I love cookbooks, especially old ones, because they offer glimpses into not only history of recipes, but also, the people who sat around the tables to enjoy that food.

Years ago I received “The Essential New York Times Cook Book” (Amanda Hesser) as a gift.  This big, red beast of a book is full of recipes published in the NYT over its 150-year history.  It’s a food archive loaded with dishes submitted by readers, professional chefs and food writers.  It gives hints about what was going on at the time they were submitted — wars, the Depression, spices introduced by travelers, immigrant dishes, the introduction of ‘convenience foods,’ improvements in food safety, cooking utensils, vegetarian trends, the birth of the casserole, invention of the microwave, and more.  

Among her many accomplishments, the author is, most notably, the former food editor of the NYT Magazine.  In 2004 she started the monumental task of reviewing recipes in the archive dating back to the 1850s, getting input from readers about their favorites (including some that even saved marriages), and cooking/testing/updating an eclectic mix of about 1,400 of them.  Pretty impressive.

I pulled out the book this week, intent on finding a yummy soup. I found “Garden Minestrone,” originally published in the NYT on September 23, 1973 by chef Nika Hazelton.   I did some digging and learned she was born in Rome but traveled the globe, where she gained lots of culinary skills, so when she landed in the U.S. in 1940 she was recognized as an ‘expert’ on cooking across many cultures.  She promoted simple ingredients, was described as having a no-nonsense style and, among her many cookbook and writing accomplishments, was a regular contributor to the NYT. In this particular article, she wrote: “. . .Italians have a number of hearty vegetable stews in their cooking heritage that are good main dishes — especially when meat and poultry prices are out of sight. . .stews are easy to cook since they are all more-or-less dishes, meaning it doesn’t really matter if the cook uses a little less of this or more of that vegetable.  For a complete meal, add bread and cheese, a salad, some wine.  Dessert if you must.”  I love the last line.

I’ve never made a soup like this.  It’s called a ‘constructed soup,’ one that requires you to follow specific directions in order for it to work.  But it all happens in one pot, takes about 30 minutes, uses a lot of veggies, is EASY and, if you’re on a diet, doesn’t have many calories.  Win!

Here’s what it looks like after layering everything in the pot, before covering:

Here’s what it looks like after the first 10 minutes of cooking:

This soup works because the selected veggies hold a lot of moisture. When slow-simmered in a covered pot, they release those juices, making a simple, flavorful broth.  By cooking it like this, you can taste each ingredient in each spoonful.

P.S. I definitely advocate using lots of grated parmesan cheese. No, it won’t save you calories, but it’s a wonderful addition to this simple soup 🙂