There wasn't even a wedding...

When I started writing this, I was planning a wedding. The marriage, I wanted, but a wedding, I wasn’t sure I could pull off. I filled my days looking for recipes and menus, venues, and outfits and kinda lost myself. In truth, I’m a much simpler girl than all of that. I prefer quiet, classic elegant, to opulence, and sometimes Im afraid it makes me a bit plain. I’ve been intent on embracing the part of me that appreciates a simple bowl of soup, on a quiet rainy day, when life truly feels beyond your realm of control. It was the simplicity that caught my eye with the recipe. It was such a simple dish, I thought it too “common” for wedding menus, and I couldn’t help but envision how my guests would undoubtedly waste it all over their formal attire.

It has been unseasonably chilly for late April, but the rain holds a stagnant musk in the air that reminds me that spring is here. The seasons are passing so quickly. When I first found this recipe, I remember then thinking things were bad; now they seem worse.

Inspired, I revisited that old soup recipe plus a few other references on the history and how it is traditionally made. A rich broth of chicken stock, aromatics, and the obligatory Parmigiano Reggiano rind for “depth”. Finally, it’s finished with hearty bitter greens, charred meatballs, and more parm. I know. Anyway, I envision myself sopping up the velvety broth with crusty bread when I asked myself again; how on earth would this be wedding-appropriate food? So many of its elements seemed accident-prone to a clumsy girl like me, so I commenced to do my Googles.

I found that Italian wedding soup is a mistranslation of minestra maritata. It was poorly translated to “wedding soup”, when in fact, a more appropriate translation would be “married soup”—as in green vegetables (minestra) blend very well (maritata) with meat. The marriage isn’t a marriage between two people but between vegetables and meat. It is a simple meal, rumored actually to originate in Spain and was brought to Nepals later. In either country, there was no wedding! Just a decadent bowl of soup and poor Latin skills, but who am I to judge? The simple ingredients and steps make me think this is a great way to try to clean out my refrigerator. An ADHD multitasking soup, if you will.

Find my steps below:

1. chop all of my vegetables, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. into medium/ large dice

   I’ll wrap the scrap and discard it into cheesecloth and submerge it in 6qts of water

   and bring the stock to a boil, skimming off scum if necessary. ****

   boil for 30-40 minutes, before adding vegan stock bullion, or whatever comparable seasoning you have on hand, and boil covered for 10 minutes

2. In a blender combine oats, vegan meat grounds, cremini mushrooms, lentils, and sausage-inspired seasoning mix

   I’ll form this mixture into small “meatballs” and will freeze them until ready to use

3. In a small saucepan prepare orzo or any other “small pasta you have on hand. (Next time I may try Israeli couscous).

4. In a heavy-bottomed pot, I’ll brown my meatballs before transferring them to a heat-safe glass dish. I continue by sauteeing my large carrot pieces in a 50/50 mix of butter and olive oil along with whole springs of thyme and crushed red pepper, ill cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes before adding in the onion and celery, stirring often to keep from browning. I’ll throw in my greens (turnips and mustards from the garden) and allow them to begin to wilt before adding my stock. I’ll add my Reggiano rind and cover it to allow it to simmer for 15ish min.

5. While the soup finishes. I’ll throw the meatballs in the air fryer on 400 for 12 min so that they get a nice crust.

6. To serve I ladled the soup into a shallow bowl, followed by a quarter cup of pasta and 3-4 meatballs. Finish with a liberal grating of parmesan and crusty bread.

I am reminded that there is such satisfaction with simplicity. That these moments are fleeting always to be replaced by new ones, and that like time, my only option is to move forward.