Soupy Weather

Indeed the 'Mother of Nature' (Texas Branch) has once again decided to throw some curve balls this week.  Rainy, dreary and colder weather will no doubt bring thoughts of snuggling loved ones, curling up somewhere cozy or enduring the elements to get that nice kill out on the hunt.  Weather will and does play hugely into what, how much and what types of foods we eat.  Personally I am an old soul so when my cozy-time-bear-mode kicks in I really NEED soup.  Hot and delicious soups are what gets us moving when the mercury dives during the winter.  When rainy days are here it increases my drive for a hot bowl/cup of soup so I need to find my ingredients and get this show on the road.  Two days ago I started a pig leg (bone) simmering for some great stock.  I reduced and added water a few times over the next two days.  Along with the stock-bones I threw in some rough-diced onion, celery, and a few juniper berries.  Juniper can get to a point of weird-flavor so I let them simmer a few hours then removed them to insure a really nice foundational stock that does not lean too far one way or another in the flavor department.  Obviously we want a rich, deep flavor from the ingredients but we are going to make a dish form this stock so we will profile the flavors in a bit later.   Last night was especially nippy so I dove in to the pantry  to find some ingredients to add to my stock.  After rummaging I located some organic soba noodles, water chestnuts and ham-steak.  This made for an interesting and hearty dish that cost very little money to make.  When making stocks I skim/strain as much fat as possible so the stock is fairly healthy.  When all was said and done the finished noodle dish was low in fat, homemade and extremely delicious.  Many of my friends are vegan, vegetarian and even piscaterian and they ask me how to alter recipes.  Here goes, this can be done with veggie or fish (fumet) stock and the finished product will be just as (if not more) flavorful than a meat based dish.  Carrots are a great binder/thickener...let the carrots become really soft from cooking the blend/puree them into the soup.  They add heartiness, nutrition, color and texture to the soup/sauce.  I took this pic when I lived in Northren California.  A bit of sunshine for this dreary day. peace