Indian spices1
Frame Soup Cooks Best on Slow
by Julene Tripp Weaver

We sat eating chicken frame soup,
Why does your soup taste so good?
It’s the slow simmer that blends the spices
to flavor. Do you want my recipe?
Of course!

Start with chopped onions sautéed
in a good oil: black seed or mustard
till translucent. Where do you find
those oils? Online at the Chef Shop or
Healthy Traditions.

Add chopped garlic, fresh rosemary,
oregano, thyme, cumin seeds, turmeric,
coriander, a pod of green or black cardamom,
chunks of ginger, ground pepper, Himalayan
salt. Sounds fancy!

Next add the carcass: chicken, duck, or turkey,
don’t leave the gel or the fat behind.
Add stock made from cut off ends,
onion and garlic skins. You make your own
stock?!

Into the brew add tamari, fish sauce, umi plum
vinegar, secrets borrowed from Ayurvedic cuisine.
How do you know what brands to buy?
Experimentation. The next step is to add veggies
I clear out the fridge:

carrots, celery, peppers, cabbage, greens,
potatoes. Bring it to a simmer, cover,
let it go on low. But, so much time!
Ah, but it lasts days and ensures several
savory, substantial meals.

PHOTO: Array of exotic spices by Batke82.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I didn’t learn to cook from my mother; growing up in the 1950s, she fried foods and used boxed mixes. Once an Italian neighbor invited us over to learn to make a tomato sauce. I watched in wonder as she added sausage, ribs, meatballs, and chicken into a big pot. It was one of the best lessons in adding more. At home mother never replicated that dish. As an adult, I devoted myself to learn to cook; I took classes, read recipe books, and experimented. Through time, I became bold in my use of spices and in trusting my tastebuds. Making a new dish, I find several recipes, but instead of using one, I do an improvisation. Studying herbalism opened new doors: making medicines and harvesting wild foods. One of my favorite activities is eating out and ordering foods I’ve never tried. When my friend talked about how wimpy her soups came out and asked how I made mine, I was thrilled to share my frame soup process.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julene Tripp Weaver is a psychotherapist and writer in Seattle, Washington. Her third poetry collection, truth be bold—Serenading Life & Death in the Age of AIDS, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and won the Bisexual Book Award. Recent publications include: Oddball Magazine, HEAL, Autumn Sky Poetry, Poetry Super Highway, As it Ought To Be, Feels Blind, and in the anthology Poets Speaking to Poets: Echoes and Tributes. Find her at julenetrippweaver.com, and on Instagram @julenet.weaver