Fire-Roasted Soup at the Senior Center
by Susan Ohanian,
January 12, 2012, page 16.....

When Rolf Sennhenn donated a four-pound can of fire-roasted eggplant to the Senior Center, he probably didn’t think the Monday cooking crew would take that “fire-roasted” literally. After the 18 or so quarts of roasted eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables had been simmering for a while, none of the cooks thought the soup tasted quite right.  “Too acidic” was the judgment.  So, Joan Weed rushed home for homemade pesto. The pesto addition definitely improved the soup,  but the cooks still worried about that acid, so they applied the tried-and-true remedy of adding a little baking soda to bring up the acid (to be skimmed off) .
It worked. The acid came up. And up. And up. The result was a culinary Mt. Etna, as in a foot of red lava flooding the stove.
The good news, the fire alarm at the Senior Center is in excellent condition.  It rings loudly.
Even better news, the Charlotte Fire and Rescue crew are on the job.
The really good news, with the acid spilled out of the pot, the resulting soup was judged to be very tasty by the cooks and by all who came for lunch.  Not to mention a great salad and dessert.
There has been no word from Homeland Security.
Don’t miss future excitement: Lunch served every Monday at the Senior Center from 11:30 to 12:45. No reservations required. (Served Wednesdays too: Reservation Required.)