I make this soup exactly 4 times per year

Once when the snow comes for the first time and I need to be reminded of freshness, once in March when spring first does her strip tease dance with us all waiting with baited breath, once when spring is in full bloom and I can get my hands on local herbs, and once right now, at the end of summer, using the last of the local fresh herbs for the year.

The ingredients are simple, it doesn’t take long to cook, and it is just divine in its complexity.

I first had this soup in North Vancouver while our dog was having chemo in Langley and my oldest and I were exploring for the weekend, waiting for his release. (If you want to read about his survival story, it’s right here. I’ll warn you: have tissues on standby.)

My recipe is based on taste memory from the first time I had it. However, I've never made it properly because I've never been able to source "reshteh" or the special type of noodle used in the soup. I have tried using store-bought egg noodles in the past but once I merged my genes (German) with that of the soup's and used spaetzle. And it was the best Ash-e Reshteh I've ever made and so that’s what I continue to do.

I don't have a spaetzle maker, so instead, I use a box cheese grater. It looks like this:

Using a silicone spatula, scoop a dollop of batter onto the large-holed side of the grater and smush through (these are all technical terms). Keep going until all of the batter is gone, stirring the noodles around periodically. Yes, it'll make a bit of a mess, but it's worth it.

The biggest draw for me to this soup is the absolute abundance of herbs in it. It tastes fresh because of it, but it's still warm and comforting. It is traditionally served on Persian New Year, but I think it is undeniably perfect for this time of year as we transition to fall.

Ash-E Reshteh Serves 4 with a side salad

1 onion, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 500 ml can of mixed beans, drained and rinsed*
1/2 cup dried green lentils
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp. tumeric
1 tbsp. dried mint
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 dill, finely chopped
4 cups spinach, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Spaetzle, recipe to follow
Greek yogurt or kashk (a thick, strained yogurt) (optional)

Directions

1. In a large pot, saute the onion in the oil until beginning to brown.
2. Add in everything else. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked through.
3. If you are adding spaetzle, do so when the lentils are cooked. If you are adding other noodles, add them in at the appropriate time according to their cooking directions.
4. Enjoy topped with yogurt or kashk (I do not do this) while playing the “one-word" story game (everyone contributes one word a time to a collective story. It’s good fun with school-aged kids.).

*If you have a variety of leftover or frozen beans, feel free to use them here. While I prefer to use dried beans and cook them myself, it's not often I have a myriad of them ready to go, so canned makes it easy. However, you could just use one type of bean, but something would be lost in the soup as the variety adds to the deliciousness of the recipe.

Recipe for Spaetzle

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup whole grain flour (I use sprouted spelt)

1. Using the scoop and smush method described above, add your spaetzle to the soup just before serving. They are cooked when they rise to the surface or, since there's so much stuff in this soup, they look solid and have a good mouth bite when tested. Super scientific.

I hope everyone’s transition back into the school year (however that may look to you) is smooth and without extra stress. Happy fall <3