fridge-cleaning soup...

[full disclosure: i have the flu, so it has taken the better part of a week to put this post together. it is about a pot of soup i made last Sunday, which seems to have been a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, as i started getting sick the very next day. so, while i spent the past week mostly mouth-breathing (because i have the use of about half of one nostril at a time), i was able to enjoy many bowls of truly delicious soup.]

every now and then, we put an empty pot on the stove, and proceed to make what is affectionately referred to as 'fridge-cleaning soup'. it is a dish that consists (almost) entirely of bits and pieces leftover from other meals we had recently.

this batch began with some fatty bits and the bone from a prime rib steak.

next came a ham bone. bit of advice: do not buy a ham—even a small one—in a household of just two people, or you will be trying to get rid of the stuff for the next two weeks... or more.

this is a bowl of assorted veggies that i chopped the night before. it was magical to be able to see the bottom of the veggie bins again. the bowl contains vidalia onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger, culantro, mushroom (two types), and some sort of pumpkin-like squash

in it all goes.

while the veggies were sauteing, i went searching through the fridge for anything we may have missed... like the cherry tomatoes from when we cut up more than was needed to make a salad.

there was also the bowl of chopped cabbage from a recent stir-fry when i decided at the last minute to skip the cabbage (because there was already too much stuff in the wok).

and the last of the string beans sauteed with sweet pepper and vidalia onion.

i added a handful of lentils and about two handfuls of barley, both for bulk and because the starch adds some much-needed body to the the soup.

next came some herbs. a few bay leaves and some thyme.

i added some salt and pepper, and a healthy dash of Vegeta—which is just possibly Croatia's greatest contribution to humanity. i poured in enough water to cover everything. this is when i remembered that there was a bit of rosemary left over from some other meal. it was beginning to dry out a bit, but it was still usable. in you go too, rosemary.

there was still quite a bit of the ham, so i chopped some of that meat and added it to the pot.

then i stood in front of the opened fridge, contemplating if there was anything else i could toss into the pot. this is when i remembered the chunk of Parmesan rind in the cheese bin.

there will be no rind left behind on my watch!

that chunk of Parmesan is an absolute game-changer for this soup. the whole thing was brought up to a slow boil, then left covered at a slow simmer for the next couple hours (or so). this is where the parma magic happened.

every so often, i would uncover the pot and give the whole thing a a good stir. the block of Parmesan slowly melted and became incorporated into the background of the soup. the combination of that cheesy goodness and the starch from the grains worked together to create a soup that is rich and creamy. so good!

now, i could have stopped at this point, but i had two last additions which had been set aside to be added during the last fifteen minutes (or so) of cooking time. first there was the sweet potato that was meant to be cooked with some other meal two... or maybe three... weeks ago.

this was peeled....

and cut into roughly bite-size pieces to be added to the soup.

i took this opportunity to fish out all the inedible bits from the pot. bye bye, thyme stems...

and bay leaves...

and flavor-filled ham bone.

i removed the chunk of meat from the beef rib before also saying goodbye to the bone.

now came the absolute last ingredient, a bit of bok choy.

a few quick chops, and in it goes.

ten-to-fifteen minutes later, and we have a really fantastic pot of soup.

i should point out that this is not your typical few noodles floating in a bowl of watery stock type of soup. this is a deeply-satisfying meal in a bowl.

there is only one thing that could possibly make this any better. a crunchy, freshly-baked baguette. Canada may be ridiculously cold, but it is nice having a French bakery just a few doors away.

i could not wait to take the first dip.

i could hear my antihistamines calling to me, but i could not resist.

so insanely good!

me: this is the best fridge-cleaning soup yet.
him: you say that every time.
me: i know... but this one really is the best.

we may have followed up said meal with some pastry, also from the French bakery.

these tarts consist of a sheet of croissant dough with fruity toppings. the lamination in that dough alone would definitely warrant a Paul Hollywood handshake.

so, while i have had a mostly miserable week, i am happy to say that it started out in the most amazing way possible.