I'm only trying to confess that I have known about pickle soup for a few years now but, suspecting its creaminess, I sort of dodged it for awhile...
My friend Laurie was living in Chicago and called me up a few years ago practically breathless to tell me about Pickle Soup. She had seen it in a deli, tried it and said she "thought of me with every spicy spoonful". Until that very moment, I had never heard of nor IMAGINED such a thing as Pickle Soup....yumm...spicy spoonfuls!
Well, I guess I imagined my own version of pickle soup (pickle juice in a bowl? sounds good to me!) because when I googled it two seconds later I saw a list of ingredients that made me shake my head at and think, "nope, not for ME"...
I officially kept my eyes peeled for it in New York but I'll go ahead and admit it-I never came across it myself because I tend to eat in places that serve tacos or corndogs. My friend Xan is the one who ultimately became my Pickle Soup guide. He actually found it in a couple of places but liked King's Feast, a Polish restaurant in Greenpoint, on Manhattan Avenue, the best. Not only is the soup a nice consistency he said, but it also has a nice strong, pickle-y taste. We made a date to meet and eat but I continued to drag my feet. The fear of being a pickle freak that didn't like pickle soup was bearing down on me...
I got the soup, which was officially listed as "Dilled Cucumber Soup" for $2.95. Xan got his usual Old Fashioned Meat. I was still a little hesitant when the soup came out...there were lots of shredded carrots in there but the pickle fragrance was enough to convince me to dig in and ignore the vegetables. I actually liked the potato-ness of the soup and the chunky-ness distracted me from the creamy-ness of the bowl. I took a few bites and felt the pressure leave me...I was still, and continue to be, a Pickle Freak.
I plan on taking Pickle Soup into my own hands and making my own version of it. This way I can control the creaminess, leave out the carrots and create my own "spicy spoonfuls". I will not, however, attempt to make Old Fashioned Meat at home...I'll just leave that to Old Fashioned Meat Freak, I mean Xan.
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5 comments:
so admit it, you won't order this again.
You're totally right...the only way I'll eat this again is if I make it myself...and serve with a side of fried pickles...
maybe you should add meat to the pickle soup
I actually make a mean pickle soup out of left over chicken stock (About half a stock pot):heat it on a medium, peel 4 or 5 decent sized Yukon Gold potatoes and cut them into a medium cubes, take two or three medium carrots and either grate or dice and three nice garlic "teeth", toss all of that in and bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes soften. Meanwhile grate two jars of sour pickles, reserve brine.(While some people like like Dill, I always liked sour pickles)shred roughly a cup and a half of chicken. When the potatoes have softened, add the pickles and chicken. Adjust strength with the reserved brine, stir, and serve with fresh bread. You can add cream in the pot or to your own bowl, I use enough to attain a slightly creamy green color.
Marcin-WOW-I'd love to see pictures of your next pot of pickle soup! When you say 2 jars of pickles...do you mean quart jars?
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