Yesterday was a gray winter day, raw with spitting snow and slippery underfoot. My friend Claire picked me up late morning for lunch at The Flaky Tart in downtown Winthrop, and as I walked to her car, I slipped in my own driveway. Fortunately, I did not fall, but it made me extra careful. (Later that day, when I took the dog for a walk, I was sure to wear my grippers.)

As regular readers know, The Flaky Tart is new in town, and with its good food and warm, snappy decor, it has become one of Winthrop’s hot spots. Claire and I meet there once a week or so, and I always look forward to our outings. Often, we see people that we know, and the two owners, Kim and Rosa, are so friendly that they make the Tart even more inviting.

Rosa, who was on duty yesterday, does much of the cooking. Not long ago I had had one of Rosa’s bean soups, which was delicious. Kim happened to be working that day, and I asked her about the spicing. “Cumin,” she answered. “And a bit of allspice.”

Allspice! I had never used this in soup but after tasting Rosa’s, I decided to try it in some of my own soups. So far, I have had great success with it in two soups—a sausage, bean soup and a creamy, curried tomato soup with chickpeas and roasted cauliflower. (A recipe for the latter will be forthcoming. I still need to tinker with it a bit and to record the exact amounts of what I used.)

But back to yesterday. After lunch, I chatted with Rosa and told her how her soup had inspired me to branch out with my own. I described the creamy, curried tomato soup and mentioned that while it was perfectly good with just the curry, it seemed somewhat flat. When I added the allspice—and some coriander—the add spices seemed to give the soup that little something extra.

“Yes,” Rosa said. “The spices gave it another dimension.”

Rosa, who is from Venezuela, described what she asks for when she goes back home for a visit.

“Not Italian shoes,” she said with a laugh. “Instead I want spices and good cocoa.”

“Good decision!” I agreed.

Rosa then went to to tell me about one of her favorite spices—the annatto seed—which gives food a bright color similar to saffron. “When you sizzle it in oil it is so beautiful, and it has a spicy but not hot taste.”

“Where you can get it around here?” I asked.

“Whole Foods, I think, and maybe Harvest Time in Augusta.”

This morning, I Googled annatto and found a description of it in the blog the epicenter: “slightly sweet and peppery.” There are also some very good instruction on how to use annatto—in hot liquids (soups!) as well as in hot oil. Apparently, the seeds jump in hot oil, so keep the pan covered.

Lately, I have become quite the dedicated soup maker. They are economical, and they warm the soul as well as the body. In the past, I have wondered if soups were too humble and common to serve guests, but my friends seem to love being invited over for a soup night. (And bread, too, if I don’t broil it.) I must also admit that soup meshes well with my improvisational style of cooking.

At any rate, although I am somewhat obsessed with the Tart’s bacon and egg sandwiches on homemade bread, I have decided that from now on I will always try the soup of the day. Rosa has already taught me some new tricks about soup, and I expect there is much more to learn.