Cucumber and Pork Soup

Ah, early autumn. One day its hot, the next day its chilly. One cannot predict, can one? On the chilly days, the same thought hits you no matter where you are in the country - "This would be a good day for soup." By the time you select a recipe and gather the ingredients, the chill is gone and you are left alone with an assortment of meats and vegetables next to an empty pot.

Here is a recipe made to order for those vexing weather flucuations. It's from Marion Tracy's The Art of Making Great Soup (1967), listed in the "Great Beginnings" section. The soup is light but has a wide taste, if you know what I mean. The cucumbers surrender themselves quickly to the broth and create a sideways taste sensation. You know how take-out Hot and Sour Soup fills up the back of your mouth and Campbel's Chicken Noodle fills up the front? This soup goes sideways and spreads out to your cheeks. That is the best way I can explain it. If you don't know what I am talking about, make this soup and see for yourself.

CUCUMBER AND PORK SOUP
2 cucumbers
2 medium pork chops
4 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon msg

Peel the cucumbers in halves lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut in thin slices, crosswise. Cut the bones and fat from the pork chops and slice the meat and slice the meat into strips about 1 inch by ¼ inch by ¼ inch. Heat the salt and the stock. Bring to a boil. Add the pork strips and cook for 8 minutes. Add the cucumbers and bring to a boil again. Add the msg the pork slices are thoroughly cooked after boiling in the broth for 8 minutes; the cucumbers about as soon as they are transparent which is just a minute or two. Serves 4.

One of the reasons I like this book is that an suggested menu accompanies each recipe. The menu for this on is:

Cucumber and Pork Soup
Polenta and Chicken Livers
Tossed Salad
Brown Betty

I guess that's how they did it in 1967. Care for more chicken livers?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UPDATE: Oh, for the good old days when you could make an uneducated statement and let it rest at that. No, nowadays one must do interent research and then retract, correct and explain. The sideways taste of this soup is properly referred to as umami. who knew? In my day, they taught us that there were four types of taste buds on your tongue. Now there appear to be five. When did this happen? Probably around the same time they stopped diagramming sentences and practicing the Palmer Method of handwriting. To hell in a handbasket, my friends, to hell in a handbasket.

Comments

[Rozanne]

Looking forward to making some of the soups on your site! The nut soups (walnut, hickory, and chestnut) sound especially intriguing. I, too, am a toffee enthusiast (have you ever thought of toffee soup?)--it is perhaps the finest confection known to humanity. Recently had some excellent home-made toffee at a place called Goodies in Bend, Oregon. The perfect blend of crunch and flavor.

[Mary Beth Goodman]

I'm not sure if I'd like polenta in there, but count me as one who lists chicken livers as a totally guilty pleasure. Yum. And of course it makes me the blessed goddess amongst the furry herd. Please dear Lady, would you share just a scrap? Let ME lick, I mean scrape, the dishes before washing. you d'best.

[Tammy]

I can't read the soup blog any more. The drool had damaged my keyboard.

Have you had soup at the restaurant at the corner of south and front sts. in South Philly? The one with outdoor seating? I can't recall the name at the moment, but they have a trio of soups served as an appetizer that are to die for. One is potato leek, another is a clear broth base, and I forget #3, but they are very very addictive.

[Tammy]

Downeys! That's the restaurant name! Awesome soups. And that previous comment? HAS damaged the keyboard. Mad typing skilz, eh?