Who Knew: By the Spoonful

‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market.

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January’s atonement vibes are in full swing, like a sobering cosmic credit card bill for the gin-soaked immoderation we practiced in December. As with every January, I find myself casting about for joy. I want sunlight. I want fun. I want a little snack. But all the universe has to offer right now are Vuori sale ads and a polar vortex. “Dry January” has a new bestie, “Veganuary,” an effort to elucidate eaters on the health and environmental benefits of veganism. Those benefits are undeniable, but I’d rather go fully plant-based during the summer when plants are doing arguably better work. I guess “Vegust” lacks the same zip. 

It’s natural to take the longest, darkest, coldest month of the year at a slower pace, whether we’re participating in jauntily themed deprivation or just respecting the fresh slate of a new calendar. So this year, my source of warmth, joy, and snacks has been soup.

Soup is pretty specifically not news; it’s been around as long as humans have been hanging clay cooking pots over fires–some 20,000 years. I can’t think of a cultural cuisine that doesn’t include it, from Avgolemono to Tom Kha Gai. A dietitian will praise you for a soup habit; it’s nutrient-dense, filling, versatile, hydrating, and unless you’re swilling gallons of sodium-laden Progresso, a very minimally processed food. If made with bone broth, soup can load you up with collagen, glucosamine, and minerals that benefit your joints and skin. Can it be boring? Sure, if you never stray from a well-trodden path. But it can also be a delightful surprise, like the shot of pre-meal consommé served by Madrid’s restaurants every winter. 

In the spirit of helping us all navigate this dark January of the soul, let’s talk about some soups worth putting on your snow boots to try.

Greenology

Power move: Greenology’s cauliflower turmeric soup is actual sunshine in a bowl. For a vegan soup, it’s surprisingly creamy, and the curry flavor is on point. I love that a little dice of veggies is detectable; it’s not just a featureless purée, but a well-rounded, hearty meal. Greenology serves it with a little slab of low-gluten sourdough bread, which my luxurious (some would say unnecessary) addition of oyster crackers rendered obsolete. 

A shout-out to oyster crackers: If I ever become a famous musician and go on a world tour, oyster crackers would be the only line item on my venue rider. Life is for the living.

Worth a shot: Greenology’s gluten-free g-ramen is built around a wildly delicious miso vegetable tamari broth, but to me, the gluten-free noodles are a poor facsimile of what I most look forward to in a bowl of ramen: the ramen part. These noodles just don’t recreate the savory, alkaline chew of real ramen. But if you’re a celiac sufferer, this soup will be an excellent option and a peerless nutrient delivery mechanism. 

Miyuki’s Noodle Shop

GOAT: Miyuki’s spicy coconut chicken soup, thanks to a zingy, lemongrass-coconut broth scented with serrano chiles, is the absolute move at our town’s favorite noodle-turned-cookie joint. Linguine-gauge rice noodles add structure and heft, but the broth is the star here, as are the herbaceous cilantro stalks and delicate bok choy greens. Tender white meat chicken brings home some protein without adding distracting fat.  Deliver an order (it includes enough for at least two meals) to a friend who’s feeling under the weather, and you’ll be Caring Friend of the Year. 

Also great: Miyuki’s spicy miso ramen has a memorably tasty broth, and I’m delighted to report that her ramen noodles are the real deal.

 

Walter Stewart’s

Everyone should know their spouse’s standing WS soup order (ahem, chicken & dumpling for me, turkey lasagna for my husband) and, if spotted, grab a pint–this feels like an easy path to a marriage win. This week, I added two new favorites to my roster. 

MVP: Cream-based soups can be boring unless you do something texturally surprising with them, like a brunoise of raw veggies, some croutons, a floater of infused oil, or, preferably, all three. Walter Stewart’s culinary team zhuzhes up their cream of tomato with chicken & orzo, giving it a textural upgrade from fluffy orzo and little shreds of chicken without losing the universally soothing sweetness of tomato soup. Fully intending to save a bite for my husband to try, I dusted the bowl. I’ll pick him up some next time.

Dazzling vegan surprise: three-lentil chili. Man! I came to this column prepared to die on a hill for sausage’s rightful place in lentil soup, but this hearty chili changed my mind. Vegan soups have won my heart (and probably done okay by my cholesterol levels) this month, and this lentil chili was absolutely packed with flavor. It’s nuanced, earthy, and rich, with yellow, red, and green lentils all soaking up the flavor of a mirepoix base, plus an assortment of peppers and herbs. If you have ironclad rules about what does and doesn’t constitute a chili, good for you and your semantic adherence–this three-lentil chili probably ain’t it. But to me, it was IT, a winning and surprisingly robust flavor brought to life with infinitely hearty texture. I’d sprinkle crushed tortilla chips, and perhaps some fresh cilantro, on this if I were feeling zazzy.

 

Green & Tonic

Get it before it’s gone: G&T’s seasonal Tuscan kale and white bean soup was another 100% plant-based winner. It was SUPER flavorful with a good, toothy structure, owing to nary an overcooked vegetable. Lovely, plump cannellini beans take center stage over a veggie broth base, cubed butternut squash, diced mirepoix, and kale. Legumes in a soup are a good place to get some protein (build that lean muscle mass!) and fiber (who doesn’t love a fart joke?), but, on their own, a bit dull. This soup, if a touch on the salty side, had plenty of drama. I was pleasantly surprised that this juice shop chainlet has such a good soup game, and I’ll be back to sample more. 

 

Am  I quietly becoming a vegan soup propagandist? No. Soup isn’t, and will likely never be a pizza. But as a means of atonement and a January Coping Mechanism that delivers a little warmth, flavor, and, ahem, fiber, it can’t be beat. We’re surrounded with good options, and for home cooks, there’s nothing easier and more forgiving than throwing together a pot of soup. 

It brings to mind that old Albert Camus saw about finding an invincible summer in ourselves during the coldest winter. Sure, it’s a metaphor, but taken at face value, it works. Soup helps you create your own warmth when things seem particularly dreary. And if every year is a bank, we’d do well to store up a few healthy habits at the beginning of the year, if only to earn ourselves some abandon when things get fun again.

I’ll see you then.