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!
by Ronald Scott
* More novels by 
* 
(
)
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
