Serendipity Soup

Take a pot, heat it hot. Scratch it dry. Scrape up any brown, dry left-over bits. Check the sides as well. Sniff the seance of conjured smells. Imbibe the well-up of wafting aromas. OK, now, dry-run done, you've begun. Note: To cook this soup, make your own stuff up, nothing packaged, tinned, frozen, dried or jarred, please. For concoctions make less happenstance. All the come-up essence is drained, abstained. Add 3, 6 or 9 cups of hot chicken stock to the hot pot, not cold, lest it splatter and scatter. Add any amount of any kind of vegetables you like, Color, crunch, bite and texture is what you're after. Crinkle-cut the veggies in hotchpotch of shapes and sizes. Make triangles, squares, diamonds, heart and tears. Heaven-forbid not slices, dices, cubes or julienne spears. Simmer briskly and brusquely. Stir to get the veggies spinning and swirling, prancing like steeds and mares on merry-go round, up and down, round and round, all the colors and shapes, promenading around on show. Next, season liberally and decidedly, with salt, chillies and pepper. Then, add a cacophony crescendo of herbs and spices. Don't hold back, go on, let it go and all hang out. Make your taste buds stand-up and take notice, Add heaps of umami, to your bouquet garni of herbs. Simmer revealed, fully naked, with the lid off, until all is tender and nice done. Serve in bowls, hot and steamy, with shredded and torn mere mortal, morsels of crusty bread.