WINTER DINNER SOUPS
Nothing is more comforting, filling and downright satisfying on a cold winter night than a steaming bowl of hearty soup. It warms and fills us as no other food can and, especially on a snowy night, relaxes so that all we want is to cuddle in front of a crackling fire or snuggle down under quilts in a soft bed.
I’ve written several posts on soup, particularly winter ones. See Jan.31, 2019 for Senate Bean, Cheese Chowder and more, Oct.25, 2018 for mushroom soups, Feb. 1, 2018 for bean soups, and Jan. 3, 2014 for soups and salad dinners. The one thing these posts have in common is my stressing that the idea home-made soups require too much time and effort is a myth. Perhaps Grandma’s recipe did but times have changed.
There are recipes, now, with the same appeal, which reduce the cooking time to, on average, 30-60 min. either by changing the ingredients or the cooking method. Many frozen items replace fresh. Leftover or thicker slices of Deli meats combined with stronger flavored liquids, such as consommé and condensed chicken broth, in place of raw meat can cut hours off cooking times. Appliances such as instant pots shave time as well, even for the original recipes.
The point is that soups are nourishing, satisfying and can be easy solutions to winter dinners. The recipes below fill those requirements and at the same time, show how other soups can be changed to be more comparable with our lifestyle. All of these soups are actually better if made ahead a few days and keep well, chilled. I find they’re a quick fix on the weekends and great to have ready for a busy weeknight . Frankly, I enjoy being able to welcome some of my favorite winter soups back into my menus and hope you will too.
RECIPES
Nana’s Pennsylvania Dutch Vegetable Soup: Serves 6-This is even better the next day, but doesn’t freeze
1 ½ lb. beef-chuck, round, rump-trimmed and cut in 1/2 >3/4 inch cubes
1 qt. beef stock
(2) 10 ½ oz., cans consommé
1 large onion-peeled
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot -peeled
2 medium potatoes-optionally peeled
(1) 8 oz. pkg. EACH peas. cut beans, corn, sliced okra*- thawed
(1) 15 oz. can whole tomatoes
1/4-1/3 cup instant oats
To taste-dried thyme, rosemary and oregano
Salt and pepper
Combine the soup and stock, add the beef and simmer about 45 min. until tender. Cut the onion in quarters, each quarter lengthwise in 3rds then crosswise into 3 slices. Cut the potatoes in medium dice, the carrot in half lengthwise, then into thin slices, the celery in half lengthwise, split the wide end, then slice thinly. When beef is ready add the raw vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce heat, add the thawed vegetables and tomatoes with juice. Stir well and add the herbs and seasonings. Cook until vegetables are fork tender and add the oatmeal-just to thicken. Adjust seasonings, turn heat to low and cook about 10 min. more to meld flavors. Serve hot or cold
*Not optional
Lilly’s Creamy Potato Soup : Yields 7 cups-also makes a good vichyssoise
4 cups peeled, diced potatoes
1 cup EACH chopped onion and celery
2 cups water, vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook potatoes, vegetables and liquid until soft. Add butter, milk and seasonings and stir to melt butter. Puree to a rough texture, add cream and parsley, and heat through stirring regularly-do not allow to come to a boil. Serve hot or cold.
My Chicken Noodle Soup: Serves 4
2 chicken thighs-with bones and skin
2 quarts chicken stock
(1) 10 ½ oz. can condensed chicken broth
3 Tbs. parsley flakes
Fine egg noodles-about ½ a bag
Boil the chicken in the stock about 20 min, until tender. Discard skin and bones and dice chicken for soup. Return meat to pot with stock, add broth and parsley and bring to a simmer. Add the noodles by hand, crushing each fist full as you go. Cook noodles for maximum directed time, lower heat and cook that amount of time again. Taste for salt and serve hot.
Vegetable Soup with Pistou: Serves 6
(1) 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
8 oz. cut green beans-frozen is fine
3 large potatoes cubed for soup
1 ½ quarts water or stock
Salt and pepper
Pistou-jarred is fine or use modified recipe below
2 cups cooked cappellini (4 oz. uncooked)
Grated Swiss cheese
Flavored Croutons –optional
Snap pasta into 3rds before cooking. Bring to a boil and simmer first 5 ingredients 45 min. partially covered. Add pasta and heat through. Remove 1 cup stock per serving to a bowl and dissolve 1Tbs. pistou per serving in it. For individual servings do this per soup plate. Ladle the vegetables and pasta over the pistou flavored broth and sprinkle with cheese. Serve hot, garnished with croutons
MODIFIED PISTOU
½ cup fresh chopped basil leaves
2 garlic cloves-crushed
¼ cup olive oil
Combine ingredients and puree
Bookbinder Soup: Serves 6 – This soup was a famed Philadelphia institution for over 100 years
3 Tbs. butter
1 large onion –thinly sliced
1 green pepper –diced
3 stalks sliced celery
2 tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 quart fish stock=1/2 clam juice will do
1lb. red snapper fillets cut in 1 inch strips-alternately use sea bass or tilapia
1 ½ cups tomato sauce
1 cup sherry
Buttered croutons
Melt butter in a large stockpot and sauté onion, pepper and celery until tender. Add tomatoes and fish and cook, stirring, 3-4 min. Add stock and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat and add sherry. Simmer 4-5 min. and serve hot with croutons.
New England Clam Chowder: Serves 6
3 cups peeled, diced potatoes- about 1 lb.
1 onion diced
(3) 6 ½ oz. cans of chopped clams about 1 pint fresh, shelled
Water
3 Tbs. butter
1 pt. half and half
Salt and pepper
Put the vegetables, clam juice and enough water to cover in a deep stockpot and simmer, partially covered about 20 min. Remove from heat. Stir in clams. In a separate sauce pot, make a roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour to form a smooth paste. Gradually add the half and half stirring until very smooth. Add this sauce to the potato mixture and stir until smoothly incorporated. Heat through, but do not allow to boil. Serve hot with crackers.
Red Cabbage Soup: Serves 6
4 cloves garlic minced
2 red onions thinly sliced
1 quart beef stock
1 ¾ -2 lb. lean pork –or beef-diced for soup-leftover roast works
½ head of green cabbage-shredded
3 cups Burgundy
(1) 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 medium red cabbage shredded
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
½ tsp. dried marjoram
Sliced mushrooms for garnish-optional
Place first 8 ingredients in a deep pot, bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered for 1 hr. (1 ½ hr. if using raw meat) Add rest of the ingredients and simmer an additional hour, until cabbage is tender. Serve hot garnished with mushrooms.
