The 5 Best Soups (and whatnot)

A parade of fantastic soups and songs for fall!

It’s fall. Actually, as I write this, there are still six whole days of summer left. But let’s be honest; I’m not going to hit send on this in the next six days, and I’m ready for fall. Tonight, my husband made chili, and that pretty much sealed the deal. Soup season is upon us. Tonight, as I ate my chili, I started thinking about the many spectacular soups of yore. Mmm…

I’m realizing that I’m jumping the gun here. I can’t jump into a list of soups past without clarifying a few things: I’m no purist. My colleagues at a former job used to return to the old “Is cereal a soup?” debate on the regular, and I LOVED taking whichever side of that argument caused the most frustration. I just like to stir the soup pot. Anyway, I don’t think my definition of “soup” is going to make me too much of a radical: With the understanding that I also acknowledge the validity of the elusory cold-soups (borscht, gazpacho, etc), I’m defining soup as any hot, savory dish, served in a bowl or mug, and more easily eaten with a spoon than a fork. By this definition, stew is soup, and chili is soup, but mac and cheese is not soup (even if it’s in a bread bowl).

Now, the below list doesn’t stray too far from the most conservative definition of soup, but I still think it’s important for you to know how broad my personal definition is. It will help you grasp the scope of my pool of options and therefore the greatness of my five selections.

You still with me? Then let’s talk soup!

In no particular order… The 5 best soups I’ve ever had:

Cottey Baked Potato Soup

From 2001 to 2003, I attended Cottey College in Nevada, MO. A lot has changed since I went to school there, but at that time, Cottey was a very quirky, 2-year, liberal arts women’s college. Our dining hall, which fed all of the college’s 270ish students, was run by a talented chef named Michael Richardson. Michael was a celebrity on campus. He was kind, handsome, and his food was amazing (and not just on parents’ weekend). He had an impressive career as the head chef in several high end restaurants before becoming the Director of Food Services at Cottey, and once there, he truly cooked for EVERYONE. He honored every dietary restriction and cooked food that made us feel loved and at home.

The dish that most of us think of when we think of both Michael and Cottey is Baked Potato Soup. It was only on the menu a handful of times a year, and we treated “Baked Potato Soup Day” like a holiday, often lining up an hour in advance to get into the dining hall.

The soup itself is extremely simple; not much more than potatoes, stock, and dairy. You then add whatever toppings your heart desires: sour cream, cheese, bacon, chives, etc. This is not a complicated dish, but it undeniably comforting to the soul. When we graduated from Cottey, Michael had a printed copy of the recipe inserted into the back of the graduation program as a gift to us. Today, the recipe is available to anyone looking for it on the college’s website.

Poot (Grandma’s Beef Vegetable Soup/Stew)

Beef vegetable soup and beef stew were both favorites at my Grandma Wyman’s house. These were two different dishes, with a lot of overlap, but my memories of them are fluid (pun intended). When I was very small, I called it “poot,” and the name stuck. I fell down the stairs once, and (when I was asked what would make it better) “poot” was the answer.

The best part of poot (and I know I’m going to lose some people here) was the brussels sprouts. I don’t think she did anything particularly interesting to them. She just selected the small ones and threw them into the broth whole. They would bloom slightly as they absorbed the soup around them, and they would sort of burst in your mouth when you bit down on them. Incredible.

Poot has forever made me defensive of the brussels sprout. My baby son loves the book Spider Sandwiches by Claire Freedman, a very British book about all of the shockingly icky things monsters like to eat. On the final page, we learn that even monsters refuse to eat “green sprout soup,” and Max, our monster protagonist, runs away in terror. No, I will not allow this book to incept my son with this gross mischaracterization of the noble sprout and it’s contribution to a delectable soup! In keeping with the rhyme scheme, I have opted to change the end of the book to “But even MONSTERS gasp, ‘No, thanks!’ when faced with… dachshund poop!”

Peanut Butter Chicken Vegetable Soup (My Own Recipe)

Yes, I AM putting my own recipe on this list. Much like Poot, Peanut Butter Chicken Vegetable Soup does not have a static recipe. It’s a wonderful way to use up all of the leftover vegetables that have been lazing about the fridge and freezer. The real thing that makes this soup amazing is the addition of peanut butter. It give the soups a lovely, warm, nutty flavor, and it makes it taste ever so slightly like pad thai. I’ve included an approximation of the recipe here in my notes!

The Clam Chowder at the Hall of Presidents

Specifically and unapologetically, the clam chowder from the Liberty Tree Tavern, next to the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom, circa 1998. It was next-level soup, and I have never again met a chowder that’s its equal. I wish I could further describe to you how delicious this soup was, but there is simply no poetry in phrases like “ideal viscosity” and “abundant clam chunks.” It was just a damn fine soup. I was very excited to recently learn that there are copycat recipes all over the place! Let’s try making it!

Uncle Mike’s Seafood Bisque

Uncle Mike is my mom’s older brother, and I absolutely adore him. He and his husband, Dave, ran a well-storied flower shop in Massachusetts for decades. They are now retired and spend their time literally befriending squirrels in their gorgeous garden.

Decades ago, I was looking for something warm and cozy that would make New Years Eve feel a little bit fancy for our extended family. I remembered him mentioning serving seafood bisque at dinner parties, so I asked for the recipe, and it did not disappoint! The recipe (which can be found in my notes) is loaded with shrimp and scallops, sautéed in butter. The broth, which is heavy on cream and sherry is so velvety and flavorful, seasoned with white pepper and sweet Hungarian paprika. Typing this has me craving it desperately (even as I am filled to the brim with delicious chili). It’s the reason the chef kiss exists.

A Few More Treasures for the Road

A while back, I was making a playlist entirely of covers, and I discovered a few gems:

• “SOS” (by Abba) covered by Fozzy - This version rocks, and it’s my new favorite cover. For those wondering, the band has nothing to do with the Muppet. (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• “Everlong” (by the Foo Fighters) covered by Matt Duncan - Smooth as hell. Very satisfying. (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• “You Really Got a Hold On Me” (by Smokey Robinson) covered by La Santa Cecilia - This band absolutely rules. I highly recommend just letting their entire discography play after you listen to this cover. (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (by Brian Hyland) covered by Trio Tividi, who have simply titled the song “Bikini.” - This isn’t going to be your new favorite, but I got a kick out of it. It’s nearly identical to the original, but in Croatian. Of all the songs to make the trek! (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• “Well Did You Evah?” (by Cole Porter, famously performed by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby) covered by Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry - Two absolute legends just having a good time. (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• “Take Me to Church” (by Hozier) covered by The Agonist - The angst is turned up to to eleven in the best possible way. (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

• And finally, to kick of spooky season properly… “I Put a Spell on You” (by Screamin' Jay Hawkins) covered by Annie Lenox - Because who better to cover this song, you know? (On YouTube) (On Spotify)

Thanks, gang! Until we meet again!