On a chilly Sunday evening, my brother and his new fiancée came over. I had an hour to come up with dinner. Digging through the vegetable bin, I found all the ingredients for a mire poix — carrots, celery, and onion — the building blocks of a good soup. But I was in the mood for something spicy and celebratory. After all, there was a wedding to plan and lots of festivities in store. <br /> <br />I started with a small amount of oil and sautéed the vegetables, adding three different peppers for a Spanish flair. There was some wilting cilantro in the fridge and a package of corn tortillas in the freezer, so I tossed them in, along with a can of organic tomatoes and a few heady aromatics. Left to simmer while we chatted at the kitchen table, the mixture began to bubble in the pot — rich, rose-colored, and wonderful. After 45 minutes, I blended it smooth and served it with a smorgasbord of garnishes…a one-pot dinner that everyone enjoyed. <br /> <br />It got me thinking about my brother’s decision to finally tie the knot. A good soup, like a strong marriage, is built from the bottom up. It is a complex concoction of sweet, salt, and spice. But given the right ingredients and plenty of time to brew, it’s something delicious to share on a cold winter night.

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