When I was a kid, my mom and I had a ritual. If we ever found ourselves alone for dinner, we’d pop over to our neighborhood Chinese joint. The order was always the same: A plate of Shanghai noodles to split and two orders of wonton soup. It wasn’t a common occurrence because I come from a family of 5. But even if my mom and I only split those noodles 4 or 5 times, those moments had a big impact on me. So much so that to this day, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I see wonton soup on a menu. And that feeling was what I had in mind when I whipped up today’s Scallop Wonton Soup.
Before I launch into my rendition of Italian Wedding Soup, I want to share with you a shocking discovery. Italian wedding soup isn’t served at weddings. I guess you already knew that, especially if you’ve walked into an Italian restaurant in North America in the last forever. But I mean, even traditionally, Italian Wedding Soup wasn’t served at weddings. I mean, it can be served at a wedding – no law against it. But the soup isn’t specifically a wedding food, like a wedding cake. You dig? Should I over explain it some more?
Do you ever find yourself in a ‘break everything’ jag? No, I’m not referring to an over-the-top post break-up “Girl Smash!” mode or the super cute I-still-think-I’m-fourteen-style tantrum. I’m talking about those stretches when everything you touch seems to break. You get a saucer from the cupboard, it winds up on the floor. You pick up the apparently overloaded basket you used to store magazines, the handle unravels in your hand. You leave your favourite hat in a cab. And, to add insult to injury, you break your favourite bottle opener and your beer is trapped forever…Not really, where’s there’s a will there’s a way. When this type of bad luck hits you there really is only one answer: potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. And what should you do with said potatoes? Make this Aged Cheddar Potato Soup with Sautéed Apples.