please sir, may i have some more
By American Girl in Italy on December 7, 2008 at 9:45 PM in Typical white person
Soup’s on!
Now that it is official, that the US is in a recession, the unemployment lines are getting longer, homes are foreclosing, companies are going out of business, (or getting bailed out), people are losing their pensions in the market, and people everywhere are tightening their belts, plus Christmas is right around the corner, it seemed a good idea to do a *Soup’s On!* thread.
I love making homemade soup. Many times the ingredients are already in the cupboard, and they are super tasty on a cold winter day. And I love that a little bit of ingredients go a long way! They are also great to whip up if you have family coming over. My father in law loves my soups!
Below are the recipes for two of my favorite soups. I make them all the time. Please share your favorite recipes below, or just borrow those that sound tasty!
Pasta e Fagioli
2 tblsp. olive oil (or oil, if you don’t have olive)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (you can also use dried or powder)
1 - 3 potatoes (dep. on size, and preference - I prefer 3), chopped in bite size cubes
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I have used 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes when I didn’t have fresh, and have even used tomato paste)
5 cups chicken broth (I use 2 bullion cubes with 5 cups water)
sprig of fresh thyme, sage or rosemary (I usually use dried, but fresh when I have it - very tasty)
2 cans cannellini beans, drained about 14oz each (corona beans, butter beans (fagioli di spagna), or borlotti would work, too. my mom even used lima beans)
6 oz. dried pasta - orecchiette, mezza penne, shells, bowtie or other small pasta
a pinch (or two) of red hot pepper flakes (I like mine on the spicy side)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parmigiano to serve
Heat olive oil in large saucepan, add onion, garlic, and potato and cook for 5 minutes till golden. Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock (bullion), sprig or spices, beans, pasta, pepper flakes, sale e pepe. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes until pasta and potatoes are cooked.
Serve and sprinkle with parmesan. And enjoy!!
*note - Depending on the type of pasta you use, mind the time that the potatoes and pasta cook. I usually cook the potatoes a little before adding the pasta, but if I use 12-14 minute pasta, I remember to not overcook the potatoes.
Also - I usually cook the pasta in a separate pan, and add only enough to two servings of soup. And when I reheat two more servings, I add the pasta to those servings. When eating the soup one or two bowls at a time, the pasta, if left in the soup gets really big. Not a big problem, but I prefer my pasta *fresh* each serving. But if you are serving 4-6 people, add pasta all at once. The recipe says four servings, but we usually get 5 or 6.
****
My Easy Peasy Broccoli Potato Soup
6 cups water (i usually toss in some rock salt, about a tablespoon, but I use it every day, if you don’t have it, no worries)
6-8 potatoes peeled and chopped in large cubes*
broccoli (fresh or frozen, one head or a large bag)*
1 or 2 bullion cubes if you have it
1/4 cup flour*
1/2 small onion, diced*
1 tblsp butter or marg*
2 cups milk*
sale e pepe
*ingredients are guesstimates/approximates. I never measure, I just use what I have and add as I need.
Add the potatoes to the water, and bring to boil. (I add the potatoes before the water is hot because when I drop the potatoes in, the water splashes me, and if it is boiling, it hurts, and then I get cranky. So, it is better when the water is not boiling…) I boil for ~10-15 minutes…I usually just check them with a fork. You want them soft, but not too mushy. (keep in mind you have to cook the broccoli too, when testing for potato *doneness*)
When the potatoes are getting pretty soft, add the broccoli. Cook for another ~5-10 minutes. Again, for me, the fork test works best.
While the potatoes and broccoli have been cooking, you want to cook your onions in butter/marg. until they are golden (people always say this, but I have yet to find my onions gold-like in appearance…)
When they are golden (not burnt, or black or ruined) add the flour, and stir, cooking the flour. If too dry, throw in some butter, if too wet, toss in a little flour. I cook this for ~3 minutes. The slowly stir in milk. You will keep stirring and cooking, to thicken this up.
