Consider us hooked, reeled in, ready to learn more! The marketing material or blurb sprang to the rescue and taught this reviewer something new about contemporary U.S. society. "Soup nights are popping up all around the United States as a stress-free way to bring neighbours together. The host provides two or three pots of soup and the guests bring their own dishes and silverware and perhaps a salad or some bread. Neighbours get to know each other by name, people of all ages connect and socialise and the neighbourhood becomes friendlier and safer," we are told.
If this really does happen outside of a few cosy middle-class, secluded communities then this reviewer is impressed and hopes that other countries begin to copy this "American thing." So what does this book give you? Well 99 soup recipes and 40 recipes for things to accompany them - whether you will eat alone, as a family or as part of a community soup evening! One has to be honest, there is no shortage of books giving soup recipes. Far too many to count, many boasting about their low price and high "soup count." How can this book compete in such a crowded sector?
Well apart from a wealth of information about organising soup nights and a fairly detailed overview about soup, soup making and key soup ingredients, it is down to the recipes. Recipes are split into chapters named after the four seasons, with each chapter giving details of a typical soup night held during this time. Then it is recipe after recipe after recipe. The wise soup addict would take the time to look through this book sequentially at least once to maximise the learning potential as there are lots of bits of information squirrelled away that could be overlooked if you only dive in for a nice-sounding recipe.
When browsing through this book it is very easy to write up a very "long" shortlist of recipes that sound very tempting indeed. Greater attention to the food photography side would have been welcomed - both in terms of quantity and quality. However, looking at the main thing, the recipes themselves are very well written, clear to understand and as you might expect ready for scaling up for larger gatherings. Nothing is left to chance. It is therefore puzzling why our "usual niggles" are evident in this book - the lack of a clear preparation/cooking time and the reliance on sole U.S. measures: it seems such a silly oversight. One presumes that the promised index is also comprehensive as the rest of the book, possibly referenced also by key ingredient, but it was missing in this pre-release review copy. If a good index is a deal-breaker for you, check it out before purchase.
One might go as far as to suggest that this is one of the better collections of soup recipes that we have seen for some time. You could argue that the information about soup parties and their like is a bonus if you are inspired to try it out or a harmless section of filler if you will only ever make soup for yourself and your family. Nonetheless, a very credible, interesting attempt to present a new fresh face to an old classic staple.
Soup Night: Recipes for Creating Community Around a Pot of Soup, written by Maggie Stuckey and published by Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781612120997, 304 pages. Typical price: USD19.99. YYYY.
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