The Magical Soup Pot
by Cait Johnson

Soup pots have a special place in the collective unconscious, from the ancient Celts who believed in a magical food-filled cauldron that was never empty to the pre-Depression-era promise of a chicken in every pot. But why soups?

1) First of all, soups save money. Our Old World forebears knew that a simmering pot of soup was the answer to the tricky problem of feeding a lot of people inexpensively. Stew a few chicken bones long enough and they yield up their minerals, adding substantial nourishment as well as rich taste to the broth. Then there's the Lazarus-like miracle that soups perform on leftovers: my favorite recipe is Kitchen Sink Soup, wherein I toss the tired holdouts in my veggie drawer plus the weary remains of dinners past into the pot. With the addition of some good-quality stock and some dried or flash-frozen herbs, they magically resurrect into something that actually tastes good. (Our ancestors used to do something very similar with their own odds and ends, and then they called it supper.)

2) Soups save energy. Even if your thermostat isn't set to Arctic, as mine is, holding a bowl of steaming soup in your hands is a comfort in chilly weather, and steam from the simmering pot makes your home feel warmer, so you can keep your heating bills down. Using a slow-cooker (see number 4, below) uses even less energy than a conventional stove

3) Soups are good for our health. Many soup recipes boast immune-enhancing ingredients like onions and garlic, and their moist warmth helps to loosen clogged sinus passages. Also, modern diet wisdom holds that those who eat soup before meals lose weight—which is not hard to believe since soups are mostly water so they fill us up without filling us out.

4) Soups are easy. This makes them great for lazy cooks like me: just chop up some stuff, sauté it for a few minutes, then add liquid, and soups make themselves. And remember crockpots? Well, crockpot resurrectus est: there's even a cookbook out now called Not Your Mother's Slow-Cooker Cookbook. Slow-cookers put long-simmered soups within the reach of even the most harried worker-outside-the-home, and the new version has been redesigned and, in some cases, digitalized, to give it a nicely contemporary look and more ease of use. It also saves energy (see above). Or pick up the old-fashioned version for a dollar or two at a yard sale.

All that said, here is one of my favorite inexpensive, easy-to-make vegetarian winter soups, from Witch in the Kitchen. Feel free to throw in some meat, if you like—kielbasa makes an especially nice addition.

Root Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups good quality vegetable broth
3 cups diced, peeled fresh beets
1 medium potato, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium parsnip, diced (or use another carrot)
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp other herbs of choice
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional: Dollop of Greek yogurt, crème fraiche, or sour cream for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Add broth, beets, potato, carrot, parsnips, thyme, and other herbs, as well as sea salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until beets and parsnips are very tender. I prefer a chunky Root Soup, but you can smash with a masher, or purée if you like. Top with a dollop of dairy and serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.