When your potatoes and broccoli have reached their doneness - not too hard, not too mushy stage - you need to mash them. I use my immersion blender, but you can use a hand blender, or masher, or you can put soup in a blender but that can get messy. The immersion blender rocks for making soups! (If you don’t have one, ask for one for Christmas!)
I blend, leaving a few potato and broccoli chunks, but you can blend as chuncky or as smooth as you like. Add the thickened milk mixture, and blend a little more. Add salt and pepper.
No need to strain anything, because the water quantity is already measured. You can top the soup with parmigiano, or cheddar cheese, if you like.
***
I also love to eat my homemade croutons with these soups. I use stale bread, left over bread from our daily bread (my husband is Italian, and has to have his fresh bread every day! So, I save up the *scraps* and make my croutons. This recipe is from Hillbilly Housewife, whose site I love. She is much more precise in her recipe, I just tear and cut at will, and guesstimate the ingredients. They are also great for French Onion Soup - much easier to eat than one big piece of bread.
Croutons
10 slices of bread, heels are fine (homemade or store bought)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt (or 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon celery seed)
1/4 to 1/3 cup oil
First make 2 piles of your bread. Using a very sharp, serrated knife, slice them into small cubes. I make 5 cuts each direction, one down the center, and two to each side, but you can do it the way that works best for you. Place all of the bread cubes into a large bowl. Sprinkle on the seasonings. Toss briefly to mix in the seasonings. Next dribble in the oil somewhat evenly. Now gently toss everything together. The oil will help the seasonings stick to the bread and also make the bread crispy without actually having to fry it. Spread the croutons on a large cookie sheet, use two if you need to. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they are crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan. Store the croutons in a plastic bag, or resealable container.
Buon appetito!
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YUMMY!
Thank you.
Really looks good and am going to try it.
In the summer I raise about 40 tomato plants and fill the freezer with homw grown tomatoes.
It really has a distinctive taste versus the store bought tomatoes.
That said, we have 20 degree weather here in Michigan and I realy enjoy making a large pot of split pea soup and another is red beans and rice.
Key to this process seems to be the ham bone for fat and constant stiring the pot through the 4 to 6 hours to prevent scourching. We freeze part of it which seems to instill its own good flaver.
Gee No Quarter is realy a great diversified site.
That crouton recipe makes a great turkey stuffing too. It’s an old world Italian recipe from my grandmother. You can skip the garlic.
GREEN CHILE
six big onions (chopped)
1 large can Green Chiles (chopped)
2 jalapenos chopped
4 cloves garlic (minced)
3 lbs pork steak (bite sized pieces)
salt, pepper, etc.
Chicken broth
Brown the pork in a little oil in a dutch oven. Add onions, chiles, and garlic. suate until onions are translucent. Add broth to fill pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a couple of hours.
You can thicken the chile with a little cornstarch, but it is really pretty thick anyway if you have enough onions and chiles.
That’s really all there is to real Green Chile. You can add hominy and call it “posole”. Canned chiles are too mild for me, that’s why the jalapenos. Usually I roast my own Big Jim or Pueblo chiles (they’re hotter) and use a 1 quart bag of frozen chiles. Since I’m from Pueblo, CO, they are easy to find.
Thanks for these delicious recipes. I’m trying the Pasta e Fagioli tomorrow. (It’s soup weather - recession or not!)
Sarainitaly, 3 recipes that sound as sweet as your name. We’re going to try them all. Thank you.
I’m just going to be honest…Soup doesn’t fill up a big guy like me…I guess I will do as my fore fathers have done and go get me some real food…McD style!
Check out my chili beans. It’s very satisfying.
Thanks R2..
I will pass the recipe on to my boss.
Throw in some pasta or rice Seattle which will give you bulk. With lots of crunchy French bread… Better than McD any day..
I’m just kidding…I’ve been banned from McD!
LOL
Well here’s a soup recipe that may please a hungry man or woman.
