Free Soup Night by Maggie Stuckey Page B

hosted a soup night once a week in the fall and winter months. Although this group is smaller than some of those described in these pages, the basic idea is the same: get some folks together for a simple, delicious meal of soup and bread, and watch what happens. Lisa’s friends and neighbors bring a potluck collection of ingredients and they do the cooking together, which admittedly is easier with a small group, and a lot more fun.
    Lisa herself picks up the story:
    “A good friend of ours recently moved back to the area, and we wanted to have her over for dinner. She brought a butternut squash, which we turned into soup; last week [this was November] we made a carrot soup (we still have loads in our garden) and a potato soup; and now we’ve decided that these weekly soup meals are official.”
    I really love Lisa’s thoughtful comments about the virtue of Soup Night, and am grateful for her permission to share them with you:
Why Soup Night?
    Cooking together . “Making meals with friends is more fun than cooking alone. One of the main parts of the evening is making a meal from scratch together.”
    Potluck. “We talk during the day about what kind of soup we’ll make, depending on what ingredients everyone already has. One person may have leeks, potatoes, and bread, the other may have vegetable broth, and apples for an apple crisp.”
    The cold. “Winter in New England lasts a long time, usually November to April. Soups are a wonderful way to warm up.”
    For health. “Soup broth absorbs the vitamins and minerals from its ingredients. A vegetable soup made with beans and grains is extra healthy and wholesome.”
    Simple living. “Living simply is about choosing experiences over stuff. Cooking the meal, sipping on a glass of wine or beer while cooking, and enjoying conversation all become an activity prior to the actual eating. I love finding new ways to spend time with the people I care about.”
    Low cost. “While we didn’t specifically start Soup Night as part of Meatless Mondays, it’s turning out to be that way. Making a hearty vegetarian soup with a homemade bread is a pretty cheap meal. Healthy can be affordable.”
For recipes from Lisa’s group, see:
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Borscht

Carrot-Ginger Soup
    Recipe from Lisa Fine , Montpelier, Vermont
    Serves 6
    This soup would be lovely with a swirl of crème fraîche (see page 237 ).
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crème fraîche (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the water and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, and return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot. Stir in the ginger.
3. Reheat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a dollop of crème fraîche, if desired.
    Make ahead? This soup is easily made a day ahead; refrigerate.
    For large crowds: Also easy to multiply.
    Ginger Juice
    To get the incomparable taste of fresh ginger without adding actual pieces of ginger to your soup (some people don’t like to bite into it), try making “ginger juice.” Place a paper towel on a small dish and grate fresh ginger directly onto it. When you have a small mound, wrap the paper towel tightly and squeeze directly over the dish, catching the liquid.

Havana Banana–Black Bean Soup
    Serves 6–8
    Several folks who host soup nights have the tradition of serving an orange soup and a black soup in October, in honor of Halloween. You have several options for the orange — carrots, pumpkin, or butternut squash, all of which are represented in this book. For