What soup do you like?
I know, I know. Soup. Courting controversy with that one! I mean, sheesh. If there’s one piece of advice absolutely critical to creative creators of all stripes it’s: Don’t talk about soup on the Internet, but I’m a rebel, an iconoclast, I cannot be pinned down by your digital norms.
Didn’t Amanda Palmer just do a TED Talk about this?
Something about… about soup?
Whatever.
I want to know what your favorite soup is.
Then, second question: I demand some soup recipes.
In the last few weeks I’ve made two damn fine soups — a sausage kale soup and a vegetable soup — and I’m kind of on a soup kick, as it were. So: help me out, won’t you?
Spit in the face of controversy and speak to me of soup.
Favorite soup.
Recipes of soup.
SOUP SOUP SOUP
Ellen M. Gregg says:
I love soup! There are several I’m fond of, a couple of go-to faves (creamy carrot soup, sweet potato dahl), and one that still takes the cake: Black Bean & Salsa Soup. It’s a recipe developed by Happy Herbivore (happyherbivore.com); easy, delicious, and nutritious.
Black Bean & Salsa Soup
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth (or water)
½ tsp ground cumin
1 cup corn (thawed, if frozen)
hot sauce (optional)
Place 1 cup beans, salsa, broth and cumin in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a
medium saucepan and add remaining beans and corn. Stir to combine and heat thoroughly
over low. Once warmed, serve and drizzle hot sauce over each serving as desired. Makes 2 generous servings.
Per serving: 308 calories, 3g fat, 57.7g carbohydrates, 14.7g fiber, 7.3g sugars, 17g protein
It’s fabulous with cornbread. I may have to make this for supper. 🙂
March 25, 2013 — 9:46 AM
Andrea Phillips says:
Hurricane Sandy Emergency Soup
Start with about a half a bag of that 32-bean soup mix. Rinse and soak in way more water than you think it needs overnight, because your power’s out and you’ve got nothing better to do anyway than hang around in your freezing house with some beans.
When you’re ready to get cooking, Take the beans out of your soaking pot and put them in a strainer in your sink instead so they can drain. If you’re feeling fancy, you could rinse ’em too, but whatever.
Meanwhile, take some shelf-stable bacon (I mean I guess you could use the other kind but it wouldn’t be authentic, know what I’m saying?) and kitchen shears. Cut several strips of bacon into little morsels in your big soaking pot.
Dice up half an onion and stick that in there, too, and then start cooking over low heat. We’ve got all day, not like there’s any TV to watch. Stir frequently over medium-to-low heat. Cook until the onion starts getting caramelly and brown and the bacon bits are all nicely crispy.
Assess your carrots and celery, hastily pulled from your powerless refrigerator some days before, for flaccidity. Carefully select 3 each of the firmest and least slimy. Rinse and slice them, and stick them in the pot to form some sort of, how do you say, mirepoix. If the bacon wasn’t greasy enough, you can put a little olive oil in there, too. Whatever.
Look in your medicine cabinet. I mean. SPICE. You SPICE cabinet. Find some herbs de Provence and shrug. Add, like, a half a tablespoon or something. You have to get your luxuries where you can in a situation like this, OK?
Cook the bacon mirepoix just a little bit until the vegetables are all a little sweaty. Remember the part about the beans. Put them in the pot, finally, and add a carton or two of shelf-stable chicken stock. It should be enough to cover the mixture plus a little bit more for when it cooks down. If it’s getting too dry, add more chicken stock.
Cover the pot. Cook over medium-low heat and stir frequently for… what, fifteen minutes? Twenty? Forty? How do you expect me to know how long, asshole? The power’s out and none of the clocks work. Just cook it until it’s starting to get too dark, OK? You all still need to be able to see to change into your pajamas and brush your teeth.
Serve in styrofoam bowls by candlelight.
March 25, 2013 — 9:51 AM
Andrea Phillips says:
(It’s worth noting the soup is DELICIOUS and we’ve made it several times since. Make sure you ignore the spice packet that comes in the sack of beans.)
March 25, 2013 — 9:57 AM
mitchfield says:
I was at a conference a week ago and the lunch buffet included “Vegetarian Bean Soup” – it smelled like chili and most was excellent. I’ve been surfing all the recipe sites to try to find something similar and have hit a wall. I’m about to call the hotel and just ask for the recipe. If I get it, I’ll definintely share.
