Nothing beats the cold better than a hearty bowl of soup, which is why we have five great soup recipes to warm your soul—if you don’t mind eating meat that’s soaking wet. We can understand that some people may not want to put perfectly good meat into a pot filled with liquid; that they may equate that to dropping it into the toilet or a tepid, scummy pond, but we personally find that the addition of meat makes for a tastier soup. Here are some wet meat soups, if you’re into that sort of thing:
Chicken Noodle Soup (AKA Poultry Water)
This classic cold cure is just like mom used to make, in that it contains completely submerged pieces of chicken. Noodles, once-crispy carrots and celery… it’s all going in there together, and you can bet it’ll all be sopping wet. If that doesn’t confuse or anger you, this recipe will be a welcome trip down memory lane when you’re rehabbing on a lazy, sick day.
Sausage and Kale Soup (AKA Moist Links)
Kale! Who doesn’t unconditionally love this miracle leafy green? You’ll be so taken with the nutritious veggie, you might not even notice the moistened sausage. Let us just point out that sausage always looks a little wet when you cook it! But yes, in this case it will be wet from other juices.
Split Pea Soup with Ham (AKA Pork Slime)
Now here’s a simple wintry soup with a satisfyingly chunky texture that fills you up. Yes, technically this recipe gets the ham “wet”, but it’s really more of a goopy paste, so maybe you’re cool with that. On the plus side, it’s not a clear liquid, so you won’t find yourself imagining the ham hock as an old dishrag gushing out dirty green water as you twist it dry. Well, now you will be. Sorry about that. We’ll be topping ours with fresh ground black pepper, dunking Parmesan crostini into it, and trying to feel normal.
New England Clam Chowder (AKA Fish Milk)
Crusty bread bowls, Boston, salty air, and fresh shellfish that some don’t even consider a meat, let alone a meat you should worry about being wet—these are the things we think of when we think of clam chowder. Clams live in the water, so being in the ocean is just as natural as them being in this dairy-laden New England staple.
Goulash (AKA Wet Meat)
Not going to sugarcoat it this time: This beef is just soaked to the bone. Lift it out with your spoon, and we’re talking waterfalls of juice cascading off those meaty flaps. Don’t expect to dab it dry with paper towels, because you will need a dozen or so before that meat becomes something you’d consider even remotely edible. (If that’s your problem with this recipe, otherwise you can disregard the comments so far. We’re only talking to the folks who can’t stand the sight of beef rising from the depths and bobbing around like a bloated body swaying with the tides.) Goulash is an authentic taste of the old country that’s perfect for family meals and dinner parties. But if any of your guests get squeamish when their meat shows up waterlogged, well, Godspeed buddy!
Those are all the soups for people who don’t mind that meat soup is just wet meat. Enjoy!
