I like to think it wouldn’t take nearly six days without power in Igo to remind me how very, very much I appreciate and will never take for granted electricity.
One day would have worked just fine. Six days was unnecessary.
Our portable generator kept food in my freezer and refrigerator on life support, but we only ran the generator when we were actually home, which wasn’t often.
That’s because we needed to leave Igo in search of friends’ Internet access to continue the newly remodeled Food for Thought’s care and feeding. So we were gone more than we were home during the power outage.
Milk spoiled, as you’d expect. However, the non-fat half-and-half never did, which I found highly suspicious. But I digress.
Eventually, frozen foods started thawing, too. I threw away ice cream, which we probably didn’t need anyway.
But I couldn’t stand the thought of wasting so much food.
While the storm threw itself against our windows, I started a pot of soup, thanks to our propane cooktop, ignited with a match.
Most of the soup’s ingredients were from things that demanded immediate attention. Case in point were some leftover spiral-sliced, bone-in ham in the refrigerator, and from the freezer, about five containers of home-made chicken broth, plus some already cooked Italian sausage and shredded chicken.
The only soup items not taken from the freezer or refrigerator were dried navy beans, soaked in cold water overnight, an onion, a few cloves of garlic and some fresh oregano and thyme that deer herds were kind enough to leave behind for us.
The result was a delicious, hearty Tuscan-style soup I’d never have created, had it not been for mass thawing of things I’d stashed in the freezer for a rainy, stormy day.
The following recipe is a guide, based upon what I had available.
Whatever you’ve got stashed in your freezer, refrigerator or pantry will probably work great for your Power Outage Soup.
And I highly recommend eating it by candlelight, even if the power’s on.
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Doni’s Storm Soup
Chicken stock, about 8 cups
1 large white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Navy beans, about 1-lb., soaked overnight
Cooked, crumbled Italian sausage, about 2 cups
Shredded cooked chicken breast, about 2 cups
Ham, on the bone, whatever’s left
Fresh or dried oregano and thyme, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional, leftover white wine, about ¾ of a bottle
In your largest pot, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions in olive oil until the onions are golden and translucent. Next add the garlic and sauté, being careful not to let the garlic burn (makes a bitter taste).
Dump all the other ingredients in the pot. Let simmer for as long as you like. Adjust seasonings and wine to your liking.
Top with any grated cheese that’s at risk of perishing without power.
Serve with thawed, heated bread.
Makes: A lot. When the power returns, you can freeze any leftovers – for the next storm.
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