March 25, 2013 — 9:53 AM
Kimberly Gonzalez says:
Albondigas! (Mexican meatball soup)
1 package frozen turkey meatballs
1-3 potatoes, chopped
1-3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1-3 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
16 oz Chicken and/or beef broth
16 oz water
Season to taste (chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano, whatever else floats your boat)
I tend to eyeball the ingredients, using more or less broth and water as applicable, but broth and water are always in fairly equal parts. The veggies and meatballs season the broth nicely. Sometimes I use seasoned meatballs, but I like “light” turkey meatballs the best. Beef meatballs tend to overpower the flavor of the broth. My husband likes some rice thrown in too, but I think the rice always ends up soggy.
March 25, 2013 — 9:54 AM
danielrdavis says:
You could deal with the rice like I do with the noodles in chicken noodle soup. Cook it separate and add it to the bottom of the bowl. That way, you don’t have to sacrifice the texture for a long cooking time.
March 25, 2013 — 2:46 PM
KateBrauning says:
This is the soup to end all soups: Butternut Squash Soup. Spicy, creamy, healthy, easy. I use plain Greek yogurt instead of the cream cheese.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/butternut-squash-soup/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=butternut%20squash&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
March 25, 2013 — 9:54 AM
danielrdavis says:
Not exactly a soup, but I love it on cold nights and wish I had some right now…damn snowstorm.
Dublin Coddle
SERVES 4–6
Ingredients:
1 lb streaky bacon joint, cubed (you could also use ham if need be)
1 lb good quality (meaty) Irish breakfast sausages (bangers)
3 large onions, peeled, and chopped
3 lb floury potatoes, peeled
6 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 fl oz/2 cups water (I tend to want more broth in mine and have used 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth, closer to a soup or stew, but definitely try the original way first)
Method:
Cut the potatoes into fairly large pieces (leave them whole if small). Chop the fresh parsley. Choose a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put a generous layer of chopped onions on the bottom and then layer the other ingredients, giving each layer a generous twist of pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cover very tightly. Cook for 2–5 hours. The longer and slower the cooking, the better this dish will be. Alternately
Providing the lid is really tight. A very low oven is best, set at
250°F
Dublin Coddle is traditionally served with buttered white soda bread and bottles of stout. You can also serve it with quickly-cooked green cabbage.
March 25, 2013 — 9:57 AM
danielrdavis says:
I’m also a fan of bean soup. Grew up with it visiting my great-grandparents in WV. There’s probably a million versions online and it’s pretty simple. Another of my comfort foods.
One thing about soup, it’s a leftover magnet. Got some leftover vegetables, a bit of leftover chicken, beef, or venison? A can of diced tomatoes, a can of red beans or kidney beans, and chicken broth or stock? Salt, pepper, onion, you have soup. I make my own stock. We buy whole chickens and after I roast or smoke the chicken I’ll take the meat off, toss the bones and skin in a big pot, with a little bit of vegetable scraps if I have any available (I freeze vegetable scraps for use later), cover the bones with water and simmer the thing for upwards of 4 hours (or until the bones basically become brittle), adding a little more water to keep it covered. When it’s done and cooled I pour a couple cups in a gallon Ziploc freezer bag (don’t use the cheap ones…) or freeze in ice cube trays. It’ll keep in the freezer for a pretty long time and you have an abundance of the stuff whenever you need it. The ice cube tray method is really useful because whenever you need a little broth in a recipe, toss in a few cubes.
March 25, 2013 — 10:00 AM
Laura Szafranski says:
My favorite soup is my Grandma Celia’s Caldo De Res. Which translates to Beef Soup.
Caldo De Res
3-4 Large Bone-In Beef Shanks
1/4-1/3 cabbage chopped into 1″ pieces
2 tomatoes sliced into 1/8ths
2 whole yellow corn, halved
1 zucchini,sliced into 1″ slices then halved
3-4 large russet or Idaho potatoes, cut into 1/8ths
1 cup long grain white rice
3 beef bullion cubes
3/4 of small can of tomato sauce NOT PASTE
1 1/2 tsp of ground garlic
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
(If you have a mortar and pestle, use 2 cloves of garlic and 1 1/2 whole cumin. Grind garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in mortar until all mushed and combined and then add tomato sauce into mortar and mix with the spices)
Season beef shanks with salt and pepper and set aside.
In small bowl, mix tomato sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin and set aside.
In cup of hot water, mash bullion cubes and allow to dissolve and set aside.
In large stock pot over medium high heat, braise the beef shanks until they have a nice crust on them.
Once browned, add the tomato sauce mixture and allow it to cook some to bring out the spices. Pour in the water with the bullion.
