satisfying hunger and putting your heart in a bowl:
harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro
In her book, The Gastonomical Me, M.F.K. Fisher explained that she wrote about food (rather than other topics) not only because she was “hungry” but also because:
“[O]ur three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. [W]hen I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it … and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.“
Nowhere are Ms. Fisher’s words more poignant or demonstrative than when it comes to a bowl of hot soup. Nutritious, filling, and restorative, soup provides warmth to our body and comforts our soul.
Recently on the news I saw one easterner give a fellow easterner (a victim of Hurricane Sandy) something hot to eat. As she handed her the food, she placed her other hand on the recipient’s arm. It was a moving moment. I thought of Ms. Fisher’s words about the co-mingled needs for food, security and love and this week’s simple pleasure was born: harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro.
