Choreographer Felice Lesser says that her mother, Ethel, was an incredible cook. “She was a concert pianist, and one of those people who could do everything,” says Lesser. “Several times, she catered parties for my dance company.” Lesser—whose company, Felice Lesser Dance Theater celebrates its 50th anniversary this June—says she didn’t inherit her mother’s skill in the kitchen. With a busy schedule and a New York City apartment severely lacking in counter space, Lesser usually prefers eating out. When she does cook, she opts for recipes that are quick, flexible, and lend themselves to an easy clean-up. “I like to make things that only require a pot or two, and can be made in sufficient quantity that they’ll last through the week,” she says.
Felice Lesser in the kitchen. Courtesy Lesser.
Lesser’s refrigerator clean-out soup was inspired by her husband. “He loves soup for lunch,” she says. “He was buying cans of stuff that were taking up too much room in the pantry! So, I figured, I’ll just make him a soup.” The basis for Lesser’s healthy soup—potatoes, vegetables, beans, and tomato sauce—stays the same, but she varies it based on what she has available. “I buy all my produce at the farmer’s market, so it’s seasonal,” says Lesser. After making a big batch, Lesser freezes the soup in individual servings that she and her husband can defrost for an easy meal. They like it alongside warmed ciabatta drizzled with olive oil. How long does the soup last in the freezer? “Not long,” says Lesser. “We eat it too quickly!
Variations on a Theme
Lesser encourages riffing on her recipe based on what you like—and what’s already in your refrigerator. She frequently includes garlic scapes and mushrooms and recently added a red beet. “It surprised me,” she says. “I thought it would be too sweet, but it was so good!” She’s also tried adding fresh tomatoes and even leftover dumplings from a nearby Georgian restaurant.
Scape Savant
Lesser’s go-to ingredient is garlic scapes, the green flower stems of garlic plants, which have a mild garlic flavor and are in season in early summer. “I love scapes,” she says. “I’ve started growing them myself.” After cutting them off, Lesser harvests the garlic bulb a few weeks later. “I put scapes in salads, pesto, I broil meat and fish with them, I eat them raw,” she adds. “Virtually anything I’m cooking, I’ll put them in if I have them in the house.”
Courtesy Lesser.
Ingredients
1 large onion
1–2 cloves of garlic
1–3 leeks
olive oil
4 potatoes
1/2 parsnip
4–8 carrots, peeled (“Multicolored carrots make it look nicer,” says Lesser, “but are not essential.”)
1 bunch of kale
1 15-oz. can of tomato sauce or 1 12-oz. can of tomato paste (If you use paste instead of sauce, Lesser recommends diluting it with water.)
2 cans of beans (“The last time I made it, I used one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans,” says Lesser. “It’s whatever’s in the house!”)
salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes or sriracha, to taste
Instructions
Wash all of the vegetables and potatoes. (Lesser recommends paying special attention to the kale and leeks, as they can be sandy.)
Prepare the vegetables: Slice the onion into rounds; mince the garlic; cut the leeks into inch-long pieces; cut the potatoes into cubes; peel the parsnip and carrots, and slice them into thin rounds; cut the kale into bite-sized pieces.
Place the onion, garlic, and leeks into a large soup pot over medium heat, and drizzle them with olive oil. Stir for 3–4 minutes until onions are translucent.
Add the potatoes, parsnip, carrots, kale, tomato sauce or paste, and beans. Fill the pot with water, stopping a few inches from the top. Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes or sriracha, to taste.
Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat. Leave it simmering for at least 1 hour. (“Nothing bad will happen if you get sidetracked doing something else and cook the soup too long,” says Lesser.)