Grandma's Depression Soup - "Don't Tell Them It's Almost Free"

This one came on a torn piece of brown paper bag, pencil so faint I had to hold it at an angle under a lamp to read it. Some of the measurements are educated guesses. The recipe was never meant to be written down at all.

"Don't Tell Them It's Almost Free" - Depression Soup

Her mother made it when there was nothing. Add enough water, don't be proud about it, feed the table. Grandma made it her whole life, long after there was any financial reason to. It kept her honest, she said.

She served it in the good bowls every time. Not the everyday bowls. The good ones. The message was clear even if she never stated it: the cost of the ingredients is not the point. The intention is the point.

The first time I made it, I was heavy-handed with the salt. The pencil was faint and the number before "tsp" could have been a 1 or a 4. I chose poorly. The resulting soup could have been used as a salt lick for the cows. I made it again the next morning. It took until the third batch to earn it.

Grandma's Depression Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter or lard

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 medium carrots, 3 celery stalks, 3 medium potatoes - all sliced or cubed

• 400g tin of white beans, drained

• 400g tin of diced tomatoes

• 1.2 litres (5 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp salt (the pencil said 1 - trust the pencil), black pepper

• A parmesan rind if you have one. It transforms the broth.

• Crusty bread for serving - non-negotiable

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot. Cook onion until softened and starting to colour, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook 5 more minutes.

2. Add potatoes, beans, tomatoes, stock, thyme, bay leaf, parmesan rind if using, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer.

3. Cook uncovered 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender and the broth has deepened. Remove bay leaf and rind. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Ladle into your best bowls. Serve with bread. Accept the compliments. Do not reveal the cost.

🍜 Grandma's note: Serve it in the good bowls. They can't tell the difference between expensive and intentional.