The Soul of an Old Tureen

If you spend lots of time in the kitchen, you can’t help but be struck by the number of dishes that really were intended to feed a good-sized family nutritiously on a shoestring budget. Add to that the concept of the French bistro, also simple fare done up both exquisitely and economically, and you begin to see a history of of food preparation — both at home and commercially — intended to satisfy deeply without breaking the bank. It is only recently that we have entered the realm of celebrity chefs, food porn, and culinary extravaganzas. Not to mention the whole phenomenon of fast food, which does for gustation what speed dating has done to romance. But I digress.

This past week, I put together a tasting menu for some friends. It was a simple meal, starting with peanut soup with avocado (pictured here), sauteed okra and tomatoes, hoppin’ John, crabcakes, and a pecan tart. Preparing this meal, I found myself being drawn into the very familiar process of soup-making, a layering of tastes and smells that is meditative: The sautee of onions, celery, in a bouquet garni; the addition of the one key ingredient that will define the soup; the subsequent pureeing; the finishing touches of butter and other touches. It is such an old and time-worn process as to be the essence of familiarity and comfort.

Hard to imagine anything better than this simple soup. Refinements perhaps. But better?