BASIL LOVE SOUP

Just before the first frost - Basil Love Soup

(a healing recipe)

FIRST, A NOTE FROM RUBY:  Just transferred this recipe over from another location and still learning how to do that so ... be patient and forge ahead, I'll always make it worth your while!

Your first choice is to grow Basil yourself. Second choice is having good friends that grow it for you. Third choice is buying it fresh at your local co-op or supermarket. The major

co-ops in my neck of the woods sell a lot of their herbs by the stem, so you don't always have to buy a whole bunch if you don't want to, but with Basil, you want to. If you have to, you can use it dried, but it's not the same, because it changes when its dried. You lose a lot of its intensity, and the pleasure of handling it with the bunch in your hands, like a bouquet of flowers. Don't get me wrong here, I use plenty of dried basil, but only when I have to.

I didn't even have to plant it, weed it, or do anything but just be there. My New Hampshire family up at Stonehill Farm, had the largest crop of Basil I had ever seen. We'd been enjoying it for weeks, but had our first frost on the 9^th of October and had to bring it in before it froze. So I had plenty to work with. And Basil is my favorite herb; not just because it is seasonal, but because of its large, produce like growth, making it fragile and not as easy to dry out as other herbs. Yet, it is magical, creative, the King of herbs and the herb of Kings. It inspires me to greatness, and so I offer this fabulous, love filled Basil Soup as proof of its properties and flexibility.

The Stuff:

½ Bunch o Basil, leaves only, finely sliced, then finely chopped

¼ Cup of Fresh Parsley, minced and/or ¼ Cup of Fresh Cilantro, minced

or, 1-2 T Dried

Zest of 1 Lime, or Lemon, and their juice

~ 2T Olive or Coconut oil

2 Onions, chopped (a medium dice), or 1 leek, or shallots, or combination (~2 cups)

½ Head o Garlic, very finely sliced

2-3 Carrots, chopped

½ Head o Fennel, or several stocks of celery, sliced

Assorted other vegetables you might have around like:

potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, cut as you see fit

For vegan, used vegetable stock, for carnivores, add chicken or turkey stock, 1 qt.

I usually add some tofu or meat ends* for protein and more flavor

Salt and pepper to taste

Water, as needed to make the desired consistency, ~ 1-2 qts.

White wine, very optional

Nasturtiums and pansies for garnish, color, and a little added pepper, very optional but very pretty, especially by candlelight.

The Method:

After you've enjoyed gathering all of your ingredients, and getting them ready, put some music on. I like music I can sing along with, as I believe that this adds even more lovin' energy to the source. Then start browning the onions in the olive oil for at least five minutes until they start to get opaque but not brown; then add carrots, fennel or celery, and the first layer of Basil. Allow these to get friendly with one another, and add stock as needed to keep ingredients from sticking. Add more Basil every time you add another ingredient. Add the rest of the veggies and meat, wine, garlic, rest of the Basil, stock, and salt and pepper. Add water as needed. Continue stirring when needed, by you or the pot! Let the smell of the Basil and garlic, and everything else, fill your home until you're ravenous. I like to stir the pot a lot, and let the release of the fragrant steam fill my senses. I also like to put a piece of basil in my cleavage, so that I too can smell like basil, as it warms up.

With a soup like this, you can eat it with bread, or add rice or noodles, if you need some carbs, or just feel like it. Remember to add salt and olive oil to the cooking water for the rice or noodles. One of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali, says that your boiling water should be like sea water! So I like to add a handful of sea salt, but you need to know how salty you like it.

I've made it simple and not so simple. The main ingredients are the basil, and the garlic and onions, after that use what you like. Feel free to add any other favorite herbs. I often add a bit of Tarragon and Dill, just because I love them. Tarragon is an acquired taste, like Cilantro, that not everyone appreciates, so it's important to know what you like.

This is an excellent recipe for helping you clean out your refrigerator towards the end of the week. Savor and Enjoy! This is one of my favorite dishes, that gives me back everything that I put into it and more, which makes it a healing soup. Now I can't guarantee that it will cure what ails ya, but if ya don't feel better after having some, have some more. And don't forget some powerfully moving music, and candlelight.

* Many markets, in their deli departments, will sell their meat ends at a substantially reduced price. That's the end of the chunk o meat or cheese that the slicer just can't handle. Meat ends are great for soups and salads, like the Chicken Salad recipe in the salad, or rabbit food section of this book.(will transfer over soon!)

Musical Suggestions:

Opera: La Boheme, by Puccini

Classical: Daphnis and Chloe, by Ravel

Jazz: Cast Your Fate To The Wind, The Vince Guaraldi Trio