Welcome Home!
My friends and family know I’m not what you would call an inspired cook. I don’t thumb through cookbooks in my spare time looking for recipes to try. I don’t spend weekends in the kitchen, rolling out pastry or kneading bread dough. But there is one thing I do well. I make a good pot of soup.
Perhaps the reason soup seems to come easily to me is that it is an improvisational food. You don’t need a script, a recipe to follow. Soup benefits from a free hand.
When I have to cook, or just when I’m in the mood to cook, I know that all I need to begin are the basics. I chop and sauté the mirepoix, the onion, celery and carrot base used to flavor most vegetable soups. Immediately, the air is perfumed and redolent of good things.
The rest depends on what I have on hand. What I have to work with. Broth, more vegetables, perhaps the last of Sunday’s roast, all go into the pot. Herbs, plucked fresh from the plant in the window or shaken out of a jar in the pantry, add subtle tones to the meal. A pinch of salt, a bit of fresh pepper and we’re done.
My kitchen, a place I don’t usually spend a lot of time, becomes a sanctuary.
My favorite moment is when I place the fresh pasta in the bottom of the bowl – cooked and served separately so it doesn’t lose its identity in the soup – and ladle over it a mixture that is equal parts nutrition, inspiration and – depending on the company – love.
A crusty loaf of bread and soup that is warm and filling is my favorite meal. Especially when lit by candles at the center of the table.
All good cooks, and people like me, know that the key to a memorable meal is more than just feeding the appetite.
It all tastes better when you feed the soul.
This week in Home
Eliza Shotts is a good cook. It just comes naturally to her. So when she entered and won a cooking contest that landed her a spot on the Food Network’s “Emeril Live!”, no one was surprised. We spent the day with Eliza as the production crew crowded into her little Chattaroy kitchen to tape a segment for the show. Her story is our cover feature.
Spokane’s South Hill is known for its wealth of vintage homes. But when two men set their sights on reclaiming a dated and non-descript apartment building the result was a sophisticated and surprising re-do. Amy Klamper profiles their work in this week’s Urban Style feature.
And, because fall football is a family tradition in this part of the country, Megan Cooley’s HomeMaker column is full of tips for crafting tiny and stylish togs for little fans.
Every week I like to think of Home as a recope for delicious ideas. With great photographs of beautiful homes and interesting people it’s guaranteed to be good.
We’ve got all the right ingredients.