Well, I made some soup yesterday and today: Split pea, which is my absolute favorite when snow is on the ground. As I prepared this batch, I realized that I've learned something very fundamental about soupmaking, something that hippie cookbooks didn't really understand from the get-go, and that I didn't know I knew until just yesterday. (I learned to cook from hippie cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking and Emil's mother.)

And here's what I learned about soup from Emil's mother: It's all about the stock. When I made vegetarian soups before, I never bothered about the stock - and thereby eliminated the foundational flavor layer from the soup. This time, before I made the soup, I made the stock: Since we're omnivores, I started with ham hocks and smoked pig's necks, which I simmered for a few hours. Then I degreased and strained the water they were cooked in, and then mixed THAT with the peas. And carrots. And a whole onion. (And a little more water.) And simmered all of that until the peas pulverized (as they are wont to do).

(If I were making a strictly veggie pea soup I'd first make stock from an onion, a few parsnips, some celery, and maybe a carrot or two . . . and possibly a spice or two: Rosemary, say, or sage.)

Anyhow, the pea soup is stunning, if I do say so myself. Now I have a bunch of containers of it, some of which I'll freeze. And, I realized, the soup in its present form is really a stock to which other things can be added. I can imagine adding cauliflower to a container's worth, or perhaps potatoes and carrots (in a more traditional rendition), or - I tried this once and I loved it - horseradish and corn.

So I more or less have the base unit for a bunch of interesting dinners . . . I'm feeling quite satisfied with myself!