Patti Smith and Lettuce Soup

Patti Smith; Poet, singer- songwriter, author, visual artist and the godmother of punk. She was inspiration for my morning breakfast.


Woke up early on my day off to a gloomy day and the perennial breakfast question - sweet or savory?

I decided that it was a good day to try something different, something a bit off- the-wall. 


Breakfast soup!  A Caesar salad soup if you will, with lettuce, egg, parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil and garlic croutons.  Bean was snug as a bug in bed, so I did not have to justify my odd breakfast fare. My bohemian repast.

It gave me the excuse to practice poaching an egg.  In the past year I have had a sudden re-appreciation of eggs.  It's not that easy to make a pretty poached egg.  I broke the egg so that the yolk would run into the broth.


Now you may be wondering- what possible connection is there between Patti Smith and my soup? During lean financial times lettuce soup was a specialty of hers.  Perhaps she was not acquainted with packages of  ramen noodles.  Those 10 for a dollar noodle packs were the center of many students'  meals when I was in my twenties.


I learned about her lettuce soups and anchovy sandwiches during a reading of her book Just Kids which is a memoir of her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Last February, spurred on by a bit of cabin fever Bean and I attended her reading.  I know pathetically little about rock and roll or punk music.  The only groups whose music I can identify, with any degree of success are the Beatles and Rolling Stones.  Bean on the other hand, can not only identify the group, he can name all the members, the producer of the album, any other groups the musicians were involved in etc. A spew of information that usually makes my eyes water and my brain go numb.

I love biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, compilations of letters and it is for this reason I went to the reading.  I hadn't read her book yet; we were on the library's waiting list. Bean grabbed a book for her to sign, The Melodious Mystic. How apropos!  Surely Ms. Smith would not be offended by our lack of her book.  She read, played the guitar, sang, answered  questions and took pictures of the audience. She looked happy.  She seemed relaxed.

                                                                      

                                                                          

Patti Smith scribbled a drawing which she said was Pinocchio, because she always aspired to write a book that was as good as Pinocchio.                                                                                          

 

Black- Eyed Pea Soup for the New Year

Happy belated New Year! 

Although my soup making efforts were fairly substantial, my blogging was patchy at best! 

I don't remember any food related traditions in my family for New Year's day, although for New Year's Eve I must have Chinese food.  Black -eyed peas and collard greens are a must for my husband to start the New Year. Eating a bowl of black- eyed peas and collard greens insures a year of luck and prosperity.  I was about to write "If that's true, I hate to think of what our life would have been like without the BEPs & CGs of the last few years", when I realized that we have much to be grateful for. 

What will be the first soup of the new year? I sat around in my new cowboy pajamas, perusing my new cookbook on soups and knocking back a glass of pot liquor. My new pj's were a gift from Johnny Depp. Seriously - that's what the card said!  Thanks Johnny!  The cookbook was from my sister Ann. 400 Soups  edited by Ann Sheasby. The book contains a great collection of recipes and lovely photographs.  The pot liquor was courtesy of Bean and his pot of collard greens.  I wanted to use the rest of the fresh peas for soup that would have a flavor profile that was different than the smoky southern flavor of the dish that we made for New Year's Day.  


 The following soup was based on a recipe in 400 Soups.  The changes I made were to accommodate what I already had available in  my fridge and cupboard.  The soup was very satisfying without being heavy.  I poured the soup into a pretty Japanese bowl that Bean gave me.   My favorite way  to eat soup is sitting on the couch watching TV or a movie with a bowl cupped in my hand and for that a smallish Chinese or Japanese bowl is the way to go. A large rimmed bowl just doesn't work.  I learned that the hard way.  Ouch.

 Black-Eyed Peas with Tomato Broth
  Serves 3- 4

• 1 cup of fresh black-eyed peas  (or canned peas)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• fresh chilies, chopped   ( I used 1 red Fresno and 1 Thai chile)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken)
• couple of cilantro stems chopped
• cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• juice of 1 small lime (or lemon )

Heat oil in soup pan and add the onion and hot peppers and cook for about 8 minutes until the onions are soft.  Add the cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the peas, crushed tomatoes, stock and cilantro stems and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the peas are tender. If canned peas are used they may take less time than the fresh peas. Before serving, stir in the lime or lemon juice and the chopped cilantro.  I added a little chopped chilies on top, for additional heat.