Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every facet of our lives, including how we cook, what we cook, and even where and with whom we eat. In our new occasional series, Community Cooks, Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers share stories of cooking during this public health crisis, as well as recipes. Look for Community Cooks on the Dining page in the Living & Arts section of the Sunday paper.
Recently, Sabra Cohen of Alpharetta found some soup recipes her daughter Shairoz emailed her in May, 2014, when she was living in Dubai.
“The reason this is even more significant now is that she became very ill in October, 2016, and has declined ever since,” Cohen said. “Coming across her soup recipes that she emailed me so long ago filled my heart, but also filled my eyes with tears. Nevertheless, having them comforts me, and, when I make the soups, I will feel a connection with her.”
Cohen said her granddaughters are learning to cook now, “and the soups will be very special for them to make, also,” because their mother no longer can cook. “We all will return her act of love and kindness in feeding us in 2014 by feeding her her own recipes all these years later.”
Social distancing has been difficult, Cohen said, especially since she hasn’t been able to see Shairoz, who lives in John’s Creek and suffers from neuro-Behçet’s disease.
But, Cohen noted, “If I had not been homebound, I may have not come across these recipes again for a very long time.”
She added that, although she can’t see her daughter, “her soups help with the loneliness.”
Cohen said she doesn’t know the exact origins of the soup recipes, but several use cracked wheat, an ingredient often found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. She cautioned that, if you use bulgar wheat instead of cracked wheat, you will need to adjust the cooking time and the amount of water according to the package directions. If you want to add more heat or spice to the recipes, that’s fine, too.
“On April 27, one of my granddaughters turns 13,” Cohen said. “I’m hoping things are better enough that we can actually cook one of the soups together. If not, I cooked the chickpea version and froze half of it, so maybe we can have that with my daughter on Mother’s Day. That will be really special. Our family is Jewish, Christian and Muslim, so it’s almost like a melting pot of soup when we share it.”
Tomato Kidney Bean Soup
Add ½ lb. browned ground meat
Substitute two beef bouillon cubes
Add harissa paste or small, finely diced red and green chiles for a hotter version
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your cooking? Have less frequent shopping trips taught you a lesson in resourcefulness? Did you prepare a recipe that reminded you of a loved one? Send your story and recipe to comcooks@gmail.com.
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