When it comes to comfort food, there’s nothing I love more than soup!
My love affair with soup started years ago while watching Chef! on Maryland Public Television with Lenny Henry, Roger Griffiths, Claire Skinner and the beautiful Caroline Lee-Johnson.
Not to be confused with present day reality or cooking instruction shows, Chef! is an English comedy about an ill-tempered Chef named Gareth Blackstock, his michelin star restaurant, his wife and tortured staff.
Gareth is NOT a nice guy or even a reasonable guy! When his wife asks him to be reasonable, he replies, “Reasonable?! I’m a raving bloody lunatic! If I wasn’t cooking I’d be out doing serial killing! You look at me, you see a personality problem under a silly white hat. Don’t talk to me about reasonable, I don’t do reasonable!!”
But he DOES know how to cook and he’s proud of it! He also will not let you forget it! Lol
Chef Gareth likes to say to his staff member/friend, Everton, whom Chef is teaching, there are certain kinds of people in the world, “the aristocracy, the upper class, middle class, working class, dumb animals, waiters, creeping things, head lice, people who eat packet soup, and then you!”
I did warn you that Chef is NOT nice! Lol
This particular quote has always stuck with me and got me wondering about the differences between canned soups and homemade soup. I’m not talking about stews. Up to that point in my life I had eaten lots of homemade stews but I had never cared for them.
Other than homemade Chicken and Dumplings, which my favorite Auntie taught me to cook, I have never liked thick stews…There’s just something about the consistency of most stews that I don’t like the look or taste of.
Gareth’s rant about the “packet soup” eaters got me wondering if homemade soups really did taste better than canned soups and I started experimenting with making soups… Not to mention that I didn’t want to be in the ranks of “packet soup” eaters. Lol
SO, the following is my favorite recipe. The original recipe was a 1 point Weight Watchers recipe but I’ve changed it so much now that it doesn’t resemble that original recipe at all.
I hope you have a chance to watch Chef! and to try out my recipe! Make Chef happy and stop being a person that eats “packet soups”! Lol
By the way, it seems that Everton, played by Roger Griffiths, finally made Chef! Im happy to say that I just ran across Roger Griffiths in an English Police Comedy called Vexed and he is playing the owner/Chef of a bar/restaurant that the detectives of the show like to use as their “base”.
Check out Vexed on Netflix! It’s hilarious and stars Toby Stephens, Lucy Punch/Miranda Raison and Roger Griffiths.
Years ago, I became intolerant to onion and garlic. They make me very sick so there is no added onion or garlic, other than what may be in the spices and vegetable broth. If you miss the taste of them, feel free to add them.
If you do want to add onion and garlic, I recommend starting with the olive oil and sauteing your onion and garlic before adding your other ingredients, although, if you are short on time you can just throw them in the pot with the rest of the ingredients!
