“The most healthful soup on record, according to Joseph Knoepffler of the Passy Restaurant in New York.”
The Passy Restaurant, “Where you’ll find the fine tradition of Escoffier” and also “finer, more Expensive Tobaccos”, is sadly gone, and mostly forgotten. It was around in 1938, and beyond that I’ve no idea. It appears to have catered to the theater crowd, but that’s speculation—as is assuming that this recipe was served there, based on the quote above.
I found it in the 1949 Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, so it’s possible the restaurant was still around at least when this book was being written. It’s also possible, of course, that the recipe was found second-hand along with the quote and that the restaurant was both long-gone by then and so forgotten that the author wasn’t familiar enough with it to know it was gone.
There is almost literally nothing in this soup but flavor. The tiny amount of flour provides both flavor (it’s basically a brown roux) and thickness. The caraway seed provides the bulk of the flavor. I intend to try this with cumin as well, but it should an interesting soup with just about any seed. Aniseed comes to mind as a very unique soup flavor, and fennel or coriander for a very old-school flavor.
It’s quick, easy, and you pretty much always have the ingredients on hand.
If you are cooking for your family or your friends, you owe them the pleasure of your company. — Renny Darling (The Joy of Eating)