The Everything Soup

Just like “everything” bagels,  with every imaginable topping but the kitchen sink, this is the Everything Soup. It should be self-explanatory. My grandmother called it the “vos in der kurt” soup which literally means “whatever cards you are dealt, you have to play with.”
In this case, whatever veggies you have in your refrigerator and/or freezer, get them out and play with them.

Don’t you wish all your veggies were as lively and playful as these adorable Japanese girls? Let’s see what we have.

Here are some fresh frozen carrots, sweet peas, string beans, and corn. That’s a good beginning. I sort of had this soup in mind a few days ago so I was collecting and freezing leftover veggies. They will have to be pulverized in a food processor which works much better if they are frozen. Whatever you have: broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, pumpkin, peppers, etc. just make sure you clean, cut, dry, and freeze them ahead of time, to make it easier to process.

Next, we need some kind of beans – any kind. I prefer red or pink beans or black eye peas just because they add color. And I just happened to have some red beans on hand, so I soaked them overnight and then cooked. They are sitting in their own liquid, waiting their turn.

Not everything is frozen! There is a stalk of fresh crunchy celery added to the mix. However – poor celery stalk! – it’ll fall under the metal blade of my food processor together with all the frozen vegetables.

So all the frozen veggies, together with the celery stalk, are pulsed until completely pulverized. Scrape the sides as needed, making sure there are no recognizable chunks left. You’ll have to get it to a smooth consistency, as much as possible, depending on your choice of vegetables. Meanwhile, the beans are sitting pretty, thinking, “Aha! They got demolished, but we are still intact!” True, but into the pot they go, together with the liquid in which they were cooked, and together with the processed veggies.

 To liven it up, dice a nice juicy tomato and add it to the pot, together with some of those assorted chopped stems you  – hopefully! – saved when using the leafy parts of fresh herbs. Add water to the pot to its full two quart capacity, stir to mix everything up, and bring it to boil. 

It looks good already, but you still have to season it. Catch the moment when it starts boiling – do not overcook! – and add the seasoning plus a secret ingredient – amaranth.

In addition to my standard combination of pareve soup powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon, I throw in some amaranth, in order to thicken the soup and give it some texture. Bring it to boil again and turn it off. Stir well, otherwise the amaranth might stick to the bottom of the pot. When you serve, make sure to get both the amaranth and the beans into every bowl as they tend to sink to the bottom.

Certainly, you could skip the pre-frozing of the vegetables. You can do it the old-fashioned way: cook them to death, boil all vitamins and nutrients out of them, then mash them up and throw them back in for seasoning. But where would your summer goodness be? This way, your vegetables are almost raw, they are brought to boil twice for just a couple of seconds, and all the nutrients are preserved and ready to to go into your tummy! Not to mention that it takes about 10 minutes to make it, when you are in a crunch. Serve it hot, cold, or room temperature, it will be equally delicious and very healthy.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of fresh frozen pre-cut vegetables of your choice
• 2 cups of red or pink beans, pinto beans, or black eye beans, including liquid
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 quarts water or less
• 1 cup diced tomato (1 large tomato)
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs and/or herb stems in any combination you prefer
• 1/2 amaranth
• 1 heaping tablespoon vegetable soup powder
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

• Cook beans or use fresh frozen beans. Preserve liquid.
• Pulse frozen vegetables together with celery stalk until smooth consistency. Scrape sides, if needed. Transfer to two-quart pot.
• Add beans including liquid.
• Add diced tomato and herbs. Add water to fill the pot. Stir well.
• Bring to boil. Add amaranth. Season with soup powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
• Stir, making sure amaranth doesn’t stick to bottom. Bring to boil, turn off.

Enjoy!