Sipping Soup at William Blake's Inn

William Blake ( November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered an important figure in the history of poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

"A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers" is a children's picture book written by Nancy Willard and illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. The book was published in 1981.

In 1982 Willard won the Newberry Medal for the book. The Provensens, illustrators, were runner-up for the Caldecott Medal the same year. "William Blake's Inn" remains the only Newbery-winning book that is also a "Caldecott Honor Book."

In a prose introduction, Willard tells how she was introduced to the poetry of William Blake when she was ill as a seven-year-old. She asked her babysitter, Miss Pratt, for a story "about lions and tigers" and Miss Pratt responded with Blake's poem The Tyger. Two days later she received a copy of "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" inscribed "Poetry is the best medicine. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. yrs, William Blake."

The fifteen poems that follow, plus an epilogue, describe the events of a day and a half of a child's visit to William Blake's Inn. It is inhabited by such creatures as the Rabbit, the Rat, the Wise Cow, the King of Cats, the Tiger, the Man in the Marmalade Hat, and of course William Blake himself. It is a place of wonder and magic.

The Tyger is perhaps the most famous of all Blake’s lyric poems. First published in 1794 the collection Songs of Experience has captivated children but has had academics arguing for over 200 years as to its meaning. Whether the poem is simply a delightful lyric for children or a political allegory of the French Revolution remains a hotbed of discussion. Whatever the case, it remains an evocative piece by Blake at his most inspired.

I was quite taken with these two pages. The simplicity of the words evoke strong images for me.

I wonder if Blake would have enjoyed sipping Smoky Black Bean Soup at his inn?? It's not too British with more of a Southwest flair. 

Cook's Notes: This soup has some ingredients that you might not normally think would be in a soup but trust me it works. It has just the right amount of smokiness with the coffee and a bit of a  kick with several spices. I used Italian sausage but bacon or chicken work well too. Need a vegetarian meal? No problem-omit the meat and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. Prep the vegetables ahead for easier assembly. The recipe called for 2 cans black beans but I found 1 can was enough for my taste. 
Top your soup with some shredded cheese and diced avocados plus a few tortilla chips thrown in for good measure.
The recipe makes 6 servings depending on the size of the bowl. I was inspired by Real Food Fall 2017 publication by Lunds & Byerlys. 
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Italian sausage or chicken or 8 slices of bacon
• 1 TB. olive oil
• 1 cup each diced carrots, onions,celery
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. each red pepper flakes, sugar, cumin and smoked paprika  
• 1 TB. tomato paste
• 2 TB. each dark balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced  tomatoes (basil and garlic) 
• 1 box (32 oz.) low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1-2 cans (15 oz.) black beans rinsed and drained
• 2 TB. each cornstarch and water
• 2 TB. fresh lime juice  

Directions:

• Cook meat, crumble and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in soup pot. Saute onions, carrots and celery 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Cover and on a low heat sweat vegetables for 5 minutes.  
• Uncover and stir in red pepper flakes, sugar, cumin, paprika and tomato paste. Whisk to mix well. Add in balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, broth, coffee and beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch with water, add to soup mixture and cook until slightly thickened about 10 minutes. 
• Sir in lime juice right before serving.