However, this soup is worthy of an exclamation mark. (And it will appease the Seinfeld fans, although my friend does not pattern herself after the Soup Nazi. She does not keep her recipes hidden in a wardrobe--she willingly shares her culinary secrets.)
My friend the "chef" calls this delectable dietary bombshell "Orange-Scented Carrot Vichyssoise" but I call it simply "Better Than --- Soup." (It's not better than great --- but is way better than mediocre ---.) She made it for one of our WWWP dinners, and we each left that evening
I refuse to name her. That would be unfair, because if I did, she would be flooded with requests for the recipe. You will just have to troll the internet in search of the recipe...
The title of this post was going to be "Tumeric, Anyone?" because as I was making it, I was thinking if I could leave out some of the ingredients or substitute some. Leeks? Couldn't I use onions instead? Tumeric? I don't have any and I've never even used that spice...couldn't I leave it out? How about using milk instead of heavy cream? (Okay, I admit it. I was all about the cream, and didn't even entertain the notion of substituting milk for it.)
But when I tasted the one bowl I allowed myself (I poured the rest into a container for my daughter, to avoid the temptation), I swooned over the layers of flavors. The leeks, the carrots, the chicken stock...the tumeric...the orange zest...the honey, the nutmeg...And I realized that without just one of those ingredients, it would have fallen flat.
Can we leave out the passion we have for our art--whether it is painting or photography or writing--if we're having a lackluster session? Can we leave out some of the complexity of our characters when we're writing fiction? Can we omit some of the emotional layers in order to shortcut to the end if we're crafting nonfiction?
Of course not.
And now, I'm off to lick my bowl clean...
Okay, it may be good soup, but I doubt my husband could build a tower of it twice as tall as his bowl. Around here, my soup is referred to as, "...not so much soup, but a bowl of assorted vegetables."
ReplyDeleteNow, I want soup!
ReplyDeleteGreat metaphor. I always feel like the best writing simmers for a while to bring all the flavor out. And it leaves you craving more. By the way, don't try substituting fat-free half and half for the soup. Sad to say it isn't the same.
ReplyDeleteVal--
ReplyDeleteHey, this soup is too good for husbands, so no "tower" is necessary...
Mama Zen--
I savored the one bowl, but made sure I gave away the rest. Otherwise, I would have just spent the entire day lapping up the entire batch--it's THAT good.
Yes, as the weather gets cooler, soup sounds better and better...
Tammy--
I agree. My writing has to "simmer" or sit for a day here, or a week there. (And I would NEVER think that fat-free half and half would be a good idea. (Isn't than an oxymoron, anyway?)
"Fat-free half & half" - So what's the other half?
ReplyDeleteSo maybe the cooking metaphor is like always using "said" as a dialogue tag line, when a sparsely used "whispered" could be delicately dipped in?
Marcia--I'm right with you. I wondered the same thing.
DeleteWhere's the recipe? It sounds awesome! You're right about keeping the passion in, and I don't say that just because I write romance. There is a marked difference in my work when I'm writing with a passion and writing to suit something. The latter isn't horrible, but it won't be confused with gourmet, either.
ReplyDeleteLisa--You will have to ask Tammy for it. It's hers to give. I will say, "It is real and it is spectacular!"
DeleteAnd I agree wholeheartedly with you. There are times when the story is insisting on coming out--it's almost as if it writes itself. That is when our writing is good.
What a great analogy. The soup sounds great. With the cooler weather I've been in a soup-making mood lately. I use leeks, but I've never used turmeric in soup, but the better than --- soup sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteDonna--It really is scrumptious, but quite rich, so it's best to make it when you have friends or family over. If you make a batch and it's just you, you might be tempted to slurp it all up by yourself.
DeleteOr perhaps you have more self control than I do... ;)