Soup as salve

Nurturing people is a way of life for Cathy Rodrigues.

A social worker for roughly 30 years, and more recently a personal life coach, Cathy believes too in the spirit-lifting qualities of homemade food generously shared.

Soothing soups and fresh-baked cookies and cakes can work as well as pep talks, guidance and support on family, ailing friends and children and their crews.

"I have been a listener all my life; I was the person my mom always talked to," says Cathy, a Lincolnshire mother of two. "I feel like I've been a social worker all my life."

Cathy's older sister was born with a heart defect and her mother was legally blind, but she never let her disability defeat her. In South Bend, Ind., she was known for the homemade pies she prepared for the family's neighborhood restaurant.

"I was always at my mom's side," says Cathy. "I learned from the best."

She put that to good use in college where her friends knew who to call when they needed a homemade fix.

"They always asked me to bake cookies," she says. "Whenever somebody was ill or needing help I would say, 'you need some soup.' "

More than comfort food, soup is nutritious, filling and easy, says Cathy. Children who won't eat a pile of vegetables on their plate sometimes can be coaxed to consume them in a flavorful broth.

Even teenagers starving after school may reach for a container of soup in the fridge, easily warmed in the microwave. Cathy often keeps some on hand for daughter Jenna, 16, a junior at Stevenson High School, and son Jarrett, 18, a freshman in college.

As a working mother Cathy embraced the ease of soup-making.

"You throw a bunch of water and veggies together and you wind up with this wonderful food," she says.

Among her repertoire are a self-described "incredible" fresh pea and an "amazing" coriander-infused carrot soup along with black bean, gazpacho, tomato with potato with rosemary and cold borscht.

Today she gives us mushroom barley from her mother, bean soup with turkey ham, suitable for her Jewish dietary guidelines and a vegetable medley jam-packed with an entire garden.

Yes, they will require some prep work, like washing, peeling and chopping, and long hours of simmering with an occasional stir are recommended.

But consider this. Like her mother and sister, Cathy has coped all her life with a physical defect.

Born without a left hand and part of her forearm, she learned how to cook and to love it anyway.

"Part of it is life experience, growing up a certain way, embracing what comes along in life," says Cathy, who uses a high-tech myoelectric prosthesis controlled by muscle impulses. But never when she cooks.

"The last thing I need to do is cut it," she laughs. "It doesn't heal."

As for her resolve to cook, she is matter of fact. "Because I love to do it, I find a way."

Turkey Ham and Bean Soup

1 tablespoon light olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4-5 celery stalks, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, chopped

¼ teaspoon pepper

4 cups water

2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base

32 ounces chicken stock

1 pound (about 2¼ cups) split peas or cranberry beans

¼ pound turkey ham, cubed

Coat bottom of soup pot with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, celery and carrots until liquid begins to pool in pot. Stir in pepper well.

Add water, chicken base, chicken stock, dried beans and turkey ham; cover and bring to boil. Reduce to high simmer and cook about 3 to 4 hours. The consistency should be thick and the vegetables thoroughly cooked.

Serves six to eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 240 calories, 3 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 37 g carbohydrates, 14 g fiber, 18 g protein, 25 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium.

Vegetable Medley

1 tablespoon light olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups zucchini, chopped

1½ cups green beans, chopped

1½ cups broccoli, chopped

2 cups corn

3 carrots, washed but not peeled, chopped (see note)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 can (28 ounces) peeled plum tomatoes in juice

½ cup water

¼ cup sugar

Parmesan or cheddar cheese

Coat large soup pot with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, green pepper and mushrooms until liquid begins to collect in pot. Add garlic, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, carrots and corn; stir well. Add salt, then pepper, stirring after each addition.

Mix in tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon. Use the water to rinse out the tomato can and add to pot. Stir in sugar and test flavor. Adjust seasoning if necessary, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to high simmer and cook about 1½ hours or until liquid is reduced and vegetables are soft.

Ladle into bowls and grate the parmesan or cheddar over the top.

Serves six to eight.

Cook's note: I never peel carrots to preserve the vitamins.

Nutrition values per serving: 170 calories, 3 g fat (0 saturated), 34 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 5 g protein, 0 cholesterol, 490 mg sodium.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1 package (.75 ounces) dried mushroom medley

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4-5 celery ribs, peeled and chopped

8 ounces fresh mushrooms such as button or crimini, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup pearl barley

1 cup dried beans (kidney, navy or any bean mixture)

3 tablespoons sugar

32 ounces beef stock

4 cups water

Rinse dried mushrooms with cold water. Place in glass container with just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside.

Coat bottom of soup pot with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, celery and fresh mushrooms until liquid begins to pool in pot, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and parsnip and sauté until soft 6-8 minutes. Stir in salt, the pepper.

Strain the liquid from the dried mushrooms and add to soup. Cut up reconstituted mushrooms if they are large. Stir into soup with barley, dried beans, water, beef stock and sugar. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce to high simmer and cook about 3 to 4 hours. The consistency should be thick. Serve with bread and salad.

Serves six to eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 220 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 42 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 8 g protein, 0 cholesterol, 330 mg sodium.