The Sue Chef: Fortification Soup

When it's -8C and the windchill makes it feel more like -21C

and the view out the window looks like this

and only those poor, unfortunate people who got snowshoes for Christmas

feel compelled to be outside,

then that is the time that my thoughts, and those of the creatures around me,

turn to food. From the little nibble notes of the Red Squirrel

to the nutty taste tests by the Blue Jays,

thoughts of food abound.

Perhaps it's a winter thing. A cold thing that makes us yearn for rich, tasty treats, a kitchen redolent with earthy spices, a pot simmering on the stove

and buns in the oven. Pregnant pause here. 

Some spicy cooking indeed!

Which is why I'm thrilled with the ability to browse through papers from all over the world, and discover a recipe in the Los Angeles Times that begs to be tested and tasted. A recipe for a soup that a couple had at Bewley's on Grafton Street in Dublin. I've actually been there! And they thought the soup was so exceptional that they asked the food writer at the LA Times to get it for them.

And lo and behold, it's now simmering on my stove too.

I love that about today's technology!

This soup is chock full of vegetables: onions, potatoes, leeks, tomatos,fennel, carrots,  and white kidney beans...

My kitchen smells like a place to linger.

To sit and share a bowl of soup,

 and a warm cheese scone.

I'll put another log on the fire, and we can enjoy this cold winter's day -

where at least for this hour, and in this place, all is right with the world. 

Fortifying the soul on a Saturday afternoon.

I ate Ireland.

I believe that carrots, onions and green peppers are called trinity in most cook books, and the combination forms an essential taste base that sets the tone for the entire recipe. The carrots add sweetness, the peppers a tang, and the onions keep them from fighting with one another.
That said, I am sitting here at the table, munching away, and pretty much in a state of bliss! There is absolutely nothing in the world that tastes better (in my humble opinion) than a raw carrot, quickly pulled, rinsed, and still warm from its earthy sheath. Except of course, another one or three.
The second best taste is a cucumber, twisted off the vine, peeled, salted and sliced, then straight into the mouth. My mouth. Slightly sweet, a tad tart, it is the taste of summer.

Add to this some cottage cheese, and a little pepper, and you have created Irish Sue! Enjoy!