last pmt. Sept. 14th
The Dutch make a pea soup called, I think, snert. Something like that! It got up to 88 degrees today but I know we are close to soup weather.
Here in SoCal we’re in the middle of a week of soup weather, low 70s, but Saturday were back in the 80s and 90s!
It’s unreasonably warm here in Chicago but when I water the plants in the morning I can feel the season changing. All the light has changed, sun is lower and the summer show-off plants look tired (asters and mums are loving it despite the heat.) I have a farmers market squash waiting because it will soon be roasting time and soup time!
I’m about 3 hours south of you, but have been in Chicago suburbs a lot recently for family stuff and a funeral. Sometimes that short distance has dramatically different weather.