Soup Night (18 page)

Serves 6

The Shelburne Inn, on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State, is more than 100 years old. Originally built in 1896, it has since been expanded, updated, and once even relocated across the street, pulled by a team of horses. It’s warm, charming, and filled with beautiful antiques and stained-glass windows. David Campiche, the owner, is the quintessential innkeeper; Hollywood casting agents could not find anyone who looks the part better than David does. He’s gracious, welcoming, and very funny. He’s also a heck of a cook, as the following story makes clear.

Back in 1981, after some major remodeling, the inn was set to open its new fine-dining restaurant. Then, on opening night, disaster: the chef became so ill he could barely stand. David, who at the time lived at the inn with his family, jumped in to offer help. Fine, said the chef, pointing to a large bag of fresh mussels, do something with those. On the spot, David created this chowder. To his surprise, it was a hit, and has been on the menu ever since.

• 5 pounds mussels in shells
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 1 celery stalk, cut into
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  -inch dice
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  sweet bell pepper, yellow or red, seeded and diced
  
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoons dried basil
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
  
• 2 cups whipping cream
  
• 1 pound thin-skinned potatoes, such as red, Yukon Gold, or Yellow Finn, peeled and cut into
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  -inch cubes
  
• Salt and pepper
  

1. 1.
   Scrub the mussels in cool water and remove the byssus threads (the “beards”). Discard mussels whose shells don’t close when tapped.
   
2. 2.
   In an 8- to 10-quart soup pot, combine the mussels and the wine; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the mussels open, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour the mussels and cooking liquid into a colander set in a large bowl to collect the broth. Let the mussels stand until cool enough to handle.
   
3. 3.
   In the pot used for the mussels, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and sauté until the onion is limp, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the curry powder, basil, and cayenne; cook until the spices become more fragrant, about 30 seconds.
   
4. 4.
   Pour the mussel juices from the bowl into the soup pot. Add the tomato sauce, cream, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes.
   
5. 5.
   Meanwhile, remove the mussels from their shells, discarding the shells.
   
6. 6.
   Add the mussels to the chowder; cover and simmer just until the mussels are hot, 3 to 5 minutes; do not overcook. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
   

Make ahead?
Not really.

For large crowds:
This is probably a better choice for a small dinner party. Large amounts of fresh shellfish can get expensive.

Cleveland, Ohio

Once a year, usually on President’s Day weekend,
Eric Meyer
and his wife
Kathryn
(known as Kat) host a humongous Bread and Soup party. It’s famous; people come from far and wide — well, from several states — and have been doing so since 2001. With well-coordinated help, the Meyers make, from scratch, five soups and five breads, enough to serve the 100 or so people who come (the record was 150).

Eric explains: “In 2001, we had just moved into the neighborhood, and said, ‘Okay, we’re new on the block, let’s throw a party and meet our neighbors.’ Got the idea from my parents, who used to have a party every February just because you need a party in February. Not all the neighbors came, but those who did said, ‘This is great; please do it again.’ And so we did.”

“It started as just a holiday party,” Kat adds. “Then it took on a life of its own. Now we invite everybody — work colleagues, neighbors, and friends — and they bring their friends. For several weeks before the party we carry invitations around with us everywhere we go, and when we find someone interesting we give them an invitation. Sometimes they’re surprised, but usually they say, ‘Oh my goodness, thank you so much!’”

I first “met” the Meyers through an article Eric wrote for the family blog, and I’m so pleased he allowed me to share it with you. Here are some excerpts.

“We invite just about everyone we know, regardless of how close or far away they live. In fact, we put an invitation in the mailbox of every house on our block, so in many cases we’re inviting people we
don’t
know.

“Children are welcome. They were even before we had our own, but this is key if you want to draw families. Which we do.

“We use heavy paper plates and Styrofoam cups with plastic spoons for the soups. This makes cleanup a whole lot easier, plus it means we don’t have to buy place settings for 128 or worry about dropped bowls shattering.”

But I bet you’re still wondering, how do they handle all those people? With a very efficient system, fine-tuned over the years. Kat and Eric decide on the five soups and five breads. The soups change every year, except for the Sweet Curry Soup (
page 138
); if it were missing, Eric says, they would have a riot on their hands. By Friday they have purchased all the ingredients, Friday night and Saturday morning they make multiple trips to the airport to pick up incoming guests, and Saturday night there’s a pizza party for the out-of-towners. Then Sunday morning, preparations click into high gear.

