Boudin Traditions
Soup is always a comfort food I prefer to eat when the weather is cold. In fact, the lower the temperature, the more I enjoy soup. Although there are many canned soups available out there I definitely prefer to make mine from scratch. Trust me, I am no expert in the kitchen but with so many quick recipes at my disposable it is quite easy.
Recently, I discovered a leek soup recipe from a wellness site called Goop and I was so excited after making it. Not only was it delicious but it only had about five ingredients and I made it hassle-free. I also favor homemade soups because I can control what to put in it and I make sure to only put in quality produce. I grew up with the mentality that what you put inside you matters. I still live by that today and it is not easy to control what is in a soup that is packaged, especially when it comes to sodium. However, I don’t turn down ready-to-go soups all together, I mean I am a college student with very limited free time for cooking. Whenever possible, if I am craving soup, I’ll most likely gravitate toward the hot soups in healthy grocery stores because I feel assured that it is fresher and with better quality ingredients. Also, when it is extra cold outside I might just order from a food delivery application on my phone. Unfortunately, living in Arizona limits the amount of soup I consume because I don’t crave it often in warm weather.
Growing up, I lived in San Francisco and the colder, foggier climate enabled me to eat plenty of soups. I would go as far as to say that I had it at least once a week. My mom’s chicken noodle soup was my favorite and I would ask for it even when I wasn’t sick. I am a huge fan of squeezing fresh lemon onto almost everything and soup is no exception. Only if the juice would destroy the taste of the soup, would I forgo the step of squeezing that lemon juice in my bowl of steaming soup.
Other than that chicken noodle, I love minestrone anything. That soup is probably one of my top soups in general and I like that it is almost always available at the grocery stores. As I mentioned earlier, I am from the Bay Area and a tradition in my family is to always go to the Boudin bread factory and order a clam chowder soup in a bread bowl. It is the ultimate soup experience if you are ever looking for one. I’ll admit it is more of a tourist attraction now but I still enjoy going there by the wharf and filling up on that meaty soup. Although it doesn’t make much sense, my family always sits outside, no matter how cold and windy it may be. I suppose the gigantic fireplace located outdoors is too appealing to us all and we try to get it every time. Most people tend to sit indoors, which is more appropriate given the freezing weather in the city. I still think the heat from the soup quickly spreads throughout the body and helps me warm up so I can wander to different neighborhoods in the city.
