We've had hints of fall here in California and along with them, the first rain of the season. With the damp, darkening skies I felt called to make soup in my new house. It warms the house and feeds the soul. If I have a pot of soup simmering I feel like somehow everyone will be healthy and that I am preparing my larder for the coming days. Not that it gets all that cold in California but it still feels tucked-in and safe to have soup cooking.
This week I happened upon a sign that said, "Eviction Sale. Everything $1. An elderly woman was sitting in a chair on her lawn with many of her possessions spread out before her. As I walked my dog past this rather disheartening sight I noticed a copper fountain sitting beside her. Throughout the day that fountain kept popping into my mind. Finally I walked back down the street and met the lady, Pauline and her lovely fountain.
Pauline was understandably not happy about her eviction and didn't want to sell her beloved things that she referred to as "treasures". I decided to spend time talking to her rather than try to buy anything. Through conversation, Paulina and I discovered our mutual love of cooking. She started to talk about her Borscht and then made claim to cooking "the best chicken soup in the world". I told her I made a pretty darn good one myself and she and I, in the midst of the eviction sale started throwing out our techniques. "Do you bronze the bones before you cook them overnight?" "Do you simmer or boil because that can make the soup cloudy." The people around us scurrying to buy things stopped and watched us as we volleyed. We of course didn't determine that day who made the better chicken soup but we did discover our shared passion for soup and cooking.
After the soup discussion Pauline began digging through her boxes and handing me cookbooks. She demeanor shifted from hopeless to someone with a mission. The cookbooks she chose for me were: "Moosewood Cookbook", "The Silver Palate Cookbook" and "James Beard's Simple Foods: 40 Lessons by America's Greatest Cook". I ended up purchasing the books from her and yes, ultimately, the fountain too. When I got home and started reading the cookbooks I noticed all the little slips of paper she'd placed throughout the pages as well as scribbled notes among the recipes. I knew from our discussions that these recipes must be keepers. The Moosewood recipe for spilt pea soup inspired me and that's where I started though, as per usual I changed it.
I went back the next few days and tried to help her by listing some of her items for sale on craigslist. She was going to be homeless and could only keep a few things in her car and planned to sleep in someone's garage until she could figure out another situation. She was torn about each and every object she owned and most people walked away frustrated or sad after trying to buy them.
As I got to know her more, I decided to offer to keep 2 boxes of precious items for her in my shed. I watched as she carefully selected the items. She picked: her Kitchen-aid mixer, her grandmother's antique rolling pin, her mother's engraved silver tray, her Calphalon pans she'd saved for until they went on sale at Macy's, of course her stock pot! and a beautiful antique seafoam green mixing bowl with a matching pie plate.
I have spent much of this week wondering what items I would choose if I were in the same position.
The last I saw of Pauline's things was yesterday when i walked my dog. The Sheriff had come and locked her out, and the landlord had bullied her into leaving in spite of California law saying she still had time to get her things. Three Mexican men with a truck and trailer were removing all of Pauline's possessions and she was no where to be found. The mixing bowls and plant stands, the leftover books and pots, even the couch and antique wooden chairs were all piled into a heap. I asked the men where they were taking them and they said, "The Dump." They were in a huge hurry and worked quickly. Many of the items in the pile were the ones I'd watched Pauline fret over when people had tried to buy them from her. Now,instead of them being bought and her at least making some money from them, they were going to be crushed and recycled. (I called the local dump and found out that no items are removed from what is deposited at the dump. Nothing is resold, everything is sorted into piles and crushed). Now no one will ever own them, at least not in their current state.
When creating this soup in my new house I thought of Pauline. I'm sure there are plenty of days she did this and now wishes she could. My experience with her again highlighted for me how fragile life can be. As I move into my new house, she is being evicted from hers. I will keep hopes and wishes for her that she finds another home where she can create amazing meals. All I know to do is store her precious boxes in my shed until she's ready.
Split Pea Soup:
2 cups dried split peas
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
3/4 cups white wine (I used Smoking Loon Chardonnay which for me gave the buttery flavor and a hint of sweetness)
4 carrots sliced
3 celery sliced
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 onion finely diced
1 white med. potato finely sliced
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. cayenne flakes
2 Tbl. olive oil
First rinse the split peas and remove any debris. Put them in a stock pot with the water and bay leaves and cook for app. 1 hour in-between low and med. Watch the soup because the peas tend to want to stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.
Saute' the garlic, onion, carrots, celery and potato in another pan in the olive oil and 1/4 cup of wine until they are still slightly crunchy. Add this combo to the cooked peas and add the mustard, cayenne flakes, salt and pepper and another 1/4 cup of the wine. Simmer soup on med. low for another 15 min. before serving. Mix soup around to be sure it's all incorporated and add the last 1/4 cup of wine 5 min. before serving.
Can be served plain or you can add a slice of oven baked baguette rubbed with raw garlic, some fresh diced tomato, bacon crumbles or a slight touch of your favorite hot sauce.
The buttery wine and olive oil make the soup rich without the need to add cream or a ham hock. The quick cooking time keeps the veggies lightly crunchy which makes the soup feel more hearty.
