By Glenn Lozuke, Weaver Street Market Food House Head Chef
This week’s owner coupon is buy two get one free on all Weaver-made soups (in Grab & Go containers). Learn more about the coupon below.
Winter is soup season! As a chef, soup is literally one of my favorite foods to create, and one I also love to share with customers. And it has an interesting history, too!
A Brief Soup History
Given my interest in food history, I did a little digging into the origins of soup. I found out that soup, as a meal, has been around for over 20,000 years. Way before your handy crock pot was invented, watertight cooking vessels were crafted and set over hot rocks to cook, filled with a predecessor of modern soup.
In the 16th century, the word “restaurant” (meaning “something restoring”) was first used in France. At that time, the word referred to a concentrated, inexpensive soup that street vendors advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. From that name, the first soup shop in Paris was born in 1765. Today, soup still has its roots in health, restoration, and comfort for a great meal option. With this in mind, Weaver Street Market has a bounty of Grab & Go soup offerings that are sure to satisfy any palate.
Vegetable-Based Soups
All of our soups are made from scratch in our Food House kitchen. Our vegetable-based soups are some of our best-sellers.
Our veggie soup is chock full of hearty plant-based ingredients simmered in a savory tomato broth base. It’s been a classic at Weaver Street for decades. The red bean & okra gumbo is a hearty soup for those cold nights. The soup’s base is made with a classic brown roux that gives this selection a nutty, rich flavor. Tender okra and greens round off this hearty gumbo. The vegetarian chili is a consistent winner among our customers, who clamor for its return in the late fall. Rich savory flavors of tomato, red beans, sweet potatoes, and enriched textured soy protein will make believers out of even our meat eaters.
For those vegetarians who like some creaminess in their soup, our cream of mushroom soup will be the perfect fit. There’s a reason why Weaver Street makes this soup year round. People simply love it! It’s crafted by caramelizing aromatics ‘til soft and sweet. (Aromatics are a foundation of many soups–vegetables and herbs heated in fat, like butter or oil, at the beginning of the cooking process.) Next, button and portabella mushrooms are high-temperature roasted to deepen the flavor. Some locally produced heavy cream is added, and then the mixture is pureed to just the right texture.
Don’t forget to pick up some Weaver-made potato leek soup as well.
Meat-Based Soups
Like our vegetable soup, our vegetable beef soup is full of vegetables but is further enriched with the addition of local Mills Family Farm beef. After visiting Mills Farm, we’re not surprised how the quality of their product shines through: their cows graze on pasture, eat a high-quality diet, and are grown without antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. This rich and meaty broth-based soup is sure to please.
Our Mediterranean chicken soup has a unique blend of herbs and spices, which gives it a distinct flavor. Nothing says comfort more than Weaver-made chicken noodle soup. We use Freebird chicken, slowly simmered with vegetables and tender noodles.
Make It a Soup-Themed Week
Any combination of Weaver-made soups can be the foundation for a great week-long meal plan. By simply adding some basic components, lunch or dinner can be ready by the time you heat your soup.
- One night’s dinner could be cream of mushroom soup. With it, serve a fresh baguette, some warm brie, and a simple bowl of dressed greens, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
- The next night could be two different soups… red bean & okra gumbo, and veggie chili. Pair this combo with some of our bakeshop’s cornbread, served warm on the side for a dinner in less time.
- A great lunchtime meal option could be chicken noodle soup. Ready in minutes, it’s a whole meal in a bowl.
Look for our soups packed to-go in the Grab & Go case in our stores. You can also sample some of them daily on our hot bar.
This week’s owner coupon is buy 2 get 1 free on all Weaver-made soups (in Grab & Go containers), good February 20-27, 2019. Owners, look for the coupon in our weekly e-news, sent on Wednesday afternoon. If you didn’t get the coupon, you may need to update your email address in our owner database. Contact us at ownershares@weaverstreetmarket.coop.
Not an owner? Become one today to receive the weekly owner coupon as well as the other benefits of ownership, like invitations to the Co-op Fair, a logo T-shirt and bag, and the right to vote in board elections. Learn more here.