BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!—Lewis Carroll
Unlike Americans, who are largely indiscriminate, Italians prefer ravioli with tomato sauce and tortellini served in a clear broth of some sort. Well, Three Rivers Co-op doesn’t sell tortellini, so we decided to defy tradition and go with Rising Moon’s organic Florentine Ravioli in our soup. Our friends Tomato and Paprika are in the process of moving (still!—since that one post forever ago!), and we remember how starving we were during that stressful time. We wanted to cook them a real nice meal to help them out because they are always so kind and generous to us. What the co-op did have are some tiny little Japanese mushrooms that we adore—scrumptious!For a perfect green finish on the soup, I grabbed some fresh tarragon, or “little Dragon,” and curly-leafed parsley.
When we got home I kneaded up some sourdough from our heirloom culture that’s older than either of us to make a rosemary foccacia, and Chow Chow had the grand idea to throw some shipped-from-Mexico Roma tomatoes (I know, tomato season is supposed to be over!), sliced into rings on top of the dough before baking. Some celtic grey salt and fresh-ground pepper and that beauty was ready to go in the oven.
For the salad, it was fresh baby greens with shredded carrots—
maroon, red, pink, orange, and white shredded fine and mounded in the center. I garnished the whole thing with artichoke hearts and green olives— just in time for Tomato and Paprika.
They brought two bottles of Post Familie Muscadine Juice, a red and a white. I waited to add the ravioli to the soup broth till they arrived to avoid overcooked, starchy dumplings. Raviolis should be a clean affair. We munched on the tomatoey bread dipped in olive oil while we waited. As soon as the pasta was serenely al dente I finished with the fresh herbs and the miso paste. Always add the miso at the very end, because simmering or excessive cooking can kill the natural, healthy probiotic cultures in this magical food. The salad was beautiful, and the soup was nourishing. The muscadine juice was incredible, and at the end of the night I enjoyed a coconut milk ice cream sandwich. First one half, then the other.
—Chili
A message from Chow Chow: The broth of this soup was staggeringly sensuous. It was rich, profound, and finished with a spice of pepper in the back of the mouth. Make it now!
Food for the Seasons 