Issue #256: feels like the right time for soup 🍲

Friday edition: Our best recommendations for your downtime.
Issue #256 ~ February 4, 2022

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Editor's Note

The best soup recipes, according to you!

We asked for your favorites, and once again, you delivered.

by Carey Polis, Senior Director of Content and Audience

Hi there,

We’re at that point in winter where we’re all dreaming of spring… but the crocus buds aren’t saying hello quite yet. So let’s embrace the fact that we’re still “in it” and talk about what is clearly a passion point for many readers: SOUP. After we asked a few newsletter issues ago, you sent us recipes, tips, and lots of exclamation points expressing a deep love for this culinary genre.

Keep reading for some of the many (many!) recipes you recommended. Later in the newsletter, we’re revealing your secrets for perfecting your soup game.

Without further ado…

Veg-forward recipes you love:

Garlicky Creamy Coconutty Dreamy Soup from Sophia Roe | Lemony Lentil Soup from Gimme Some Oven | French Onion Soup from Le Creuset | Minestrone Soup from Food52 | Spicy Black Bean Soup from Cookie & Kate | Creamy Curry Egg Noodle Soup from Bon Appétit | North African Bean Stew with Barley and Winter Squash from New York Times | Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup from Little Spice Jar | Pasta e Ceci from The Guardian | Simple Tomato Soup from 101 Cookbooks

Chicken and meat recipes you love:

Italian Wedding Soup from Barefoot Contessa | Sopa de Lima from Kiwilimón | Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup from Pinch of Yum | White Chicken Chili from Panning the Globe | Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup from Damn Delicious | Chicken and Rice Soup with Celery, Parsley, and Lemon from New York Times | Albondigas Soup from Isabel Eats

Thank you to everyone for submitting—if you don’t see your rec here, it’s not that it isn’t awesome and delicious! We just wanted to present the most variety of soups possible and there were lots of similar themes (wow, uh, GNI readers really love lentils…).

Hope you have a perfect bowl on an upcoming evening. —Carey

take action & take care

For the month of February, we're collaborating with Anti-Racism Daily and their 28 Days of Black History project to bring you a new action item each week, starting with the one below:

This Black History Month, give money directly to Black people. You can search for GoFundMe projects by category, use Miiriya’s mutual aid platform, or support a mutual aid project nearest you.

About 28 Days: The 28 Days of Black History email series centers on stories of Black marginalized voices that are often overlooked in Black history narratives. Each installment includes a cultural artifact (book, song, artwork, etc.), its historical context, and action steps so we can all work towards learning about and recognizing the breadth of the Black experience throughout history. You can subscribe to 28 Days of Black History here.

weekly picks

this week's picks and reads were curated by Carey Polis

something's simmering... via @patriciarodi

A newsletter we’ve all been loving… The Veggie from The New York Times is full of creative vegetarian recipes, and beautifully written by Tejal Rao. None of us are vegetarian, but we've been making so many of the recent recipe recs.

Speaking of vegetables… I’m very here for these new-ish sausage companies that are putting lots and lots of veg in their meat-based (or should I probably say meat- and veg-based?) sausages. Favorite flavors include the kale chimichurri chicken sausage from Phil’s Finest, and the broccoli melt pork sausage from Seemore’s.
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Must bake black cake... I'm not yet done with Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel Black Cake but am very into the family dynamics and history so far. Apparently, I'm not the only one excited by this book—it's going to be a Hulu series!
Also, Joan is better than okay... I enjoyed Weike Wang's sophomore novel, Joan Is Okay, about an ICU doctor in her 30s who doesn't fit the mold of what people expect from her. You root for her, even if you don't relate. But if you haven't read Wang's first book, Chemistry, please do so immediately.
Can't resist more mugs... I was too late on Black Pepper Paperie Co.'s most recent mug drop but am marking my calendar for March 14. Love the shapes and designs.

Three new TV dramedies that are a little bit serious and a little bit funny… Single Drunk Female (Hulu), about a 28-year-old who leaves rehab and is mostly trying to get her life back together, has me hooked. Somebody Somewhere (HBO), stars Bridget Everett (I’ve loved her for years!), who is also mostly trying to get her life back on track following the death of her sister. I eagerly wait for every time Everett sings—her voice is incredible. As We See It (Amazon Prime) stars three neurodiverse twentysomethings navigating how to be a young adult when the world doesn’t always function like they need it to. It’s charming and sad and heartwarming all at the same time.

Okay one more food rec… Is anyone else really into the mini brownies at Le Pain Quotidien? It seems like they had a brief moment of Internet fame back in 2006 and I’m here to report that they are still excellent—chocolatey, just the right amount of fudginess, great for an afternoon snack.

a whole bunch of soup tips

green onions make everything better, via @annmarieelaban

Definitely the most popular tip… When your soup is a little bland, add a tablespoon or two of vinegar or lemon, or really any kind of acid.

Fish sauce FTW… Several readers also preached about using as few dashes of fish sauce. Or soy sauce! Or Worcestershire if you don’t have the other two!
The power of cheese. Save your parm rinds and and them toward the end of cooking (so it doesn’t get gloppy, says Kitty L.) for more flavor.

When you don’t have stock… Use Better Than Bouillon—it’s better than store-bought stock and stays forever in the fridge (that one is from multiple readers, and myself!). Or, add a spoonful of miso or a few bay leaves to boiling water if you don’t have stock (Mary H., with a hat tip to Samin and Hrishi).

Just some good general tips… Chop all the veg to roughly the same size, add leafy greens toward the end, and don’t be afraid of salt! (Maddie M., inspired by her grandmother)

To thicken soup… "If the soup has beans, part way through cooking, scoop out a couple cups of broth, beans, veggies—whatever you've got going on in there—and blend it. Then, add it back in. It'll thicken the soup and give it a nice creamy feel without adding any dairy." (Katy P.)
Speaking of beans… Shannon S. swears by everything the Women’s Bean Project makes. “I love their mission—they provide jobs and support to chronically unemployed women, and you can even see who made your soup on the packaging and read their story online. Soup for the belly and the soul!”

weekly reads

A hot (cold?) take: Cake is better frozen. (Food & Wine)

Why are we all so interested in the tales about scammers? (Shondaland)
Vigorously nodding along to this article on how pregnancy apps spread disinformation. Seriously holding myself back with every fiber of my being to not write an all-caps 1000-word rant right now. (Wired)

Wait, here's more about vegetables. Really cool package on the legacy of plant-based eating in the African diaspora. (Kitchn)

When you need to indulge a bad mood, read these books (The Atlantic).

Save the group chat! (New York Times)

What is it about the Eames lounge chair that has millennial men so obsessed? (Washington Post)
Anyone else know Goodnight Moon by heart? This is all about its radical author. (New Yorker)

sharing is caring.

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Issue #256: feels like the right time for soup 🍲

Editor's Note

The best soup recipes, according to you!

We asked for your favorites, and once again, you delivered.

by Carey Polis, Senior Director of Content and Audience

take action & take care

weekly picks

this week's picks and reads were curated by Carey Polis

a whole bunch of soup tips

weekly reads

sharing is caring.

reader ❤️ from our inbox...

"I love this new series. It's content that is actually super relatable and I love the advice that's crowdsourced via social media." —Kaitlin (Thanks for reading! You can submit your own Downtime Dilemma here).

Older messages

help! how do you wind down at night? 😴

Issue #254: theme songs, secret talents, favorite recipes 🎵

Downtime Diary: an extremely online millennial who’s always laughing

Issue #253: just some really good blankets 🛏️

how to break up with a friend 🙅‍♀️

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