THIS JUST IN: Bittman does it again!

I wasn't really that familiar with Mark Bittman, a food journalist most recently for the New York Times, until I watched him eat and drink his way through Spain with Mario Batali via PBS.  It was an enjoyable and maddening series, maddening only because he got to be there instead of me.  Bittman has developed a really specific style, as embodied by his "Minimalist" cooking column - a bit of culinary simplicity in the world of truffle oil and $1000 chocolate gold-leafed desserts.

"Creamy, Brothy, Earthy, Hearty" is a nice, simple guide to throwing together a good pot of soup, based on your preference for main ingredients and style.  The article covers 12 quick and flexible recipes that you can adapt to your liking and/or pantry availability.  While there are hints of spring in the air here and there in the Northeast, winter is definitely still hanging on by a thread - make a big pot of soup and tell me about it!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Q:  Which foods are your natural defense against wintry weather?

Winter came early to the Northeast, and proceeded to pummel us all into a frozen state of cranky submission. I don't even think the groundhog's lack of a shadow can do us any good at this point, also considering he's a known trickster.  The best plan of attack is to max out your library book allowance, join Netflix, make some soup, and hunker down until things start to think about growing again.  And if you live in a warm climate, make soup and take it to the park, because you can.

Chicken soup is an easy, awesome winter meal, and it can make a ton for leftovers. It's even suspected to be scientifically helpful for sickness, working to resolve cold symptoms faster.  For the gluten free individual, soup falls into the "lurker" category, as in, it can contain unassumingly sinister hidden ingredients.  Most canned soups contain straight-up wheat, even if they're vegetable-based, and most others use broth or bouillion with unfriendly ingredients.  Even if you aren't g-f, maybe ask yourself how exactly wheat finds its way into a can of chicken soup, and opt for making your own.