Fifty: Chopping Season

This gift giving season netted me some marvelous knives today, compliments of the generous nature of JSG and EG. Those bad boys hummed a sharp tune today as we went to town on the makings of a hearty bahgobble veggie soup (lamb and turkey). I always start with onions, giving them a brisk chop. Ah, the knives, they were like buttah! In the pot went the onions for a nice shvitzing, then after they've worked up a sweat, mushrooms join them. I rummaged in the vegetable bin and found some green beans, carrots, brocolli and its rabe, lots of garlic in whole cloves, and then topped it all off with some chicken stock. I mocked it outright so it simmered a while, then when it was ready to tell me off, I threw in the turkey and lamb, all leftovers from previous evenings. After about an hour of moderate heat, I added some rinsed Navy beans and let it simmer just a while longer until I found a kind of crusty bread to go along for the ride. A crusty baguette is a always good choice, but we had a multi-grain sunflower loaf that is all kinds of wonderful with soup or with air for that matter. Lordy, is there anything better than really great bread? Soup and bread for dinner makes for a world of comfort as the air becomes chilly and your energy makes a stop for the night. A fresh pear was sacrificed for dessert, although, what I really wanted was some creme brulee placed in my mind by the wisp of a waitress at the Chew this afternoon.