Kat picks up the story: “Between 8 and 10
am
, we measure out all the ingredients for each bread and each soup and put all the soup ingredients together in five soup pots. Then we have eight to ten people who work together on one soup, from start to finish. People figure out what they like to do, and just jump in to do it. One friend always makes the Sweet Curry Soup, and another is in charge of keeping everyone supplied with coffee. Our oldest daughter likes chopping, so she chops for everybody. Meanwhile, several of us work on the breads. The party starts at 4
pm
, and an hour before that I have my annual breakdown — ‘Nobody loves us, no one will come.’ Ha. We had 115 people this year!”

The invitation says, “Don’t bring anything,” but people do anyway. Eric says, only half kidding, that next year he’s going to put all those things on a special table and invite people to take them home with them: “‘You think that looks like a nice bottle of wine? Take it, my friend. Take it.’”

The soup is kept simmering on the stove in large soup pots, and people serve themselves. The Meyers put out plates of fruit and cheese, and small dishes for bread with butter and homemade jams. Somehow it always works out, they say; “If we run out, so be it. But that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Our circle has changed over the years,” Kat notes, “and now more families have children. This year we had a big turnout with the second-grade set. There were lots of little kids running around, and five little girls put on costumes five different times. Gradually people start leaving, and we start putting away the leftovers, if there are any. One guy is our cleanup god, bless him. By 11:30, we’re sitting around the dining room table, feeling happy.”

• Sweet Curry Soup
  
• Chicken and Artichoke Soup
  
• Macho Gazpacho
  
• Cold Strawberry Soup
  

Recipe from
Eric and Kat Meyer
, Cleveland, Ohio

Serves 6–8

Eric and Kat say: This is our version of a wonderful shrimp soup we learned years ago in a New Orleans cooking school. We used chicken instead of shrimp and added the sherry. In Louisiana there’s a great seasoning called Joe’s Stuff, but Old Bay products are also terrific and much easier to find.

• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• 3 (8-ounce) packages frozen artichokes, thawed and quartered
  
• 1 cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
  
• Old Bay seasoning
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
  
• 4 cups heavy cream
  
• Cream sherry
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
  

1. 1.
   Combine the broth, artichokes, scallions, thyme, and Old Bay to taste in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour, stirring constantly over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to make a light roux (see
   page 112
   ), then add the roux to the soup pot gradually, stirring as you go. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked through.
   
3. 3.
   Add the cream, stir, and simmer for 10 minutes longer.
   
4. 4.
   Reduce the heat, add sherry to taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. 5.
   Garnish with the parsley and additional scallions. Serve hot.
   

Variations:
Also wonderful made with shrimp rather than chicken.

Make ahead?
Through step 2. Refrigerate.

For large crowds:
Since the Meyers typically serve 100 people or more, I think it’s safe to say this soup is easy to expand.

Vegetarian:
Omit the chicken, and use water or vegetable broth.

Recipe from Elizabeth Newland,
Civano Soup Supper
, Tucson, Arizona

Serves 6

Elizabeth says: I’m lucky enough to live in two beautiful places: part of the time in Civano, part of the time in Washington State, near Seattle. Our Northwest winters are long, dark, cold, and wet. This soup is pure comfort food to warm up those nights.

• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup uncooked wild rice
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  pound bacon, diced
  
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
  
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups chicken broth
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups)
  
• 2 cups light cream, more if needed for best consistency
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup white wine or chicken broth
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  

1. 1.
   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the rice, and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.
   
2. 2.
   Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the bacon, and fry until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels. Sauté the mushrooms in the bacon fat in the same skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
   
3. 3.
   Combine the potatoes, chicken broth, and onion in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer the potato mixture to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth.
   
4. 4.
   Return the potato purée to the soup pot, and add the reserved rice, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, cream, and wine. Heat the soup gently until heated through. Adjust the consistency, if needed, by adding a little more light cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. 5.
   Sprinkle parsley over the top of the soup just before serving.
   

Make ahead?
Elizabeth often does, adding a little more light cream when reheating the soup until it is the desired consistency. If you need to divide the work between two days, do steps 1 and 2 on the first day.

For large crowds:
This is just about ideal for making double or triple quantities.

For vegetarians:
Skip the bacon, and use vegetable broth.