“At my husband’s funeral, the casserole dishes sat full while folks scraped the last bits of Babcia’s soup from the pot. The priest said, ‘Some souls speak through sermons. This one speaks through broth.’”
Ingredients Deep Dive
What to grab (and what to leave on the shelf)
🌶️ The Pepper Secret
- Green + red peppers (1 each): Firm, glossy skins (no wrinkles). Must be ¼-inch dice (not chunks—cooks unevenly).
- Critical prep: Pat bone-dry with paper towels. Wet peppers = watery broth.
- Why no yellow? Babcia’s rule: “Yellow = too sweet. Green + red = balance.”
🥩 The Meat Trinity
- Italian sausage (½ lb): Pork only—chicken sausage = cardboard. Must be hot (not sweet)—look for fennel seeds.
- Ground beef (½ lb): 80/20 fat ratio—leaner = dry soup. Must be fresh ground (not pre-packaged).
- Broth (6 cups total): Homemade only (simmer bones 12 hours). Canned = metallic aftertaste. Must be hot when added (cold = tough meat).
🍚 The Rice Wisdom
- Jasmine rice (¾ cup): Rinsed 3x until water runs clear. Unrinsed = gummy disaster.
- Why jasmine? Long grain = stays separate. Arborio = porridge. Minute rice = mush.
- Salsa tomatoes (14.5 oz): Hunt’s only (no citric acid). Must be undrained—liquid = flavor.
