The Soup Club Cookbook

As a super frugal med student, I like to save money wherever possible, so one way I accomplish this is…rounding up friends to cook with and/or have potlucks with. We get a variety of awesome types of food with a massively decreased prep time; coupled with awesome company and a break from med school life, what more could you possibly ask for?

My original plan was to make and share a soup recipe from the book along with this, but I am currently in the midst of my psych rotation and let’s just say…I think I’ve found a rotation that’s actually taken OB/GYN off the top of my “Do Not Want” list. (I apologize in advance if I’m a stormcloud of gloom and doom next month, because as always, I’m writing into the future.)

Anyway! You can probably tell why this book was right up my alley. Not only does it have a bunch of delicious + tasty-lookin’ recipes, it also goes through how you can go about setting up your own “soup club!” I love and adore soup, especially since it’s been so cold out lately. This is the perfect comfort food to curl up with! :]

The Soup Club Cookbook

By Courtney Allison, Tina Carr, Caroline Laskow, Julie Peacock (Author Bio)

Genre: Cookbook
Pages: 240

The “Soup Club” is a soup-er (sorry, couldn’t resist) cute and simple concept; theirs consisted of 4 ladies, so once a month, each one would be responsible for making 1 quart of soup per adult, and would deliver it to the other members of the club. This ensures that you get 3 awesome soups from your fellow club members.

It also delves into the details, e.g. essential pantry/kitchen ingredients, taking into account dietary restrictions/preferences, using dried vs. canned beans, tools for cooking and delivery, etc.

Despite the title, this book shares way more than just soups, and covers a whole mess of cultures, which makes me really happy, because I’ve been meaning to delve into branching out into different cuisines!

Part 1: How To Be A Soup Club

• Broths (provides an awesome base for all sorts of different soups)
• Soups of Assembly (or as I like to call it, “soup with stuff in it”–it includes instructions for delivery or to serve it)
• Toppings (includes a bunch of things I’ve never tried making that I’m really curious about, e.g. Tofu Croutons, Chipotle-Adobo Creme Fraiche, Chili-Lime Pepitas)

Part 2: All The Soups!

• Beans (e.g. Cuban Black Bean Soup, Spanish Chickpea & Spinach Soup)
• Purees (e.g. Carrot Coconut Soup, Sunchoke Soup)
• Hearty (e.g. Winter Corn Chowder, Mushroom & Cashew Cream Soup)
• Chilled (e.g. Avocado-Arugula Soup, Watermelon Gazpacho)
• Fish (e.g. Salmon Soup in White Broth, Green Coconut Curry with Scallops & Fried Plantains)
• Meat (e.g. Filipino Healing Soup, Beef Mole Chili)

Part 3: For Forks & Fingers!

• Salads & Dressings (e.g. Walnut Vinaigrette, Cucumber Salad Variations, Lentil Squash Salad)
• Vegetables (e.g. Quick Pickles, Kimchi, Maple Butter Carrots)
• Breads, Grains & Pastas (e.g. Squash Bread, Jeweled Rice, Coconut Wheat Berries with Herbs)
• Big Food (e.g. Curried Goat, Root Vegetable Ragout, Smørrebrød [Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches])
• Cook’s Snacks (e.g. Baba Ghanoush, White Bean-Ramp-Radish Mash, Honey Ricotta & Black Pepper Bruschetta)

There are fun little sections with anecdotes (including a page on “Music to Cook to” page) too! This isn’t the most food-photography-heavy book, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this might not be for you. Also, a lot of the recipes call for a list of ingredients (lots of which can normally be found in a regular pantry/kitchen), but on my really lazy (or busy) days, I would’ve really loved a “quick-tasty-easy-healthy” section!

Otherwise, I think there’s definitely something for everyone! :D The “Cook’s Snacks” section was a really nice touch; I love to snack on things while I’m cooking, especially if I can taste-test whatever it is that I’m making!

Please note that these recipes were made with bulk-cooking in mind (which works really well with my meal-prep weekends). Scale down accordingly if you need to! (More Info on the book available here!)

• What’s your favorite type of soup?

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