“It was a whole thing for her, rich and satisfying, planning what we would eat each night. She worked to make things match. She clipped recipes constantly, filed them in scented envelopes, used them like friends.”
For 2018, I am reading Savor, the devotional by Shauna Niequist. I tried to read it a few years ago, but gave up halfway through. I can see now that this year is the year I was supposed to read it. Unexplainably, it just feels like the words in the book are the right words for my life now, and the recipes scattered among the readings are a neat little bonus.
Shauna's Lemon Dill Soup is one such recipe. Upon making it once earlier this year, it became an immediate hit, and now I've even served it to guests. The kids love it, although that's evidently not so important:
“Feed them, yes; but do not cook for them. Cook for yourself. What they need most of all in this vale of sorrows is the sight of men who relish reality. You do them no lasting favor by catering to their undeveloped tastes...No matter what they think, we know: We are the ones who have tasted and seen how gracious it all is. ”
What the kids also love is the Stecca bread from the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery in town. And bread is evidently a good thing to have on hand:
“Nothing is more expensive than eating on an empty stomach. As a matter of fact, if you have really hungry children, you might give them a loaf of dry bread to break with their greens, just for a little added insurance against a hurricane attack upon the entree....My lettuce-and-bread strategy not only leaves them perfectly nourished; more important, it leaves them no way out of the self-imposed dilemma except the avenue of taste.”
Roasted kale, a veggie tray, and maybe very lightly steamed green beans if you have four extra minutes, are all the veggies you need with soup and the bread. The only fruit you need is grapes in the form of wine.
I had not bought dill before this recipe but the one I found at Publix has been great in that it stays fresh for a couple weeks in the fridge, so I can usually make this recipe at least twice from a single purchase of dill.
And in case you want to know about the roasted kale, it's so simple: Buy bagged kale from Aldi. Destem half the bag of kale and chop or tear into bite-size pieces. Add a small amount of olive oil and a few sprinkles of kosher salt. Briefly massage oil into kale by hand. Spread on a Silpat or baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes, being careful not to burn. Then eat a whole plate and feel great!
Here's the PDF to view and print: Lemon Dill Soup.