Homemade Tomato Beef soup my Italian granny gave me.
1 med pkg stew beef
I gallon spring water
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 can whole tomatoes
Half pound of soup pasta
Fill water in large pot, add salt and beef and boil the beef until nearly tender. (skim the brown beef fat off the top and remove)
Add 2 large cut up carrots and 2 stalks of cut up celery and boil until tender.
Add 1 large can of whole tomatoes and bring to a boil. (I smash them on the side of the pot with a fork to break them up small.) Turn of stove burner.
Add the half pound of cooked elbow macoroni or similar and canneloni beans or garbonzo beans (optional) mmm-high in vitamin C and tasty as all get out. Sprinkle with parmesean cheese on top and serve with bread to dip into the hot soug (broth).
May add a pinch of dried basil or oregano to taste. (optional)
Vegetarians can still eat this soup as you can save the beef aside for the meat eaters.
Most vegetarians worthy of the name would not eat the soup as you’ve described the process.
IF you use a separate pot to boil the beef, and treat it as an accessory, that’s one thing. But by putting the rest of the ingredients in water that has had beef boiled in it, you’ve made the soup (strictly speaking) NON-vegetarian. And for any vegans, the way you’ve made the soup, even by removing the beef AFTER it’s been boiled but using the same water, the soup is absolutely unacceptable. (Less stringent vegetarians may find it acceptable, but most wouldn’t eat it. Incidentally, devout Hindus wouldn’t accept the soup either.)
you’ve never tried my pasta e fagioli!
It fills up my father in law, brother in law, and husband! :O)
I saved this recipe because beans can be satisfying and cheap if one does not add meat. I serve it with lots of tortilla chips:
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Dried beans are an age-old pantry staple in winter, and nearly any variety will
work well in this recipe; some good alternatives to black beans include navy
beans, cannellini beans or red beans. If you like, garnish with sour cream and
chopped fresh cilantro.
2 1/4 cups dried black beans
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 yellow onions, chopped
2 fresh serrano or jalapeño chili peppers, seeded and minced
5 large garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbs. chili powder
3 Tbs. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup coarsely grated Monterey jack cheese
Pick over the beans and discard any damaged beans and stones. Rinse the beans.
Place in a bowl and add water to cover generously. Let stand for about 3 hours.
Drain the beans and set aside.
In a large, heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions
and chili peppers and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft,
about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and oregano and
sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the beans, tomatoes and water to cover
by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer,
uncovered, until the beans are very tender and have begun to fall apart, 2 1/2
to 3 hours. Add water if the beans begin to dry out but are not yet cooked.
Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls, sprinkle with the cheese
and serve immediately. Serves 6.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Winter, by Joanne
Weir (Time-Life Books, 1997).
Plus the beans give you the protien~~
vegetarian, cool!
Moss:
Go to allrecipes.com and check out Kansas City Steak Soup
It is for hearty appetites.
Thanks Buzz…
I guess you all know by now that I’m totally dependent on my better half to keep me alive.
I will make sure she reads this entire thread..
Ciao ciao American Girl!
mi piace molto Pasta Fazool!
grazie tante!
prrrrrrrrrego! :O)
AGiI, You don’t know how much I appreciate your soup recipes. Thank you. Very easy to understand how to deal with the ingredients and the process.
I don’t understand how chefs and kitchen people could have voted for Obama. It is clear that if he had little to no experience as a government executive one could not expect anything to come out right as a result. Anyone can follow a recipe but experience is an important element. Why people felt that he could make government work without having the appropriate experience is beyond my understanding.
I made split pea soup today with homemade bread. It was a perfect day for it (cold and snowy).
As someone above mentioned, allrecipes is a great site. You can even search by ingredients you want to use, and it’ll provide recipe matches. I’ve found that a great way to use up leftovers and other perishables before they go bad. I’m trying hard to avoid wasting anything.
