Back to Basics with Marketing Mike’s Utility Soup

Soup’r Club is amazing. It challenges everyone to step outside of their comfort zone. Some of us are not cooks or even kitchen-familiar. Others aren’t used to cooking for others or being judged. A few of us are wannabe chefs who love to tinker, test, and share. Nonetheless, week after week, the folks around the tables are churning out bangers.

After so much stepping outside of the collective comfort zone, I decided this week to lean into comfort by making a traditional Italian Pastina, but with a vegan twist.

If you are not familiar with a Pastina, it is composed of a healthy, vegetable-rich broth and some version of a tiny pasta. Typically, pastina pasta – those little star-shaped guys – are the go-to pasta (go figure), but you can also go with a acini de pepe, like I did, or orzo, couscous…you get the idea.

Both cozy and nourishing, you build your bowl of Pastina to your tastes by adding the pasta first, then the soup broth.

These components make a Pastina the ultimate utility soup. Want something brothy? Go light pasta and heavy broth. Want something hearty? Heavy pasta and lighter on the broth.

We all know this gang loves Toppers and Bottomers™ in their soups, and the Pastina does both.

We’ve already covered the pasta Bottomer™. After ladling on your broth, you can add a drizzle of EVOO, parmesan cheese (we went with vegan parmesan made from scratch), and fresh-cut Italian parsley.

To round it out, we have a fresh loaf of sourdough from Raterman Bread Haus & Bistro in my hometown of Dexter, MI. In addition to their amazing loaves of bread, they have delicious sandwiches and out-of-this-world pizza. Plus, they cater to the vegetarian/vegan crowd with a robust menu offering such alternatives.

PRO TIP: Spend your Friday or Saturday night sitting outside of Raterman’s enjoying one of their pizzas with friends or loved ones, including your dogs in the pet-friendly environment, while having a few cold, delicious brews from their neighbor, Erratic Ale.

I hope you all enjoy the comfort, simplicity, and versatility of the Italian Pastina, a comfort food for people happily within or boldly outside their comfort zone!

Gustalo in Salute!

Soup Club Score Update: Kevin: 8.3, Conlan: 8.0, Tam: 8.0, Andy: 8.5, Adam: 9.8, Jeff: 7.9 for an average of 8.4!

Next up - We had to cancel next week, too many birthday parties! April 7th is our 1-year anniversary gig. Stay tuned for a Soup Club history making event!