It’s a recipe that empowers children: Put vegetables in water. Heat up the water. Then you have soup. That soup was immortalized in the story of the traveler who tricked an entire town into feeding him with a supposedly enchanted stone. Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear made birthday soup with the same basic formula. I fell for both tales.

As a youngster, I wondered if the chosen stone might have had a savory and deep flavor, and whether it was the secret ingredient that transformed vegetables floating in water into a satisfying, rich meal.

Since then I’ve learned a thing or two about what adds to a seemingly simple veggie soup like this one. To start, if I don’t have time to make a bone broth, chicken bouillon or base is infinitely better than a salt-only soup. I also think a slight bite from cayenne or at least black pepper can elevate the flavor. I love the back-of-the-throat heat from a soup that has just a little spice.

My daughter caught the stone soup fever after her class read the book and made the soup at school. She did consider it to be magical, and assessed my time in the kitchen in an almost accusing way, as if my attention and time paid to cooking was a trick. Cooking, she decided, was infinitely easier than I had portrayed.

Lately, making dinner has been a luxury of time I cannot afford, so I end up using my microwave or a box of easily prepared food more than I’d like. My tight schedule also means we eat in shifts. I make something the kids will eat, then I forage for whatever I can grab to get me through the rest of the evening.

Several nights ago my daughter said, "You know what I miss? Eating dinner as a family. Like soup."

She does know how to pull my strings. And she’s right; soup is the metaphor for an invested family meal. Stone soup is beyond easy. It takes one pot, one cutting board, one knife and very little time. There’s no reason for me to be too busy to make soup.

I immediately pulled myself together and said, "If Little Bear can do it, so can I."

STONE SOUP REDUX

» 6 cups chicken broth
» 1 onion, chopped
» 1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
» 2 small potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
» 1-1/2 cups broccoli florets
» 3 cloves garlic
» Salt
» Cayenne or black pepper

In medium-size saucepan over high, heat broth. Add onions and carrots and bring to a boil, then immediately lower heat to simmer.

After several minutes add the potatoes. Cook another 3 minutes, then add broccoli and garlic.

Continue to simmer soup until vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The soup should have some heat but not be intensely spicy. A couple of pinches of cayenne or several grinds of fresh black pepper should do. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 110 calories, 1 g fat, no saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 1,500 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 5 g protein

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.