Springtime Soup & Bread (& Pie)

Spring is, if not sprung, then springing at least — and that means there are just three weeks left of soup season. The end of March brought us soups pitting Paris against Tokyo (or bringing them together, as above) and celebrating the arrival of early spring onions and asparagus. I’ll have recipes for at least some of those up soon, but in the meantime, get a gander at what we’ve got to look forward to this month.

April 3: Chicago vs. Chicago

Bring on the Cubs vs. Sox bisque; the O’Hare vs. Midway stew; the Humboldt Park vs. Pilsen posole. The possibilities are endless here. Cooks on the docket include Swim Cafe, Chicago Reader food writer Mike Sula, Hoosier Mama baker Allison Scott, Ravenswood Events Andy Kalish, Perry Kim, Nikki Way, and a few folks from Gapers Block. Our DJ is the lovely Carrie Weston; all donations benefit Ravenswood Community Services.

April 10: Spring Forward

And by forward that means the future — which could translate to May or could mean 2045.  We’re excited to see what forward-thinking soups our cooks come up with. On the schedule we’ve got West Town Tavern chef Susan Goss, Jennifer Berman, Julia and Todd from Peasants Plot Sustainable Farm, Alia Danal, and more. This week’s DJ is our own Lawrence Peters; donations benefit Franciscan Outreach’s Marquard Center in Wicker Park.

April 17: The Pantry Shelf

Our final Soup & Bread of the season is also our most on-message. For this one, we’re asking cooks to create soups inspired by items commonly found at a food pantry. And we still need volunteers! Our partners at Vital Bridges — which provides supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS, and runs food pantries on the north, west, and south sides of Chicago, and in Elk Grove Village — were kind enough to provide us with the list below.  Please get in touch if you’d like to get on board! To sweeten the pot, we’re also rounding up bakers for our now-traditional end-of-season Soup & Pie party.

Soup, pie, and springtime — what could be better? Hope to see you there.

Groceries commonly stocked at Vital Bridges food pantries

Ground chicken, beef, or turkey
Chicken breasts or thighs
Perch or cod fillets
Turkey sausage links or patties

Frozen mixed vegetables such as:
– Carrots, cauliflower and broccoli
– Peas and carrots
– Carrots, broccoli, snow peas and yellow peppers

Eggs
Milk, 1%, nonfat, or powdered
Canned veggies (wax beans, green beans, butterbeans)
Tomato sauce
Diced tomatoes
Baked beans
Pork and beans
Canned corn
Onions
Potatoes
Cabbage
Green peppers
Rice, brown and white
Dried pinto or Northern beans
Pasta
Instant mashed potatoes

Posted: Tuesday Apr 2,2013 12:26 PM In Event Schedule