Childhood vs Now

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

n of Campbell's whatever. I have progressed beyond that. I open a can of Progresso!

 

[CWS4322]

My mom was another one of those 50s housewives, that opened Campbell's soup, when soup was served. I remember vegetable beef, only because it had barley in it, which is what got me liking barley! She would make some soups with leftover ham bones, from holidays - navy beans or split peas. One of my favorite soups, to this day, she (or rather, we) learned to make in Spain - gazpacho. She learned it the original way, in a chinois, like pressing everything through a food mill, but it wasn't easy. As a result, she hated the soup, even though the rest of us loved it. Eventually, I became the gazpacho maker, using the blender, but she still didn't like it.

I make a lot of soups - some cold ones in the summer, but mostly hot ones, in the colder seasons. I make mostly Asian soups, most of which are fast to make, and I use Indian lentils in a lot of soups, even if they aren't Indian, since they cook fairly fast. But I make a lot of soups with other legumes, as well, since they cook well in pressure cookers.

I make a lot of soup. My Dad doesn't appreciate homemade soup. He thinks it is too much work. I think of it as a great way to use up bits and bobs...I haven't been able to break the habit of saving stuff in the freezer for stock...The two months I was back in Ottawa, I practically lived on soups/stews. One of my favorites is to take a couple of jars of tomatoes, add a small jar of sauerkraut, some pickle juice, fresh cabbage, chick peas, Frank's hot sauce, splash of fish sauce, garlic, and well you get the picture.

 

[pepperhead212]

All this talk about canned soups reminded me of something - while away at school, when I started getting into cooking, esp. cooking from scratch, to save money. I also started collecting cookbooks. They would have these huge book sales on some weekends, when truckloads of books would be unloaded onto tables in the corridors, and there were a lot of cookbooks! I learned early on, that many of these had recipes starting with "1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup". Or baking recipes would start with a cake mix, and on and on. I would skip those books, from the very beginning! I got a lot of books for just a quarter or two at those sales, and I still have a few of them!

 

[larry_stewart]

For the record, I did take advantage of Shoprites 'Can Can' sale.
Got a case of progressive soups ( $1 a can) and 1/2 case of Campbell's Tomato soup.
Although I prefer home made soups, the canned ones aren't bad after a long day and want something quick and easy

Also, will be having Panera's Tomato soup for lunch today.

 

[CraigC]

My oma made homemade chicken noodle soup. I'll never forget her making the noodles. Rolling out the dough, folding, cutting and drying on cloth towels. She made many other soups, but the chicken noodle was the one I remember most. Today we make homemade soups. One of my favorites is minestrone, especially with parm bones added.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

At my Dad's house, it eas boiled dinner, made with venison, or beef.

At my Mom- house, it was either her cili, or homemade chicken and dumplind, made with Bisquick bicuit dough that was dropped into the completed soup to steam into dumpling perfection.

I'm not a fan of the noodle-style dumplings.

At my MIL's, her dumplings were made around a little chunk of Velveeta, making a melted, cheesey center in the dumplinsgs. A favorite at her house was hamburger soup, like boiled dinner, but without the cabbage, and using chunky, browned ground beef.

I make all of these, and have tweeked all of them, always striving to improve what I am making. I use my own herbs , spices, and veggie, and meats to create the flavors I am trying to achieve.

As an example, my mother made a more watery split pea soup, that required stirin to keep the solids from settlin to the bottom. Crackers were added by the eater, in the bowl to thicken the soup. She always used a smoked ham hock in the soup.

I like to make my split pea soup with a smoked ham hock, or diced ham with a ham bone (DW's prefference) and with enough split peas so that it requires no binder, as the peas stay suspended. I also add salted butter to help season the soup.

I loved the soups made by my parents. But I avoid the shortcuts they sometimes used, and make many more soup varieties than they did. I have the advantage of experiencing a wider variety of soups from many more areas of the U.S., and from far-away places such as Japan, the Phillipines, , China, Australia, etc. I was also introduced to things like spetzle, and using masa harina, and tortillas, and wontons, etc. I just learned great food making from them, and expanded on it.

Seeeeya, Chief Longwind of the North

 

[letscook]

Growing up there was 2 soups. Moms veg soup made with hamburger, and what she called garden soup, she would fry bacon then cook a huge pot of green beans, potatoes cut into quarters sometimes carrots were added, then add the bacon to the potatoes and beans. Sometime she would have left over ham she would also add. All 8 kids loved it. Nothing like fresh out of the garden into the pot. Later on we found out she called poor day meal. Meaning day before payday and grocery day. She had a few of them meal and they ended up being all of our favorite. She was glad when we asked for these meal often. This was back from when the first kid born 1951 till the last one was born 1965 and still made it until they past in 2015. Those are still my favs but nothing like a good pot of chicken soup - Mom never made chix soup. It was always out of can until I learn to cook it - She always said not going to waste good chicken by putting it a pot of water when it can be baked for sunday dinner. I taught her you don't have to a lot of chicken can use just parts like when she mad turkey soup. Still nope but she did always make turkey soup with leftover bones etc from thanksgiving which was awesome. Today I make a lot of soups- I haven't change none of my moms soups. My daughter (only 1 child) will eat just about any soup but split pea.

