Soupalooza: Online comments help creamy artichoke soup come alive
I stand firmly on the fence when it comes to online commenting. When articles run on any website – dailyherald.com included – I tend to like the comments only when I agree with the comments. Human nature, I guess.
My point of view changes, however, when I am reading recipes online. That's because the comments are a treasure trove of ideas and suggestions: Real cooks offering real life suggestions and observations. Plus, if everyone hates a recipe or has difficulty following it, you know you should steer clear of it.
So when I had a box of frozen artichokes in the freezer begging to be used, I went online. I found a recipe from the Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis for Creamy Artichoke Soup. It sounded delicious, almost like a soup version of artichoke dip. How perfect is that? Then, I read the comments.
They went from “disgusting, acid, awful” to “This is delicious. I make it exactly as written and yummy every time.” Hmmm, there's a big gap between disgusting and yummy. The opinions were all over the place.
Even better than the overall reviews, however, were the various suggestions offered by my unknown fellow soup makers. Cooks love to doctor recipes and no more so than soup recipes.
Add one more can of broth. Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes. Instead of mascarpone, use cream cheese. Try marinated artichoke hearts, more garlic, a pinch of cayenne. Finish it off with parmesan cheese or a squeeze of lemon. How about crisped pancetta for topping?
What a great bunch of ideas. I wanted to try them all, but I thought I would give Giada's unadulterated version a chance first. Her version was good, but a little bland, calling for artichokes, leeks, a potato and some mascarpone cheese. It really did need a little doctoring so I made a second version. This time, I added one more cup of broth, more garlic and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Delicious! It is smooth and creamy, but with a tiny kick.
The whole experiment reminded me why I like to make soup so much. There's always room for a little creativity. And getting ideas from fellow cooks – wherever they are online – made it all the more fun.
• M. Eileen Brown blogs at soupalooza.com.