Bean with bacon. Split pea with ham. Chicken with stars. Sirloin burger.
That was my childhood, in canned soup.
But never cream of celery. Who invented that? Did someone really think suspending celery in gelatinous cream was a good idea? Here's another good idea: discontinue cream of celery soup.
Today, I make my own soup. I can toss in whatever I want -- beans, or vegetables, or bones, or pocket lint, because guess what? If some big company can make soup out of creamy, gelatinous celery, I can make mine out of anything at all. Want soup out of dust bunnies? Auto parts? Dead batteries? Pot's on the stove.
Yesterday, though, I focused on cauliflower, garbanzos, and kale.
While the night grew dark and the boys did homework and the radio played, I chopped and sautéed and seasoned until the house felt warm and the kitchen swelled with soupy steam. Then I heaped sharp cheese on thick bread and slid it under the broiler.
Soon, dinner was served.
And the lint stayed in my pocket for one more night.
...
Recipe for Garbanzo Cauliflower Soup with cheddar toasts
Smoked paprika adds a golden color to this hearty, dinner-friendly soup. If you can't find baby kale, pull the stems from adult kale and chop the leaves before adding them to the stock.
We'll talk about the superiority of freshly cooked garbanzos in a future post, but you can certainly use canned here if you like.
Makes about 8 servings
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/2 large head cauliflower (or 1 small head), chopped quite fine
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 sprigs thyme
2 cups cooked (or canned, drained, and rinsed) garbanzo beans
6 cups (packed) baby kale leaves
Sliced French bread and shredded sharp cheddar, for toasts
Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Sauté until the vegetables are very tender. Add the cauliflower, stock, wine, smoked paprika, and thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
Add the garbanzos and kale, and stir through for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the bread with the cheddar. Broil until golden.
Serve the soup hot, with cheddar toasts.
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