 

[foodiealert]

My favourite soup from my mum growing up would have to be chicken soup that has been shredded to small pieces with seafood sticks (cut up of course) and quail eggs. Still my favourite to this day. As for my kids I've tried making the same soup as my mum but it just doesn't taste the same. For the kids I just do a simple chicken soup with veggies- potato and carrot in it.

 

[larry_stewart]

Tonights soup was made from left over veggies from a veggie and dip platter for my fathers 80th B-day party.
Tossed them in a pot with some (vegetarian) chicken-like broth, added some onions, garlic, diced tomato, sliced zucchini, some spinach I had in the fridge, along with a bay leaf, pinch of thyme and a few shakes of black pepper ( original veggies included mushrooms, pepper, carrot, celery, cauliflower ( didn't put the cucumbers in )

Came out really well

Oh yeah, I had a corn on the cob in the fridge so I sliced it in about 1 inch chunks and tossed that in too

Sometimes some of the better soups are the ones you just throw together

 

[Kevin86]

My oma made homemade chicken noodle soup. I'll never forget her making the noodles. Rolling out the dough, folding, cutting and drying on cloth towels. She made many other soups, but the chicken noodle was the one I remember most. Today we make homemade soups. One of my favorites is minestrone, especially with parm bones added.

Park bones? Is that parm Rhine?

 

[GotGarlic]

Park bones? Is that parm Rhine?

Parm bones are Parm rind, yes

 

[larry_stewart]

Parm bones are Parm rind, yes

Thanks for reminding me, I dont know how I forgot to list this soup as one of my daughters favorite

Ribollita or 'Bread Soup ' as we call it in our house.

In addition to the recipe link below, the last 15 minutes or so I cube up som Parm Rinds and toss them in the soup. Not only do they add that finished taste to the soup, but they also give you that something to search for while eating the soup. Little chewy bits of cheese. My daughter usually hunts them out. I just made it for her the other day when she visited. And when I asked her if she wanted to take the rest of the soup back home with her, her answer was that the soup is now vegan cause she fished out all the pieces of cheese

Cant add the bits too early or they dissolve too much and not to late or they are still hard. Also need to kinda sprinkle them in and mix to make sure they all dont clump together or stick to the bottom of the pot.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/ribollita-recipe-1951217

I forgot to mention that I skip there pancetta or bacon and just put a drop or two of liquid smoke in to keep it vegetarian yet add a little smokiness to it.

 

[GotGarlic]

Thanks for reminding me, I dont know how I forgot to list this soup as one of my daughters favorite

Ribollita or 'Bread Soup ' as we call it in our house.

I love that soup, too. The first time I had it, DH and I were having dinner in a small, cozy restaurant in Florence, Italy. I bought a cookbook while there that includes recipes for many of the dishes we ate in Tuscany.

You probably know this already, but I learned from the book that ribollita means re-boiled. Italians make minestrone soup with freshly baked bread one day, then add the stale bread to the leftover soup and reheat it the next day. Thrifty and delicious

 

[larry_stewart]

You probably know this already, but I learned from the book that ribollita means re-boiled. Italians make minestrone soup with freshly baked bread one day, then add the stale bread to the leftover soup and reheat it the next day. Thrifty and delicious

Actually I didn't know that, thanks for informing me

 

[Kevin86]

Parm bones are Parm rind, yes

Darn auto correct

 

[larry_stewart]

Darn auto correct

I've had auto correct do a lot worse

 

[Kevin86]

Lots of times I’ll make a soup a day ahead on purpose because after you recook it that 2nd + times it gets so much better

 

[Kevin86]

To be honest I always knew chicken soup was popular but I really expected to see more from the beef soup corner. Maybe, growing up on the farm and always having beef I take for granted.
I understand chicken goes farther than a beef soup bone and a chicken soup is a last dish not the only dish so maybe that’s why. Is a chicken more valuable than a beef soup bone ? I think so but it was often my go to if I wanted soup not soup and chicken meals for a week.

 

[taxlady]

I would make more beef stock for beef soups, but most of the beef I can get is boneless.

 

[CraigC]

Some of our favorite soups today are pho, Thai and other Vietnamese.