Has anyone seen the videos about Great Depression cooking on youtube? They’re very interesting.
Here’s a sample.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8
I love lentil soup..
Anything special about that?
The split pea soup might fill you up, especially with the bread. I put ham and Hormel bacon bits in it. It’s thick and yummy!
Hey Annie,
I think I love split pea soup the best of all soups!
I’ll have a bowl for you because all of this talk about food is making me hungry!
I have the biggest smile of any guy wanting a great bowl of soup..
and I always appreciate those that make it for me!
i love allrecipes - i love the feedback and ratings. i get such great tips from the comments.
Winter Spiced Lentil-Barley Soup
Ingredients
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pearl barley
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 lb chicken breast
1 cup lentils
1 (10 ounce) can garbanzo beans
1 (12 ounce) jar mild salsa {or use some homemade.}
Directions
Remove sausage castings and crumble meat in a 5- to 6-quart pan over med-high heat; stir often until browned.
Remove meat from pan with slotted spoon; set aside.
Add onion, garlic, and barley to drippings.
Cook, stirring often, until onion is limp and barley toasted.
Add broth, parsley, chicken breast, and lentils.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until breast is white in thickest part, about 30 minutes.
Remove breast, let cool, discard skin and bones.
Shred meat and return to pan.
Drain beans; add salsa and sausage.
Heat to simmering.
Served with French bread
Dumplings
Biscuits etc
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Crisco
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
Mix dry ingredients and cut in Crisco, using a pastry blender, until the mixture is coarse and grainy.
Do not over mix.
It should only take a few turns to get a dough.
Drop large spoonfuls on top of simmering stew or a very thick soup.
Simmer 5 minutes with the lid off the pot and then cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes longer.
Serve immediately.
Gosh!!
You know exactly what I’m hungry for…
Look above
I am a chef by trade however my hubby does most of the cooking now LOL
Chefs TIP
After making Creamy Soups, use this quick clean-up method to wash your blender.
Simply fill the blender container about 1/3rd full with lukewarm water and add a small amount of detergent.
Replace the lid and run the motor a few seconds or till the blender container is clean.
Rinse, dry, and return the blender container to its base.
Hey Just me.
I always think of my life in Woodley when I talk to you.
Our house along the Thames in Sonning and the times we had back in the 70’s
My wife is a great cook….I make up for it with my conversation and prep work in the kitchen.
Yes Woodley ….. What a wonderful place
Along the Thames in Sonning
Simply breathtaking~~
My wife is a great cook….I make up for it with my conversation and prep work in the kitchen.
AWESOME~~ That is just wonderful.
Hubby likes cooking I guess I gave him lessons and he simply loves to cook I guess it’s a release from the demand of his position at work and the travel he does.
I will try get there one time when back in the UK and do a post here so eveyone knows where we are speaking of. I hope on our next trip to take my daughter to Eton college and Windsor castle as I want her to know all about England etc she was 8 months when we moved here so I think it is important she knows her roots.
Although she is a true American Girl~
Dashed with some English Beauty~~
WHAT A WONDERUL MIX!!!
My Mom never really taught me to cook. But I half way listen to my wife as she prepares the food.
I know she is doing it in case something happens to her and I try to listen as guys do.
I’m a lucky man!
Just Me,
Your husband seems like a really great guy!
half way listen to my wife LOL
Sounds like your a very lucky man!!
cool tip
Lentils are truly nutritional powerhouses – they are easy to prepare, they store well, are a great source of protein, fibre and important vitamins and minerals and their texture and consistency make them ideal for replacing meat in recipes.
Hey American girl in Italia,
I’m getting really hungry looking at your recipes. I love Broccoli!
What do you have for asparagus!
She has a Broccoli Potato soup recipe in the thread.
Wonderul recipes American Girl in Italy
I will be trying these and bring you feed back..
