BROCCOLI STALK AND APPLE SOUP

“An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.” ― H.L. Mencken

 

A lovely friend invited a small bunch of us over for an incredible home cooked meal recently. With a small group of charming people, the comfort of home, delicious, hot, home cooked food on a lazy Sunday it was impossible not to have a great time. My reflections on why we need to entertain at home more often will be the subject of another post. This one focusses on part of a conversation where we all concurred that spending 5 years in a residential law school, specially one that was conveniently located an hour into the middle of nowhere with 300 barely adults is possibly one of most traumatic things that can happen to a sheltered 17 year old. 

 

Predictably each of us processed it differently, some buckled under, some buckled down and some lost the plot entirely. We found backbones, lost individual identities and each of us grew more than a little cynical. Now 5 years after I graduated, law school looks very, very different. By the time I was done I swore I'd never go back. I realize this petulance was superfluous, I can't ever go back anyway. Fortunately (or not) it's impossible to replicate the comic tragedy of being an undergraduate student. The now purely hypothetical question is would I go back if I had to do it all over again and I realize I wouldn't. 

 

Though I'm a lawyer now and can't imagine doing anything else at 17 I had a lot more imagination. I spent most of that formative phase learning things I didn't and still don't enjoy, at the cost of the many things I love that I now know little about and don't have the time or opportunity to pursue. The atmosphere that shaped a large part of my adult personality was one I didn't often understand and/or agree with and that's created a large part of me that I don't understand and/or agree with. When I'm caught in situations that remind me of this, usually office parties or meeting acquaintances from other law schools, I feel awkward, like I'm wearing a shirt that just doesn't fit right. 

 

I always thought I wouldn't be afraid to take chances but I realize I am. Figuring out what isn't working and to take the leap that'll fix it - it's much easier to do when you're watching Christina and Mer on your laptop. Not that I don't have some crazy, good memories, not that I was an utter failure in law school, not that the place didn't set me up with a life I mostly love. It's just that after 5 years I realize that in some ways the law school system (specially in the context of students that go on to join law firms) is a bit of a scam. The expectations, the lifestyle and the money isn't really real, these things don't really add up the way they said it would.  
 

Completely unlike this light, delicate Broccoli Stalk and Apple Soup that I had 3 helpings of the first time I made it and then made it again a week later. Healthy, nourishing and with just a slight undertone of sweet this is great soup for the hurting law graduate's soul. 

 

Serves 4

Adapted from Food 52

 What you’ll need:

1 large head of broccoli (cut off the florets and chop up the stalk)

3 apples (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
2 onions (sliced)
2 tbsp butter
6 cups vegetable/ chicken broth
Red chilli powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Oregano/Thyme/ Rosemary/ Parsley or whatever seasoning you prefer

How to:

1. Melt the butter and sauté the onions till brown and soft. Add the apples and stir some more.

2. Once the apples are a little softer add the broth and broccoli stalk. Bring the soup to a boil and then let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the some of the broccoli florets and cook some more (about 5 – 10 mins should do it). Season as you like.

4. Puree the mix and check the seasoning. Fix it as you need to and serve.