Friendship soup

For four years Kathy Cobe has been trying to build a sense of community in her neighborhood around giant pots of soup.

On three consecutive Sunday nights in October she invites dozens of families over for a casual evening of soup and socializing.

She asks friends to bring a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine or just themselves to come and enjoy the hospitality.

The concept is so popular that last fall one of the soup nights attracted 77 people, including a gaggle of kids.

"I like walking down the street and knowing our neighbors, stopping to talk and hanging out with people," says Kathy.

The idea was planted well before Kathy and Chris moved back to Arlington Heights after five relocations in seven years.

"I had torn out an article about a woman on the East coast who hosted a soup night, and I loved the idea," says Kathy. Shortly after they moved back Kathy put the plan into action.

"We knew this was where we were going to be, and I wanted to get to know the people," she says.

She delivered invitations -- one woman called to ask what they were selling -- and decided to launch the event with an epic batch of her mother's chili.

They came. They ate. They had a good time.

If you think about it, building a neighborhood is remarkably similar to soup making. For the latter, you take a variety of ingredients, combine them in one pot and let them cook for a couple of hours so the flavors mingle and blend into something richer and better than the individual parts.

To build community, just combine diverse neighbors in one house, let them mingle for a few hours and, with luck, they blend into a cohesive group better than its individual families.

Kathy doesn't know if all her neighbors have become closer because of soup nights, but it is working for her and her husband, and their three children, Genevieve, 6, Henry, 4, and Gibson, 1.

They met Juliet Skuldt and her family at the first soup night and have been good friends ever since.

"Kathy's soup nights transformed my own ideas about hospitality and entertaining," says Juliet. "You can open your home, just put on a pot of soup and make it happen. We have gotten to know so many of our neighbors so much better."

Another friend from a different neighborhood has started her own soup nights.

Kathy offers three soup nights to give everyone a chance to attend -- no excuses -- and more than once if they choose.

She multiplies her basic recipes by 12 and, no matter how many people show, never runs out, an experience that reminds her a little of the Biblical multiplication of the loaves and fish.

About two weeks ahead Kathy chooses three recipes for that year's series. About midweek before the party she preps the raw vegetables and refrigerates them in plastic bags.

The day of the party she starts cooking about midday so the soup will be "on" by 5 o'clock. Everyone serves themselves right off the stove.

"I love creating community," she says. "If a meal needs to be the vehicle for that, that's great."

Lentil Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup leek, chopped, a little green included

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup dried lentils

½ carrot, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

2 bay leaves

3 cups baby spinach

1½ cups potato, diced (any kind)

1 cup ham, diced

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, leek and garlic; saute until onions are soft. Add broth, lentils, carrots, celery and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add spinach, potato and ham; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Add tomatoes herbs and pepper; simmer another 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving

Serves five to six.

Nutrition values per serving: 320 calories, 10 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 38 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 22 g protein, 40 mg cholesterol, 190 mg sodium.

Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces

1½ cups smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces

2½ cups onion, chopped

1½ cups red bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups celery, chopped

1 teaspoon jalapeno, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon basil

teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1½ cups uncooked rice

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice

2¾ cups chicken broth

1 cup green onions, sliced

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add chicken breast, thigh and sausage; saute until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove meat from pan and reserve.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in same pan. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, celery, jalapeno and bay leaves; saute about 5 minutes. Add paprika, thyme, basil, ground red pepper, garlic salt and rice; cook 2 minutes on medium heat.

Add chicken, sausage back to pot along with the tomatoes and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir in green onions.

Serves eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 250 calories, 10 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 15 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 23 g protein, 75 mg cholesterol, 340 mg sodium.

Red Wine Beef Stew

1½ pound beef stew meat cut into bite-sized pieces

Flour

1½ teaspoons olive oil

1½ cups carrots, cut into chunks

1½ cups chopped onion

1½ cups celery, cut into chunks

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes with juice

2 bay leaves

Toss beef with flour in plastic bag so it's lightly coated.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot; add beef; browning on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.

Add carrots, onion, celery and garlic to pan, saute 5 minutes. Return beef to pan. Add broth, red wine, thyme, salt, pepper and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve over Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (recipe AT RIGHT).

Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 390 calories, 14 g fat (5 g saturated), 17 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 38 g protein, 115 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cubed

¿ cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup reduced fat sour cream

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (or to taste)

1 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Boil potatoes, covered in water, in a large saucepan. Reduce heat, simmer 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

Return potatoes to pan; keep warm on stove. Add milk, butter, sour cream and horseradish. Mash to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves six to eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 220 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein, 25 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium.