Thursday, December 2, 2010

Leek soup with peas and sauerkraut, a recipe for love (and marriage)



Today is about his brown eyes, his beautiful hands and his good heart. Today is about love, friendship, companionship, parenthood. Today is about memories of off-white silk and red wine from the hills of Tuscany. 

Ten years ago we were two kids dressed up in party clothes dancing to Abba, inebriated with wine and love. Today we are a family of four. The two lives we created are a source of endless love we never deemed possible, even more so when we thought nothing could be bigger than what we had.

A decade is a long time in our relatively young lives. I raise a glass to these ten years.
I raise a glass to every slammed door, to every flung object, to each and every tear shed in frustration onto a damp pillow, to late night arguments, to every moment of endured nagging, to every soccer game tolerated or renounced, to every sexy human being that ever crossed our path, to every moment of  boredom, to all the instances of child-related fear, doubt and pain, to every fleeting feeling of missing out and constraint, to every weathered disappointment, to the moments of worry and uncertainty, to sometimes feeling misunderstood by the one who knows you best. To sweaty sports briefs, to unflushed tampon wrappers, to hypochondria, to badgering, to everpresent children, to never-present intimacy, to exhaustion, to exasperation.

If, after ten years, you can still look into each others' eyes and know you want to wake up seeing them every morning to come. If you feel a flutter deep down in your stomach when you know a whole week end together is approaching. If what shines the brightest in your kaleidoscope of memories are your shared laughter, the cuddles, tucking your children in at night together and watching them sleep, secret hideouts between rocks on tropical beaches, oysters and champagne in Paris, reading books under a duvet, sharing a pint of ice cream during a movie, a tiny apartment and a greatly missed red tabby, then cheers!

Tonight the kids are going to bed early and Mommy and Daddy are popping a bottle of bubbly and dining on take out sushi.

For you, a recipe that is humble, wonderfully warm and comforting, full of different textures and flavors and with an unexpected zing in every bite...just like marriage, no? 



This recipe was posted about a year ago on The Wednesday Chef. The idea of using sauerkraut in a soup intrigued me. Those of you who know me, know how much I appreciate ideas for last minute meals, the kind of dish you prepare on a snowy day, when you have been through hell and back in the office and you rush to pick up your daughter at kindergarden because the babysitter is waiting at home with your toddler who has a high fever and bronchitis. The kind of day when you need to resort to your pantry and freezer to make a quick meal that is amazingly tasty and includes some form of vegetables. Here it is!



Ingredients (serves four)
1 pound frozen peas
2 leeks
1 cup sauerkraut
4 cups vegetable stock
olive oil
pepper
parsley
pepper

Cover the bottom of a pot with a little olive oil and soften the leeks you will have previously cleaned and chopped into thin discs. Add in 4 cups of vegetable stock. A few minutes after it has started simmering, add in the frozen peas and cook until tender. Finally add the sauerkraut and parsley and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.





10 comments:

  1. Once again - I can 100% relate to your post! Isn't it what it's all about. Not always easy but we would have it no other way!

    I'm still stuck on the sushi and bubbly by the way - one of my favorite things to do! (Oh and the kids going to bed early - not much of that going on here! Ugh!)

    Love this soup too! My kind of thing! :)

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  2. Amen. Congrats to the two of you! (and thanks for a lovely recipe - I make my own sauerkraut and this is a brilliant idea!)

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  3. DD&W - I just didn't want to write a post dripping honey about how wonderful marriage is, how romantic we are every single minute of the day, every day. Marriage is so much more, and I am lucky to have found the right person to share the ups and downs of married life.
    Boy still not back into a sleeping routine yet?
    UrMomCooks - Oh boy, am I jealous! This fantastic soup will taste even better.

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  4. I'll raise a toast to you two! What a wonderfully honest and heartfelt post! Even thought we've only been married four years, I can really relate! :D

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  5. My kids would love this soup, black eyed peas would make this perfect for New Years Eve.

    Plan B

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  6. NQN - Four years...you are on your way! hehe Thankd for the toast, we enjoyed every last drop of our bottle of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.
    Chef Bee - Let me know how it works out with the black-eyed peas.

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  7. I loved this post! You did such an amazing job of describing 10 years of marriage to.a.tee. We just celebrated 10 years this year as well. Bubbly and sushi? You are my kind of gal. Happy anniversary!

    Your soup looks easy and delicious to boot. I love quick and healthy meals like this!

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  8. What an amazing tribute to your marriage! Congratulations on 10 years - here's to many more. Also, I love the label on the sauerkraut can - crauti al vino mi fa ridere! :)

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  9. A touching tribute to your couple and family; it is warming to know that this still exists! I am also intrigued by this soup, can't wait to try it next time I see a can of sauerkraut laying around!

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  10. Julie - Congrats to your ten years! The sum of these ingredients is so much more exciting than you would expect.
    Luisa - Thank you for your toast and welcome! Also, thank you for the recipe. I thought it was a bizzarre tag too when I read it, since I purposely checked the ingredients (as you suggested). And there was not a trace of wine... marketing all'italiana??
    Taste of Beirut - thank you...

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