When we lived in Maine, we would never have started a fire in the fireplace unless the temperatures plummeted below 30. Here in the Southwest, however, we don’t think twice about lighting a fire even if the temperatures are in the 50s.

Today is exactly that kind of day. It is 54 degrees, cloudy and it just might rain. Rain would be a good thing for the desert, although neither Mark nor I ever dreamed we’d admit that! One thing we love about the desert is the expansive blue sky – endless and enveloping, there is nothing like the sensation that I have more fresh air to breathe than ever before in my life.

But today the skies are gray, the mountains directly north of us are shrouded in low clouds, and the fire is toasty and warm. Soup. It was both the question and the answer. And one of our favorites is a recipe we got from the Boston Globe Magazine years ago. Once I converted from saving clippings to transcribing recipes on my computer, endless undocumented revisions became possible. Now, I have no idea if the recipe is original to someone else or tinkered with by me. In almost all cases, I assume the latter. I am pretty sure this is not the original recipe but I wouldn’t swear to it. And does it really matter?

This soup – chicken meatballs laced with lemon zest and mint, simmering in a broth delicately flavored with leeks, peas and carrots – is amazing comfort food without being heavy. While it may seem wintry, it is bright – both in color and flavor – and  very springlike.  The lemon zest is actually what brought this particular soup to mind. We lost over 60 lemons in the big frost last month – so sad a loss. Somehow we felt invincible to the cold and didn’t pick our lemons. So we ended up with lots of lemon zest and no flesh or juice. Yesterday, we made everything we could think of with our lemon zest/peel: candied peel, preserved zest (a Moroccan inspired preparation, although quite nontraditional), dried lemon zest (to pulverize and use later as a condiment), the beginnings of a new batch of limoncello, and grilled chicken with lemon zest and rosemary.

Today, we will probably preserve more zest (it will make great host/hostess gifts), use some for lemon squares and then a goodly amount will go into the soup. It is best if you can grind your own chicken but many stores now sell it pre-ground. Don’t substitute ground turkey as it is much heavier and the delicate nature of the meatballs will be lost.

So, no matter where you live, it is February and the chance of a chilly day is out there – even for our friends below the equator looking to winter. This soup warms you up and yet gives hope for warmer, sunnier days to come.

– David