Soup Lesson

This morning I went to the White Parrot for a cooking lesson. Yesterday we came here for lunch and George arranged with the cook for me to come today. The cook asked me what kind of soup I wanted to prepare and I replied with my favorite, potato and carrot. I arrived at 8:00am ready to learn. I helped chop the veggies:
onions, carrots and potatoes. Then we added them to a pot with a little cooking oil. After a few minutes, we added salt, pepper and another seasoning. Once stirred, we added flour. Flour! Who knew that goes in soups? (Maybe that is common knowledge, but I have never heard of that). Then came the milk - a lot of it- followed by soy sauce and a lot of fresh chicken stock and water. Simmer for 20 minutes and it's done. Easy, right?

Repeating it will be a little tricky, but I am determined to try. He made a batch for 30 bowls of soup. I have to downsize for two. The hardest part is he didn't use any measuring instruments. He just knows by sight how much to add of each ingredient. That is how everyone cooks here. As a strict rule follower and with zero cooking instincts of my own, not having a recipe paralyzes me. Usually it keeps me from even trying something. When someone says, add salt to taste, I think - what is it supposed to taste like? I have a simple palate and don't know how to season things well. This time, I just have to go for it. How bad can it be, right? I will keep you posted!

One good thing is that they prepare all their soups the same way. So, I just swap out the veggies and I have a different soup. If I can master one, I can master several. That prospect excites me. Oh yeah, and the mystery soup from the other day (that I repeated the next)...Muchicha which in English is spinach. Spinach?! Yuck, right? At least in my opinion. I am not a fan of cooked greens (like spinach,kale, okra, etc), but this soup is awesome. My, how my view is expanding in so many ways!