No Two Are Alike

There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: No two are ever alike, unless of course, you get your soup from a can.

Laurie Colwin, Author of "Home Cooking"

I'm not going to lie. Every once in awhile, I get my soup from a can. I prefer homemade tomato soup, but I have been known to open a can of Campbell's, add some milk and call it good. And it is good. You don't stay in business for 130 years otherwise.

But when the weather turns cold and dreary, it's my natural inclination to turn to homemade soup.

I'm not sure whether this latest round of winter weather today will include snow on the County Line. We seem to be on that nebulous line between a trace of snow and sleet on the weather forecasters' maps. But I hear the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof, and it's a good excuse to think soup.

During the last round of cold weather, we tried Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder. I had printed it off earlier this winter, but I hadn't yet tried. After its trial run, I think it will be making other appearances on our table.

Hope you enjoy it too!

Southwestern Chicken Corn Chowder

2 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small red pepper, diced
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
2 cups low fat milk
1 cup shredded cheese
13 oz. can chicken breast, drained
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Melt butter in stockpot. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and all vegetables. Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. remove 2 cups of soup and puree in blender or food processor. Return to saucepan with remaining soup.

Stir in milk, cheese, chicken and seasonings. Simmer 10 minutes until desired serving temperature.

Notes:

• I only used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. If Jill were making it, she'd use the whole amount.
  
• The original recipe didn't call for carrots. That's my addition. That may have been why the soup was more yellow than a traditional chowder.
  
• We like thick soup. At the end of the cooking time, I combined about a tablespoon of cornstarch with about 2 tablespoons of water and mixed well. I then stirred it into the soup to thicken it a little more.
• Instead of using canned chicken, you can reduce the cost of this recipe by microwaving chicken breasts and cutting them up yourself.

I think that women just have a primeval instinct to make soup, which they will try to foist on anybody who looks like a likely candidate.

Dylan Moran