TY for sharing
This is a really good asparagus soup… It’s pretty easy too.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. asparagus
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) plus 2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry vermouth
3 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
Optional: truffle oil
Directions:
Snap off the tough stem ends from the asparagus spears. Cut the tips off 8 of the spears into 2-inch lengths. Set the tips aside. Chop the remaining asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, melt the 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the chopped asparagus and the 3 cups stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 20 minutes.
Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pass the soup through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan. Stir in the cream plus more stock if needed to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pan over low heat to heat the soup to serving temperature.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt the 2 tsp. butter. Add the reserved asparagus tips and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, garnish with the asparagus tips and serve immediately. If you have any truffle oil (Trader Joe’s) sprinkle on top. Serves 4.
Wow!
That looks good enough to eat…Where the heck did I pick up that phrase from…Thanks!
Pasta e Fagioli is one of my favorite soups. My recipe has a couple less ingredients; just the beans (dried if I have the time), pasta, garlic, thyme, broth, a little pancetta or bacon and of course the parmigiano.
I love peasant style soups, simple and easy. We had a surprise crop of cabbage this fall from a plant I let go to seed, so tonight we had potato and cabbage soup.
Just saute an onion (tonight I used a little bacon fat but olive oil or butter is good too) until soft but not browned, add a few potatoes cut into one-inch cubes and the sliced cabbage. Cover it with water and a can of chicken broth, a little salt and pepper (to be corrected at the end of cooking) some thyme and that’s it. You can also add sausage or ham, cannellini beans are good in there too.
As for asparagus SM, I’d cut them up, simmer until just tender and add to stracciatella (egg broth). But Cream of Asparagus is classic. http://tinyurl.com/6blsvm
Hey cool thanks. Fake pizzeria aside, I am a real cook. I was thinking of sharing my vegetarian pasta recipe although it is very rich yet healthy and you won’t miss the chard animal flesh at all.
Its quite tasty although if you are a Morlock it might not be to your liking.
Chicken and Rice Soup
5 cups chicken broth, canned or homemade
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
¼ cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 ½ cup chopped cooked chicken (leftovers)
Salt and pepper
Bring chicken broth to a boil in large saucepan
Add celery, carrot, onion and rice
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender
Stir in chicken and heat through
Salt and pepper to taste
oooh yum! i might make this tonight!
Greek Chicken Lemon Soup Avgolmono
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
6 egg yolks
8 cups chicken stock
½ cup orzo
¼ cup butter
½ cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
left over chicken
salt to taste
Combine milk, corn starch, egg yolks
Set aside
Boil the chicken stock in a large soup pot
Once the stock is boiling, add the orzo pasta and let it cook covered for 9-12 minutes
When pasta is tender, remove the pot from the heat and add the egg mixture & butter
Stir slowly until it all blends together
Return the pot back to the heat and continue to cook the soup
It will thicken slightly
Remove from the heat again and add the chicken, lemon juice and lemon peel.
Serve with pita bread
YUM! i love avgolmono soup!
Barley Burger Stew
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup choped celery
1 18 oz. can tomato juice (2 & 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup water
1 tspn salt
1 to 1 and 1/2 tspn chili powder
1/4 tspn pepper
1/4 cup barley
Cook and stir meet and onion until meat brown and onion tender
Drain off fat
Stur in remaining ingredients
Heat to boiling
Reduce heat; cover and simmer until barly done, about 1 hour
I serve with crudites and a loaf of crusty bread with good butter.
Great on a cold, snowy, blustery day.
From Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two
Thanks all for sharing recipes! they sound delicious! And let me know if you tried mine, and how they turned out! :O)
Sigh.
It reminds me of why a good Scots-Southern boy like me has married TWO Italian-Americans. Screw the grits and cornbread and fatback…gimme some risotto with a few chunks of Parma ham and a decent jug of
Dago Redchianti.And, you have no idea what a wonderful thing my former mother-in-law does with venison. We call it Deer Meat Chili but it’s got some convoluted
guineaItalian name when she make it.Ah, if I could just find a good Italian-Mormon girl…