Hello C & B group!

[AwakeAtLast]

I have just recently been able to post in the Groups. I lurked in C & B for a long time. I've done lots of things I found here: seasoned my cast iron skillet, added the Pioneer Woman to my favorites, added to my cookbook want list and read hours and hours of links.

I am posting because I live on a lot of soup in the winter and thought we could share our favorites.

This recipe is one my grandmother made all the time for many different occasions, including Christmas Eve. It is called "Humphrey Soup" named after Hubert Humphrey. This is what Mrs. Humphrey had to say about it: "The recipe that sustains the Vice-President's vim, vigor and vitality. My father used to love to make this. It is now famous because my husband loves it and has proclaimed it all over the U.S. Low in calories but high in food value, it is especially good for a light supper with fruit salad, a glass of milk, lots of crackers, and dessert."

1 1/2 lbs. stewing beef or chuck steak
1 lb. soup bone
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
4 to 5 med. carrots, sliced
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 lb. 4 oz. can Italian-style tomatoes
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
Pinch of oregano

Cover meat and bone with water in 3-quart heavy kettle. Add salt, pepper and bay leaves. Heat water to bubbling while preparing vegetables. Turn heat to low. Add celery, onions, carrots, and cabbage. Simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Skim; remove bone and bay leaves; cut meat into bite-size pieces. Return meat to soup. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon cube and herbs. Simmer for 30 minutes longer before serving. Serves 6.


Anyone else ever make this? I don't ususally make mine with a soup bone and I don't cook it quite as long as it says and it still comes out alright. I also have a habit of adding a lot more Worcestershire sauce.

What's your favorite winter soup?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Welcome to the happiest place on DU!

I love soup, too.

Beef barley is a big favorite of mine.

Clam chowders (red, white and clear).

Pea soup.

Italian wedding soup.

New stuff, too.

[AwakeAtLast]

2. Thanks!

I haven't made a good potato soup in awhile - I may bring that back this winter. One reason is because my husband doesn't like the way I make it. He is PA Dutch and likes hard boiled egg in it. That is blasphemy to me!

You will be shocked when I tell you I don't care for a lot of seafood or fish soups or stews, but in my defense I live in Indiana where we are last on the list for fresh fish and seafood.

Italian wedding soup intrigues me, but my fear is that it is one that take awile.

I will be making a quick version of chicken noodle soup on Sunday - saute the vegetables, add stock, season to taste, poach chicken breast cubes, add noodles. I am toying with making some bread to go with it.

Look for me in here from now on!

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Actually, Italian Wedding Soup is pretty quick and easy .....

.... the time consuming part is the meatballs .... just because they're small and even a small quantity of meat mixture makes dozens of them.

[hippywife]

16. It is easy!

And you're right about the meatballs. It's my least favorite part of the whole process. I made a pot today and thought I would share before I smother it in parmesan. LOL

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Oh MAAAAAN that looks good!!!!!!!

All my kids love this. Even the one who won't eat meat. She picks it out and eats the rest of the soup (yes, she knows its chicken soup ..... she just can't resist).

[hippywife]

21. If I could share it with you

I would. I only know how to make a whole pot of it, altho I'm sure I could make a smaller one if I really wanted to. ;)

Your daughter must have had it frequently while she was growing up and it's a part of her list of childhood comfort foods.

[Arkansas Granny]

18. About those meatballs. I haven't tried this myself, but I watched my daughter-in-law

making meatballs for a soup. She made her meatball mixture a little loose and put it in a plastic bags. She cut the corner out of the bag and squeezed the mixture through the hole and cut the portions off with the edge of a spoon when they were the size she wanted right into the simmering broth. She had ground the meat herself in the food processor so it was finer than regular ground meat from the market so the mixutre was pretty smooth coming out of the bag. She had them all done in no time.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. I've seen that tip before, but have never tried it. I see no reason why it would not work well.

Following along with this idea, make them directly onto a well greased foil lined pan and then cook the meatballs in the oven until about 2/3 done. Then add them to the soup. the won't fall apart in the soup as the crust developed in the oven keeps them whole. They also avoid that gray "boiled" look.

[pengillian101]

14. Yes, welcome to a very FRIENDLY DU group!

I absolutely love making soups, stews and chowders. A favorite easy soup that is very popular in Minnesota is Wild Rice Soup. Many variations, but this is the famous Byerly's recipe and it so easy and good!

