It’s soup season

I love soup season.

There’s just something about a kettle of soup simmering slowly, perfuming the kitchen, that warms the cockles of my heart.

I love sll soups: thick, thin, creamy, chunky, puréed or not.

They’re easy to make – a good soup doesn’t need a recipe so how can you mess it up? Just taste as you go.

They’re economical – a little meat and a lot of vegetables is the ratio you’re looking for.

They’re time-savers – make a big kettle on the weekend and finish it during the week, adding bread or salads to round it out if so inclined.

They’re great for lunch – just heat and eat. Most freeze well, also. There’s something so rewarding about having a freezer full of your own, homemade soups.

They’re healthy – just go easy on the heavy cream

To get you in the mood for soup here are some favorites:

Meatball Pasta Soup (and a no-fail diet)

Turkey Wild Rice Soup (with home-made turkey stock)

Beef Barley Soup (with home-made beef stock)

Minestrone (easy, ‘pantry’ version)

Potato Soup (and milk – good or bad?)

This is loosely based on the Italian soup ‘Ribollita’.

The nice thing about soup… One can peruse the cook books and internets for ideas, then create exactly what the soul is craving.

Beef, Cabbage, Chard and Bean Soup

1 cup dried beans
1 onion. roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced
3 cups Savoy or green cabbage, roughly chopped
3oz fresh spinach, big leaves chopped
6oz fresh chard, roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
12oz ground beef
2 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes
2 tbs sage leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
3 – 5 cups beef stock
2 tsp olive oil

Cook beans, either in a large pot or pressure cooker until tender.  When done, drain, reserving some of the cooking water.  Purée briefly, adding just enough of the reserved water, leaving it a bit chunky.  It’s meant to thicken the soup. 
Sauté onion, garlic and celery in oil until onion is tender.  Add chili powder, ground beef, and sauté, breaking the beef up as it browns.  Add all the remaining ingredients, (3 cups beef stock) except spinach, and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in spinach, puréed beans and more beef stock according to taste.

For more hearty soup recipes check out my archives for Soups and Stews and visit Soup Chick.

Soup makes winter bearable….