A Soup To Remember

Let's talk about soup.  Why?  Because I like soup.  Okay?  

OKAY?!!?

If you know me, then you know that I'm a bit of a foodie, and slightly fanatical about homemade food.  It's cheap, it's tasty, and it's good for you.  No preservatives or fillers, no unnecessary processing, and always made with love.

I usually stick to the plan of making everything from scratch, with a few exceptions (the occasional potato chip, ice cream - you know what I'm talking about).  Last night, however, I was shopping with my son at Price Chopper when we happened upon the lady doles out the free samples. 

"What will you be treating us to this evening?" I asked.

"Fish soup," she replied.

"I don't usually like fish soup."

"Neither do I, but this one is different."

"What is it?"

"North Atlantic Haddock Chowder."

Both the boy and I tried the soup in teeny weeny plastic cups with teeny weeny plastic spoons.  He had oyster crackers in his.  Mine was "au naturale."  

It was the best soup I've had in a long, long time.

As many times as I've passed the hot soups in the deli section, I never bothered to give them a second glance.  "They aren't homemade," I thought.  "They're probably no better than condensed canned soups," I thought. 

I think quite differently now.  When I went to the deli department to buy some chowder for my wife, I reaad the ingredient list and found nothing that would alarm me. NOTHING.  No preservatives, no additives, nothing that sends up the usual red flag of food. 

Fish stock

Light cream

Haddock

Potatoes

Onions

Celery

Butter

Wheat flour

Sea salt

Garlic

Pepper sauce (distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt)

That was it.  It was creamy and flavorful with just the right amount of texture.  It wasn't too watery or too thick.  The fish was flaky and tender with chunks that weren't too big.  

A very good soup.  Made by Price Chopper.  Who knew?