(NOTE: Cooked wild rice takes 45 minutes, so do that first.) This is not the boxed Uncle Ben's version of wild rice blended with white rice. If your store doesn't carry wild rice, you can buy it on-line, do a google search. Just found out there is also an instant variety - news to me.)

Lunds & Byerly's - Wild Rice Soup
Enjoy this classic from our restaurants.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups COOKED WILD RICE*
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup minced ham
3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons dry sherry, (optional)
snipped fresh parsley or chives

Directions

In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and
sherry; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives.

Amount: 6 cups.

*Tip: One-half cup uncooked wild rice=1 1/2 to 2 cups, cooked.


***********

I have other recipes I also love and have developed over the test of time with alterations.

The favorites I make are my split pea and ham (adding carrots, onions and spices like a bay leaf and a touch of cayenne pepper) and my green potato soup (bacon or sausage, potatoes and spinach in a cream base). I don't have those handy to post at the moment, but I will dig them up if anyone is interested. I just usually start with an old standby and improvise to my taste.

[housewolf]

15. It's hard to find a ham and split pea soup recipe

I've tried several and just havenn't found one that I liked well enough to do over again.

I'm looking forward to seeing yours here one day soon!

[pengillian101]

17. Here's my Split Pea soup recipe that my friends and family love.

:hi:

My neighbor even occasionally donates a ham to the cause just so I will make it.

1969 Betty Crocker's cookbook Split Pea Soup

(*my variations in parenthesis.) Easily doubled recipe - it freezes well.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dried split peas (*one plastic bag is 2 cups).
2 quarts water (*that is 8 cups and I add chicken bouillon
to that 8 cups of water so it is chicken broth. Or just
start out with 8 cups of chicken broth)

1 lb smoked ham shank or ham hocks or 1 ham bone (*I start
with a real bone-in ham. There will be more than enough
ham for your soup, and the leftover extremely tender ham is
wonderful for sandwiches, etc.)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) (*I use a
lot more onion and you don't need to chop anything so
fine.)

1 cup finely chopped celery (*my celery usually is beyond
usable before I use it, so I normally skip it)

1 sprig parsley (*I use dried parsley)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (*my very original Betty
Crocker recipe didn't call for carrots - but my notes say I
always added 1-1/2 cup of sliced carrots). They will cook
down.

(* IMPORTANT * my little additions - a bit of chopped garlic in a jar, 1/4 tsp thyme, a bay leaf or two, and a generous pinch of
cayenne pepper.)

DIRECTIONS

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat peas and water (*bouillon) to
boiling; boil 2 minutes.

Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour.

Add bone-in ham, onion, celery, parsley and pepper; heat to
boiling. (*add carrots and my additions - chopped garlic in a jar, 1/4 tsp thyme, a bay leaf or two, and a generous pinch of
cayenne pepper.)

Reduce heat; cover and simmer (*at least) 1-1/2 hours.

Remove ham and bone.

(*If you want a really creamy variation, use a hand blender in the pot before adding the ham back in. Or if you don't have a hand blender, put the soup through a regular food processor or blender Personally, I like the un-creamy version best.)

Trim meat from bone and add to soup (*if you use a whole ham with bone, save out about 1/2 the ham for other uses.

For a thinner consistency, stir milk or water into soup.
Season to taste.

[hermetic]

3. Autumn soup

I, too, have been reading this group for a while now. I've tried some recipes, and I wanted to send out some good thoughts to Tab, along with a healthy, versatile recipe.

Years ago in the fall, I got 3 things cheap,

an acorn squash, a sweet potato, and 2 apples.

So I cut them up and stir fried them. First I just tried them with butter and salt. Good.

Then I did the same, adding soy sauce. Still good.

This has now become a combo I cook up every year.

This year I mixed the three:

1 acorn squash, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2 apples, peeled and cubed

in a crock pot with a carmelized onion, soup stock, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg

and a whisper of cayenne

A nice, spicy soup. I have scooped the ingredients out and put them on everything from sausage to vanilla ice cream, and it's always been quite tasty.



:hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Hot and sour soup

The classic Chinese soup, but I skip the pork, since it doesn't seem at add anything, and I double up on the tofu and the bamboo shoots as well as the tiger lily buds, and, if I'm feeling exuberant, I throw in some cloud ear. Lots of white pepper and vinegar, and when it's served, a hit of sesame oil and a handful of chopped scallions.

It's a lot less work than it appears to be. Now you've got me thinking of soup.........................

