Cooking

The Secret Ingredient

People ask Marilyn for her meatball soup recipe.

I don't think they're asking the right question.

The real question is...

"How do you make a house smell like nobody's having a bad day?"

Well...

First invite the onions in.

They're always the first to arrive.

The garlic isn't far behind.
Three cloves.

They're inseparable.

Give them a few minutes together in the pan.

Trust me.

They've been getting along longer than most married couples.

Now the tomatoes hear everyone's having a party. They heard it through the grapevine, but don't get me started on that.

In they come.

Tomatoes are dramatic that way.

Not to be left out, the celery and carrots pile in too.

Five more minutes.

Just enough time for everybody to introduce themselves.

Then comes the beef stock.

Bring it all to a boil...

Then tell them to settle down.

This is soup.

Not a riot.

Twenty minutes of gentle simmering.

Now...

About those meatballs.

Marilyn doesn't throw raw meatballs into her soup.

Oh no.

These are honored guests.

They've already been cooked.

Think of it as letting the celebrities arrive fashionably late.

Ours are made from beef...

Pork...

And chicken.

Three meats.

One mission.

Making you wonder why every meatball doesn't get along this well.

Now, if you've got another favorite...

Go for it.

Turkey?

Wonderful.

Venison?

Absolutely.

Whatever makes your family smile.

Just be easy with the fennel!

Unless fennel is your thing.

If that's your thing...

Who am I to stand between you and happiness?

Now let those meatballs ease themselves into the soup.

Twenty...

Maybe thirty more minutes.

There's no stopwatch in Marilyn's kitchen.

Only the little voice that says,

"Yep...

They're ready."

Keep an eye on the broth.

It likes to sneak away while nobody's looking.

If the level drops...

Add a little water.

No lectures.

No judgement.

Just enough to remind the soup who's in charge.

Now...

Let's talk about jasmine rice.

It's completely optional.

The soup will never hold it against you.

But if you do add some...

It's like inviting one more really nice person to dinner.

It doesn't steal the conversation.

It just somehow makes everyone happier it came.

And when it's finally time to fill the bowls...

Do yourself a favor.

Don't ask Marilyn whether you want the small bowl...

...or the big bowl.

Trust me on this one.

Just remember...

The bowl may be bigger...

That doesn't necessarily mean you'll get more soup.

I learned that lesson the delicious way.

And that's why people ask for the recipe.

They're convinced it's the onions...

Or the garlic...

Or the meatballs.

They're wrong.

The secret ingredient has always been Marilyn.

She just insists on letting the veggies take the credit.