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I’m officially feeling old. 

Our exchange student had a group of friends over last week and while I was in the living room watching the World Series, a few of the kids came up and watched a few innings with me and we were chatting.

I used to work at a paper out in Cambridge-Isanti, and so I was asking the kids who are in sports, about some of the coaches and were they still around, and eventually Forest Lake came up, which is where I went to high school.

One of the girls, who is a junior in high school, asked if I knew a few people from Forest Lake that graduated around me, and I did, and used to hang out with them, and they knew some stories about me from back in my partying days!

My first thought was she was going to say she was their little sister or something. But, it turns out she is their daughter! I totally forget that at my age now, there are people that have kids who are nearing high school graduation, and that old feeling set in!

I suppose if I’m getting old, I need to get some soup recipes in this week, since I’m going to need to warm these old, cold bones in the fall and winter coming up!

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PASTA FAGIOLI

1/4 c. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. salt, plus additional to taste

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 15-oz. cans white beans (cannellini or great Northern), drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. ditalini pasta

3 c. chopped fresh kale

1 lemon

Parmesan cheese, for topping

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have just softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes more.

Add the broth and undrained tomatoes; stir to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add half of the beans to a bowl; mash with a fork and stir into the soup. Add the remaining beans and the pasta to the pot; reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Zest the lemon, then cut it in half. Squeeze one lemon half into the soup. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest and stir to combine. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt as desired. Top servings with parmesan.

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CREAM OF 

ASPARAGUS SOUP

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

3 tbsp. salted butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 c. half-and-half

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

Black pepper, to taste

Fill a large pot with 2 cups water and fit with a steamer basket. Bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and steam until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the asparagus to a cutting board and pour the water from the pot into a large measuring cup; add more water if needed to equal 2 cups. Set the pot aside.

When the asparagus is cool enough to handle, trim off the tips and halve lengthwise; toss with a pinch of salt. Save these pieces for garnish. Add the remaining asparagus pieces to a blender with 1 cup of the reserved steaming water and blend until very smooth.

Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds more. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine.

Slowly whisk in the half-and-half and remaining 1 cup reserved steaming water until smooth. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and the coriander. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the asparagus puree. Taste and adjust the seasonings (add more salt if it needs it!) and let the soup heat through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips. Season with pepper.

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I learned to like lentil soup when Craig Stockel used to bring it in to us here at the Press, and now I’ve started to make my own!

INSTANT POT LENTIL SOUP

3 carrots, sliced

3 pieces of celery, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 c. dried green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained

8 c. vegetable broth

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt, plus more for serving

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for serving

8 oz. baby spinach, large stems removed

Olive oil, for serving

In the base of a 6-quart instant pot, combine the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, 1 cup of water, cumin, coriander, turmeric, bay leaf, salt and pepper.   

Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and lock it into place. Seal the steam release handle. Select HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer is up, let rest for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure (unseal the steam release handle). Unlock and remove the lid, being careful of any remaining steam. Remove the bay leaf.

Stir in the spinach and let it wilt. Season with additional salt. Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of black pepper, if you like. 

TFD: Soup is a lot like life. It's all about what you put into it.

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