Easy Garden Flowers Broth
Adriana C. Grigore
Editor’s note: This recipe first appeared in Romanian in Galaxy 42 F&SF Magazine.
Hello, lovelies! I don’t know what spring’s had in store for you, but in my case it was an enormous craving for some flowery broth. Many of you might know this recipe already, only by a different name, but those of you who think you’ve never heard of it before, think again! Surely it’s there, buried somewhere in the hills of your memory! Once tasted, it’s hard to forget, believe me. No matter how much you try!
Do you remember how grandma used to make it, after the man next door came to ask if she needed any more milk next week, only to then tell her how many things he would’ve given her if only she accepted the ring he’d bought from a Hungarian woman close to Reghin, for his son was just leaving for the army and he was so afraid he would never see him again, and he didn’t want to be left all alone in this sad corner of the world? Do you remember how grandma leaned down and plucked one marigold at a time, a smile in the corner of her mouth, glancing every now and then at the tears that flowed down his unshaven cheek? Do you remember how she would walk through the lilies, in that embroidered summer dress she ordered a week after grandpa died at sea? Do you see her tearing off a lily blossom and crushing it in her fist as the neighbour turned round, hunched by sadness, and returned home? Do you feel her pollen-stained palm on your face, asking if you didn’t want to go play in the garden while she made you something to eat?
Well, if you, like me, wondered all those years how exactly she made that delicious soup, stop pushing your craving away, for Adma will tell you now!
Preparation time: 12 h
Cooking time: 1 h 15’
Emotional preparation time: 23-36 years
Ingredients
4 bunches of garden flowers (marigolds, lilies, busy lizzies, whatever is in bloom, get some from the neighbours’ garden if you dare; the more colourful they are, the better the soup!)
3 l flower stock
4 l spring water
1 parsley root
1 uprooting
2 slices of celery
1 handful chopped parsley
2 cups fresh milk (if it isn’t fresh, the neighbour isn’t either)
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon burdock vinegar
1 teaspoon mirror dust (IMPORTANT: only added at the very end!!!)
Salt and pepper for seasoning, cca. 2-3 teaspoons
Preparation
For the flower stock
I know it seems hard, but no need to panic! Flower stock is very easy to make! All you need to do is select one flower of each kind you intend to use for the soup and leave them overnight in a bucket of water. Then, in the morning, go and gather the dew that’s set on the neighbour’s windowsill with a wooden spoon, and use this spoon to mix the water (and even the soup, later on!).
For the mirror dust
Think of the last time you’ve let yourselves dream of the future, before forgetting it entirely. Try to remember that day perfectly, what you wore, what you ate, where you were.
Think then of the day that followed, what happened to make you forget that dream so completely. Imagine (only for a moment, no more, else it curdles!) where you would’ve been now if you hadn’t forgotten it. Think of that dress that still hasn’t reached the post office. Let all your tears fall on your mother’s mirror and then scrape the dust off once they’ve dried. If there’s anything left at the end, put it in your make-up, it’ll make your skin very smooth!
For the broth
Mix the water with the flower stock and set it over a medium flame. While waiting for it to boil, chop the rest of your greens (keep the flowers intact, but dice the stems and leaves small as you can, to get maximum flavour). When the water is boiling, add the flowers, the roots, oil and vinegar.
For the uprooting, go in your child’s room as they play in the garden and take their favourite toy (bet you forgot about it until now?), tear it to pieces and bury it among the flowers, out of sight.
When the broth has been brought to a boil three more times, turn off the cooker and add the two cups of milk. In case you haven’t been able to tell before, at this point you can see clearly if the milk is fresh or not, for if he’d been to see anyone else before you, the broth will curdle instantly. If this happens, feed it to the ducks and get yourself another milkman.
Add salt, pepper, and finally the mirror dust. Again, it’s very important to leave it until last, because it tends to make the broth glassy if you stare at it too long. Sprinkle some parsley on top, and you’re done!
Bon appétit!
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If you liked the recipe, leave a comment and tell me how it turned out! It is indeed a great shame that we let all these recipes be forgotten by the younger generation. You know how it is, memories pass in the end, but this taste remains with you forever. Iuli and Silvi licked the plate clean and even wanted seconds when I made it, I had to pour the whole thing down the drain that evening, for fear of them eating themselves into pure oblivion!
This recipe was published by ADMA PĂTRAŞCU in Soups, Broths, Memories and tagged with broth, traditional recipe, garden flowers, flowers and other poisons, the unfair passage of time, recipes for lent, romanian recipes.
About the author:
Adriana C. Grigore is a writer from the windswept plains of Romania. They have a degree in literature and linguistics, a penchant for folklore, and a tendency to overwater houseplants. You can find their fiction in Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and others. You can find them online at www.adrianacgrigore.com or on Twitter as @aicigri.
