Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Of Blizzards and Bean Soup

If you are part of the cyber-connected world, you could not have missed that the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic region was hit by a storm this weekend. When a natural disaster hits the news centers, it tends to become national news.

Here in NYC, the Blizzard of 2016 was the second highest snowfall on record, beat out only by 1/10 of an inch in 2006.









I remember the 2006 storm fondly. We had several days off from school. No such luck this time. Between the blizzard falling on a Saturday, and the smartly-imposed ban on all traffic, most of the roads were clear by Sunday afternoon (unless you live way out in the outer boros).  So school was open on Monday. Walking was a whole lot of fun (NOT!), but the city was functioning smoothly despite the mountains of snow.

Back on Sunday, I was looking for some good, soul-warming food. I'd been meaning to make up a pot of Tuscan White Bean Soup for a while, so that's what I did.

I didn't follow any recipe, just threw in what seemed right.

I started with carrots and celery diced, added low-sodium vegetable broth, and a can of cannellini beans. I like to buy  Eden Organics because they are packed with seaweed. They're low in sodium, but it's natural sodium from the seaweed, not from some chemical preservative.

 I threw in some garlic and dried herbs to taste - thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

After simmering awhile, I tossed in a mix of greens - chard, spinach, baby kale, etc.,  and cooked a few minutes to wilt the greens.



It was that simple.

I topped it with some shredded cheese to serve - because what doesn't taste better with shredded cheese melting into it?












Ever since Virginia's post on baking the perfect Boule, I've been craving bread. I found this fabulous loaf at my local produce store. Look how glossy and full of air pockets it is! I figured Virginia would approve.






All in all, a very satsifying and hearty meal.










What's your favorite blizzard food?




14 comments:

  1. Mary Cate, that bread looks divine, but you kind of threw me when you said, "I like to buy Eden Organics because they are packed with seaweed." Seriously? I mean, I eat seaweed with my sushi, but I'm pretty sure my family would frown on the green flakes floating around their soup.

    As for blizzard food (keep in mind that I live in Texas and we're paralyzed by a few inches of snow), I love to do soups and stews, usually accompanied by homemade bread. Actually, I do a whole lot of cooking/baking on those days because they keep me in the kitchen, next to the warm oven. ;-)

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    1. Sorry, Mindy. I should have phrased it better. They say they put seaweed in as a preservative, but it's not visible at all.

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  2. That soup looks delicious. And you didn't use a recipe!

    I like to make soups during snowstorms, too. We're rarely snowed in, even in South Dakota, but for some reason a pot of soup - either simmering on the stove or in the crock pot - just makes the whole day cozier while the wind is whistling around the corners of the house.

    And the bread - don't let my family see that. I'm on a deadline, so bread baking is non-existent these days. I know, I know...it really should be a priority!

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    1. Jan, I can't exactly claim we were snowed in - especially since hubby and I tried to walk to Barnes & Noble in the midst of it. (They were closed.) But all traffic other than emergency vehicles were banned after 2:30 in the afternoon. Last time we had a blizzard too many roads were blocked when cars got stuck and the plows couldn't get through.

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  3. I'm with Jan -- simmering soup in a crock pot. Mine is usually vegetable with a tomato base and I'll toss rice or noodles (already cooked) in before serving. And bread is a given.

    We didn't have a blizzard this weekend but I've been housebound for two weeks because of some issues with my poor battered feet and my darling daughter stopped by in the frigid cold (she has to bus) with her version of vegetarian comfort food -- clementines, peppers and carrots and hummus, some fancy schmancy whole wheat curly pasta -- oh and samosas -- yum. I am spoiled. :-)

    Love your photos too. Gorgeous. And so sad that you didn't get at least one snow day out of it. I heard on the news that the schools in DC are still out and I thought you got the same amount of snow as they did. There's nothing so decadent as a snow day when you work in a school.

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    1. We did get the same amount, Kav. I guess there's something to say for experience. The city knows exactly what to do to get things back up and running fast. Most of the streets were clear by Sunday afternoon.

      Love that your daughter stopped by with such wonderful treats.

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  4. I'd have to say chili is my snowed-in favorite. But that bean soup looks delicious too! I loved your photos! We only got a dusting of snow here.

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  5. I was thinking chili would be a favorite, Missy. I almost made that, but I had the ingredients for this on hand. You didn't get the ice storm did you?

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    1. No ice here. We were expected to get a little but it missed us.

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  6. Oh, this looks delicious! And I'm really laughing because I just made white bean soup, too. LOL. Great minds and all that.
    Was it sourdough? judging by those air pockets, I'd say it is. Looks yummy!

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    1. I don't think so. I agree it looked like it, but it didn't taste like sourdough. I read the ingredient list in the store (because there is no label on the bag) and I was pretty sure it wasn't.

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  7. This looks marvelous! I've been knee-deep in kids and edits this week, so I've been remiss about stopping in, my bad!

    I love your pics of the snowpiles in Brooklyn. My boys sent me pics from Jersey City and Wall St., and they're used to big snow from up here, but it's different when there's no place to put it!

    YIKES!

    Thank you for this glimpse, Cate!

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  8. This looks marvelous! I've been knee-deep in kids and edits this week, so I've been remiss about stopping in, my bad!

    I love your pics of the snowpiles in Brooklyn. My boys sent me pics from Jersey City and Wall St., and they're used to big snow from up here, but it's different when there's no place to put it!

    YIKES!

    Thank you for this glimpse, Cate!

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  9. Sadly it's all just muddy piles now.

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