Made this today and it was just what the doctor ordered....the spicey salty flavors and the herbs which I added into the pot of soup and let simmer was very helpful to this won’t go away cold !!!
Thank you Alison !!! I looked in both cookbooks but did not find it, surprisingly thought it would be in the last one...love your recipes !!!
I remember going to the Carnegie library in my small hometown and hearing the story of Stone Soup read by one of the librarians. That was maybe 75 years ago and it left an impression on me all those years later. We made this soup last night, following the recipe closely. We thought it quite different than most of the soups we make and really enjoyed it. The mushrooms were the key and browning them for a bit more than 10 minutes brought out the true flavor. Would make again and recommend to anyone who wants to try something new and different.
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In Peru a young woman is (or used to be) given a rounded river stone, a size that fits her palm. This is what she used (forever) to crush garlic. I've always thought that garlic stones must have been used to make the Stone Soup that we read about in the story.
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@ Barbara L Indiana
Thank you for this interesting piece of ethnographic information.
First, I did not know that garlic was a component of the Latin American diet. Second, the use of such stones resembles the hand-held stone mills used by East European peasants and passed from generation to generation. But I know nothing of any connection to the Russian multi-ingredient soup shchi.
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I initially thought this was a reference to a traditional stone soup made in Mexico by placing hot stones in gourd bowls to heat the soup contents, rather than using a stove. I think it is customarily made only by men.
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Alison Roman continues to steal from Asian cuisines and 1) does not give credit where it’s due and 2) simplifies the methods into something almost unrecognizable to then call it her own.
First it was her viral chickpea stew which is a watered-down version of chana masala. Then it was her crispy pork chops which was somehow praised as revelatory when it was actually just pork Katsu. Also see: cold noodle and cabbage salad (or Vietnamese bun noodle bowls), grilled pork chops (stolen from Vietnamese thit nuong)— the list goes on and on. Now it’s this Asian-inspired noodle soup dish that looks so ghastly her usual heavy-handed use of garnish can’t cover up how inedible it looks. Yet, despite using largely Asian ingredients and methods, there is no mention of it whatsoever in her article.
I guess the one thing Roman does well is white-wash these dishes to make it more palatable for those unaware. Call it neocolonialism, cultural appropriation or whatever you want but Roman needs to be called out for her constant robbery of other cuisines without ever giving proper acknowledgement.
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@Tina Throughout time immemorial cooks have borrowed concepts and gained inspiration from other cuisines and other cultures without footnotes providing “proper acknowledgement.” Roman and her readers should be able to appreciate her offerings as written without being chastised, repeatedly, and found guilty of cultural appropriation or neocolonialism. Relax and enjoy cooking for all of its joys.
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It looked delicious to my white-washed sense of taste.
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I never understood, why do people like noodles, flat or cylindrical?
The only fun is to fry gently in butter one-meter-long macaroni (with the axial tunnel) until they are fairly firm, and then hold each string above th mouth, biting it piece by piece.
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I tried this with stones.
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Soak a handful of dried, European Porcini mushrooms in a cup of water for a half hour or so. Squeeze dry. Add the mushrooms to your fresh mushroom sauté and add the soaking water to your broth, reduce soy sauce accordingly for enhanced mushroom flavor and increased control of salt.
Porcini, if kept dry will last many months and are a good staple to have around. Bought in bulk, not in local market 1 ounce packets, they are amazingly economical.
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@Ed Franceschini
Pour soaking water through a very fine sieve before adding to the broth to catch grit.
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@Ed Franceschini I buy dried mushrooms in bulk at the local Asian food store. They add delicious flavor to everything and have a long shelf life. Fresh mushrooms go bad pretty fast in the 'frig, often before I have time to make something with them. Try soaking the dried mushrooms in chicken stock or a dry wine rather than water for additional flavor enhancement.
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Tried this tonight using soba noodles, maitake mushrooms, and jalapenos. Very easy and delicious. Next time, I think I'll try Udon, shitake, and Thai bird chile. Will be fun to play around with this one.
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@Lucy Norris I also tried it and it was hit with our family. Made it as written but substituted Coco Aminos for soy as my daughter has a soy allergy. Bird chile is a good idea. Maybe I'll load it up with fresh Thai basil, cilantro and mint at the end ala Pho.
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I’m replying so I’m on record as the third Oaklander interested in this soup.
"Stone Soup" is also a syndicated comic strip by Jan Eliot of Eugene, Oregon. It, too, was inspired by the fable you mention in the story.
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Sodium free stone soup would be a healthier choice.
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@Especially Meaty Snapper But wouldn't taste as good! Take a risk.
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@Especially Meaty Snapper
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/
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@Especially Meaty Snapper, you have the option to not add salt.
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Sounds good but I am not a fan of garlic. Understand it's an easy way to add flavor but could there be more recipes that don't use it, or have alternatives?
@mj - Your distaste for garlic parallels that of the late, beloved James Garner, who states in his autobiography, "The Garner Files" that his ability to smell it on people's breaths in very small amounts- Koreans eat kimchi as a staple - saved his platoon from a night ambush during the Korean War.
Unfortunately, garlic has no substitute, but you can add equivalent flavor with loads of browned onions (a la French Onion Soup).
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@mj
The spice asafoetida is a wonderful substitute for garlic. It provides some of the flavor without the pungency of garlic. Commonly used in Indian food.
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@PMN
Thank you for mentioning this anecdote about James Garner. I remember that story very well when I read his book in 2011 when it came out.
I loved that guy since the first time I saw him in "Maverick" in the '50s. I cried when he died and think of him often.
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Thank for this wonderful and mouth-watering recipe. I love all the ingredients, except for the noodles, which I always have difficulty in eating according to the widely varying table manners.
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@Tuvw Xyz I always love reading your comments about table manners and place settings. I live in the same town as you, and I always wonder if I've passed you while I was out walking my dog, but didn't know it was you.
p.s. Just eat the soup at home, where the occasional lapse in table manners can be forgiven, and you can slurp noodles to your heart's content!
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@Tuvw Xyz
Me too! Used pasta shells [whole wheat for me], but there are many kinds.
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@ AB IL
This is a small world indeed! If we lived in a more constitution-observing state, you might have seen me promenading on the street with two samurai swords on one side, and a big pistol Mauser C.96 in a wooden holster on the other (German, manufactured in different countries in since 1890s to 1960s). Had the Illinois law about the carrying of weapons in public been different, I would have loved to make a fashion statement along ther preceding lines. :-))