[housewolf]

5. Your recipe is similar to my mother's beef vegetable soup

which I haven't had in ages! She'd brown some beef (meat & bones), then add some liquid (probably water but I don't quite remember), onion, carrots, celery and a can of tomatoes and let it cook for a long, long time. Towards the end she'd add some peas, potatoes and corn. Some spices were added in there somewhere, can't really remember. It was a family favorite... wish she was still here to make it for me once again.

I live alone so I don't make soup much... but love a good French Onion or Potato Leek soup. Potatoe Leek soup is fairly quick and easy - sautee the diced-up leeks in butter, add some chicken broth and potato cubes & cook until the potatoes are about done, then puree some of the soup with half & half or cream... yum, it's really delicious.

[AwakeAtLast]

6. I have begun to really appreciate a good French Onion Soup

I remember watching Jeff Smith (Frugal Gourmet) make it once, and it sounded divine. May have to go look that one up....

The others sound great, too!

:hi:

[hermetic]

8. I live alone, too

well, except for some cats. I make soup all the time. Once a week, throw whatever is leftover into some cooking apparatus.

Soup is good! Cook once, eat many times.

Someone downthread gave us the recipe for tortilla soup. I love tortilla soup! Been years since I last had some. I thank you for the reminder.

French onion soup is my favorite, and potato leek soup is heaven.

I'm pleased to meet you all and look forward to sharing recipes.

[grasswire]

7. tortilla soup

I love it. Well, I love it when it's made the way I like it. I use:

six cups chicken broth (Better Than Bouillon)

two cups of chunked cooked chicken breast (I use those frozen breasts that come in a bag and simmer them until cooked)

cup and a half of frozen corn

cup and a half of salsa verde

a can of tomatoes

a tablespoon or more of ground cumin

Let all that bubble for a while, then add several torn up CORN tortillas (they turn into little dumplingy things) and a handful of cornmeal or masa harina (this thickens the soup). Let simmer for ten or so minutes more.

Serve with avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream, and either some strips of corn tortilla that you have fried crispy or a handful of blue corn tortilla chips.

Mmmmmmm.


I used to make a simple minestrone but the picky teenagers in the household don't like it so I haven't made it for years.

Cook a ham hock and some dry navy beans in water for a couple of hours. Then remove the ham hock and separate the meat from the bones and fat. Put the meat back in the soup kettle and add vegetables:

can of tomatoes
box of frozen chopped spinach
several russet potatoes
carrots
celery
chopped onion
green beans
garlic if you want it (I don't in this)
a splop of olive oil

simmer for an hour or more, then add sliced zucchini and continue cooking. Toward the end, add a handful of broken spaghetti. Serve with grated parmesan and lots of bread for soaking up the broth.

[yellerpup]

10. Tortilla soup is my favorite

Both your soups sound delicious! :hi:

[yellerpup]

9. I made a new one this afternoon...

Don't know what to call it. It was inspired by a huge bunch of Swiss chard that I found at the Farmer's Market this morning.

2 - Chicken Thighs, browned in 1T. canola oil
Add:
2 - Stalks sliced celery with Leaves
3/4 - Chopped Onion
2 - Cloves of Garlic
1 - Peeled carrot, sliced

Saute for a couple of minutes, then cover with 2 Qts. water
Add 1-3 T. chicken bullion (depending on how salty you like it)

Reduce liquid by half. Turn off fire, let chicken cool off in pot.
Skin, debone & defat chicken, pull into small pieces and return to pot.

Add:
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Red Beans
1 Can Garbanzo (chickpeas) beans
1/4 C. Sriracha sauce (or to taste--I like it on the spicy side)
Alternately, you could add red pepper flakes if you don't have Sriracha around.
Return to simmer.

Wash and trim one humongous bunch of Swiss chard (kale is good also)
I guesstimate this equals 8-10 C. of greens
Add to simmering broth
1/2 C. Beer (optional)
Return to simmer again.

Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with corn bread.

Lots of nutrition here and it freezes well. Makes enough to feed 10-12.

[wildflower]

11. Hi! I'm a mostly former lurker here, too

I like to experiment with soups but almost always use this starter that I came up with years ago: olive oil, chopped onion, and a huge bunch of fresh herbs.

After that, whatever I throw in, it generally comes out good. The first time I think I made a soup that had chick peas, green beans, and potatoes in it.

And it's a great way to use up leftover or garden herbs!

:hi:

[eleny]

12. Hi! Your soup sounds great!

I like hot beets soup, lima bean soup and sauerkraut soup in winter.

[wryter2000]

22. Welcome to C&B

The best place in the whole internet