F**k It, I'm Making Soup
The Friday Newsletter knows sometimes it's the only answer
I have been busy lately.
Like, I haven’t had what I’d call a normal weekend since August?
It’s mostly been good stuff—football games, a wedding, some indie wrestling—but piled on top of my writing and parenting and normal job, well… it’s been a lot. Heck, I’m writing this from a hotel room right now.
Point is, I’ve been having a good start to fall, but I’ve also been a little bit off my rhythm. It’s time for a reset, the best way I know how.
It’s time to pull out the Dutch oven, and make some dang soup.
Friends, it is Friday on The Action Cookbook Newsletter.
Today’s slate includes:
A soup you can let out your frustrations on
A cocktail worthy of becoming your new mildly-annoying affectation
Great things to listen to, read and watch
Pets, and more!
Let’s hit it.
7) It’s not a recipe, it’s a therapy session
I’m going to abandon any pretense of a normal structure for this recipe, because that’s not how I made it. The basic premise was a spinach-artichoke lasagna noodle soup, but I didn’t think ahead too much on that front. A good soup is half improvisation.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Don’t measure it. Just guess. Who needs to wash an oil measuring spoon? Pour it into a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, and set over medium heat.
3 shallots
1 stick celery
1/2 of a large carrot
Chop ‘em fine. Really fine. I keep mentioning it, but I bought a two-handled mezzaluna knife at E.Dehillerin in Paris this summer, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite kitchen tools, simply because it’s so fun to rock back and forth while chopping something into tiny bits.
Toss them into the oil. Stir a little. Stick the other half of the carrot in your mouth like a cigar, and talk like Bugs Bunny talking like Edward G. Robinson.
3 cloves garlic
It’s just so satisfying to smash a clove of garlic with the side of a kitchen knife. BAM. Toss ‘em in.
a splash of white wine
This isn’t necessary, but it’s a nice touch if you have a bottle of wine open. Or maybe you had one, but it’s not open? But now it is? Interesting. Once the shallots, celery, carrot and garlic have softened a bit, splash it on in.
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
Drop into the pan, and break it up. Have a potato masher? Great, use that. Pretend you’re conducting an off-the-books interrogation. WHERE’S THE DEVICE, MR. BOND? [smash] WHERE IS IT? [smash]
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained
More chopping. Leave this one a little rough.
2-3 quarts chicken stock
Dump it all in, and let the pot come to a rolling simmer.
1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles
Grab a big stack of them in both hands. Snap them over the pot like you’re ripping a phonebook in half. Maybe even karate-chop them? You might need an extra set of hands for that. Hey, kids, come help Daddy cook!
No one? Okay, just throw them in. Cover the pot, and walk away for 10 minutes. Maybe go stand in the backyard for a bit. Tell the dog he’s a good boy. Is he a good boy? Yes he’s a good boy. Okay, head on back inside.
5 ounces fresh spinach, maybe more, just one of those big clamshells
Toss it into the soup. There’s few things I enjoy more in the kitchen than watching a big thing of greens wilt down to nothing.
3/4 cup ricotta
With the whole lasagna-adjacent thing, I thought this would be a good addition, and it absolutely was from a flavor standpoint, but it did hamper the aesthetics of the operation. We’re not making soup for aesthetics, though, are we? No, we’re making it for dinner and maybe to work out a few frustrations. Stir it in.
Ladle the soup into bowls, and crack some pepper over top.
Let’s see what we got:
Kinda ugly. Super tasty. Fun to make.
That’ll play.
6) It’s high time I developed a mildly annoying but easily accommodated affectation
You know, I just realized that I don’t have a signature cocktail?
I mean, yes—I have made some very good cocktails here on The Action Cookbook Newsletter. There’s the Sea Serpent and the Handsome Idiot, and hundreds of other drinks I’ve featured in past Fridays Newsletter.
That’s not what I’m talking about, though.
I’m talking about the kind of drink I’d make my signature order at a bar, and I’m not expecting your average bar to stock chocolate bitters or dry Curaçao. I’m looking for something that’ll sound a little bit different—like, hey, this guy must be a real character, ordering something like this, huh?—but still rely only on ingredients I can count on your average airport or hotel bar to have.