Garbage Soup

before

Well I think we can all agree that I've been a terrible blogger for the last three months, while I finish another project. (FYI, look for a major article in the next Gastronomica.) However! I'm going to try to do at least minor posts for the next while, until my commuting schedule (SF-LA for three days a week) slows down.

welcome to northern california....

As you can see from the picture above, it's horrid out: freezing, rainy, ugh. Lizzy and Lucy have hunkered down to do nothing today - seriously, they are totally immobile - and I've got a pot of garbage soup on, to keep us fed for the next week.

lizzy and lucy in action

As you probably already know, garbage soup is a big pot full of whatever-you've-got plus some whatever-is-leftover all chopped up and cooked down together. Here's today's version of

Garbage Soup

One leek; one green pepper; one small green cabbage; two large heads of broccoli; lots of celery - all the above chopped, obviously - and four cans of diced tomatoes with jalapenos. For flavor backbone and just that so the soup doesn't taste like wet mulch add two cubes of vegetable bouillon, one poblano pepper split down the middle and a parmesan rind, the latter an old and excellent corrective to otherwise pallid and depressing vegetarian soup. Before serving add a bunch of chopped cilantro and maybe a dollop of sour cream.

after....