larry_stewart
Master Chef
For me soup season is every day of the year, but now with the cool weather settling upon us, It seems fitting to incorporate soups into our weekly menu. The few I have on the short list are:
- Mushroom Barley : With the amount of mushrooms I've harvested and dried, I've been waiting all season to make use of then with this soup. I'll often thicken it with a medium dark roux, which adds a great finished flavor to it.
- Butternut Squash Soup : For similar reasons, I have a decent amount of Squashes I need to use up. Years ago I found a recipe that I loved, and sure enough I misplaced it. I found another that was pretty good. Usually add a green apple to it, which makes a huge difference.
- Pea Soup: I use split peas soup almost as my Produce drawer ' dump soup'. I use the obvious split peas, but in addition, I'll toss sin carrots, celery, onions , garlic, a potato any thing else that may be sub par for anything else . I also love this soup cause it freezes well.
- Onion Soup : I was hoping to use the onions from the garden for this soup, but due to the amount of onions needed , and the much smaller size of my onions, it will just be easier to use store bought, and use my onions for other purposes. I will throw a few in, just to keep it home grown/ home made.. I like adding a good cup or two of caramelized onions to the soup in its final stages of cooking. I always have caramelized onions in the freezer. I make them bulk in the slow cooker. ( For years my son bought me a 25 pound bag (I think one year a 40 pound bag) of onions for fathers day, so had to make use of them before they rotted )
- Potato soup : This is a recipe I kinda adapted from Ratners Restaurant in NYC back in the day. They also used to sell their soups in the frozen section too. My wife being vergan, I have to eliminate the cream (which makes a huge difference), but the soup still comes out pretty good. Adding fresh dill at the gives it a nice fresh touch.
- Grandma Rosie's Vegetable Soup : My grandmother was not a great cook. Partially cause she had diabetes and stomach ulcers, so was limited in what she could eat. Partially cause she grew up in the depression, and was limited in what she had available, and partially cause she just wasnt a great cook. But, she did pass down this recipe for her vegetable soup which was simple but tasted good. I make it for the family ( especially for my mom ( it was her mother) at least once a year when we all get together). What makes this soup kinda cool to make, is that she always made it in a specific pot, so all the measurements are based off that one pot's dimensions. Sure, I can convert and adapt, but its much more fun to make it in the same pot that she made it in ( which I inherited).
- Corn Chowder : Actually made this the other day. My wife loves it. Again, have to be creative due to the vegan thing, and doesn't come close to when its made with cream in it, but still good.
- Charlie D's Hot Borscht : My dad always made a cold borscht, but a few years back Charlie D posted a recipe for his hot borscht which I made and loved. Had to vegetarianize it, but still came out great. What got me on this one was the inclusion of a tomato product in the soup ( I used tomato paste). It sound odd to me, but makes aa huge difference in the taste. The soup wouldn't be the same without it.
There are so many more, but these are the ones that will make it to the table over the next few weeks .
Most of the above recipes are not really written down, more like I have a general idea of what I do, combined with whats in the house and available.
- Mushroom Barley : With the amount of mushrooms I've harvested and dried, I've been waiting all season to make use of then with this soup. I'll often thicken it with a medium dark roux, which adds a great finished flavor to it.
- Butternut Squash Soup : For similar reasons, I have a decent amount of Squashes I need to use up. Years ago I found a recipe that I loved, and sure enough I misplaced it. I found another that was pretty good. Usually add a green apple to it, which makes a huge difference.
- Pea Soup: I use split peas soup almost as my Produce drawer ' dump soup'. I use the obvious split peas, but in addition, I'll toss sin carrots, celery, onions , garlic, a potato any thing else that may be sub par for anything else . I also love this soup cause it freezes well.
- Onion Soup : I was hoping to use the onions from the garden for this soup, but due to the amount of onions needed , and the much smaller size of my onions, it will just be easier to use store bought, and use my onions for other purposes. I will throw a few in, just to keep it home grown/ home made.. I like adding a good cup or two of caramelized onions to the soup in its final stages of cooking. I always have caramelized onions in the freezer. I make them bulk in the slow cooker. ( For years my son bought me a 25 pound bag (I think one year a 40 pound bag) of onions for fathers day, so had to make use of them before they rotted )
- Potato soup : This is a recipe I kinda adapted from Ratners Restaurant in NYC back in the day. They also used to sell their soups in the frozen section too. My wife being vergan, I have to eliminate the cream (which makes a huge difference), but the soup still comes out pretty good. Adding fresh dill at the gives it a nice fresh touch.
- Grandma Rosie's Vegetable Soup : My grandmother was not a great cook. Partially cause she had diabetes and stomach ulcers, so was limited in what she could eat. Partially cause she grew up in the depression, and was limited in what she had available, and partially cause she just wasnt a great cook. But, she did pass down this recipe for her vegetable soup which was simple but tasted good. I make it for the family ( especially for my mom ( it was her mother) at least once a year when we all get together). What makes this soup kinda cool to make, is that she always made it in a specific pot, so all the measurements are based off that one pot's dimensions. Sure, I can convert and adapt, but its much more fun to make it in the same pot that she made it in ( which I inherited).
- Corn Chowder : Actually made this the other day. My wife loves it. Again, have to be creative due to the vegan thing, and doesn't come close to when its made with cream in it, but still good.
- Charlie D's Hot Borscht : My dad always made a cold borscht, but a few years back Charlie D posted a recipe for his hot borscht which I made and loved. Had to vegetarianize it, but still came out great. What got me on this one was the inclusion of a tomato product in the soup ( I used tomato paste). It sound odd to me, but makes aa huge difference in the taste. The soup wouldn't be the same without it.
There are so many more, but these are the ones that will make it to the table over the next few weeks .
Most of the above recipes are not really written down, more like I have a general idea of what I do, combined with whats in the house and available.