Continue to add water until the stock pot is 2/3 full. Add cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini and corn and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn heat down to low and let simmer for 2 hours or until the cabbage becomes transparent. Add potatoes and rice and simmer until potatoes are cooked through.
*****
You will most likely need to salt to taste. I like my food rather salty, but I don’t over salt this soup since other people eat it.
My mother loves the way the marrow in the shanks comes out. I love that the beef is so soft and has so much gelatin, your lips will stick together.
Wonderful for this snowy SPRING days.
Enjoy!!!
March 25, 2013 — 9:58 AM
Justin (@JBod) says:
My favorite Korean dish is Yook Gae Jang, which is a super spicy soup, that always stains my shirts and makes my nose holes sweat. I haven’t quite figured out a recipe yet, but mostly because it’s hard to get asian ingredients in the sticks. Definitely recommend though, if you can get it.
March 25, 2013 — 10:07 AM
Amber says:
Well I don’t have my recipe handy but I love a vegan potato chowder with leeks! Just swap dairy milk with rice milk and use Smart Balance instead of butter.
March 25, 2013 — 10:09 AM
Christina says:
I’m actually planning on making soup today, so here’s the recipe for your delight and edification:
CURRIED SQUASH AND CARROT SOUP
Ingredients:
– 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
– 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
– no-salt seasoning
– olive oi
– pepper
– 2-3 Tbsp butter
– 1 large onion, diced
– 3-4 cloves of garlic
– 1 inch-long piece of ginger, peeled
– 1 Tbsp garam masala
– salt
– 1 carton chicken or vegetable broth
– 2 cups cream or milk
Preparation:
– Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
– Arrange the carrots and squash on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with pepper, olive oil, and no-salt seasoning; mix the veggies around in the pan to get them covered by the oil mixture
– Roast the veggies for about an hour, or until they shrink and begin to turn soft
– Once you’re finished roasting, melt the butter in a large pot and add the garlic, ginger, and onion; stir them around until the onion begins to soften
– Add the garam masala and a pinch of salt, and stir the onions around a bit more until they get softer and more translucent. Be careful and make sure the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn.
– Add the chicken broth, carrots, and squash to the pot, and bring it all to a boil
– Turn the boiling soup down to a simmer and let it sit for 20 or so minutes.
– Take the soup off the heat and puree it all using an immersion blender. The mixture will be quite thick and pulpy at this point, so don’t worry.
– Once you’ve pureed the soup, slowly stir in the milk/cream. Your soup will be thick, hearty, and golden. And then you’re done!
March 25, 2013 — 10:10 AM
Christina says:
Shoot, I forgot to mention: the garlic and ginger in the recipe above should be mashed/crushed into a paste. You need to add the onion, garlic paste, and ginger paste into the pot.
March 25, 2013 — 10:13 AM
Bo says:
I’m no real fan of soup, but when I must- I like gumbo. I make it without shrimp, just andouille and chicken.
March 25, 2013 — 10:18 AM
centrepaul says:
If you consider chili to be soup, then here is “Paul’s (almost) Homemade, Lotsa Beans Vegetarian Chili”. This makes a big pot: I estimate 24 servings. You can freeze it for later.
1 24 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 40 oz can light red kidney beans – drained
1 40 oz can great northern beans – drained
1 15 oz can black beans – drained
1 large onion, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped or crushed.
seasoning: I use 2 packets of prepared chili seasoning mix, any brand, or you can roll your own
Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream if desired
dump the canned tomatoes in a 6-qt pot, add the chili seasoning, garlic, green peppers, and onion and stir well. Add the beans, stir.
Heat over medium or medium-low until hot, stirring frequently.
Dish, add toppings, eat, repeat until done
If you are a meat-a-saurous, you can add a pound (or more) of browned, ground meat: turkey is good, or a low-fat ground beef.
March 25, 2013 — 10:22 AM
Michele says:
I’m not sure this qualifies as a bona fide soup, but my husband recently made a Jumbalaya that rocked my world. It’s Emerill’s recipe, and it’s fucking A delicious. Shrimp, andouille sausage, chicken, combined with rice, celery, chopped tomatoes and assorted spices and potions. Warmed all the cockles in our house on a wintry spring evening.
March 25, 2013 — 10:22 AM
Nathan Hall says:
Thom Kha Kai (tom ka gai, thom ga gai) is my absolute favorite soup.
I can never find all the proper ingredients in my local grocery store, so this is how I make my own version of it:
2 tbsp minced lemon grass
2 tbsp minced ginger (or galangal if you can find it)
2 cloves minced garlic
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp red curry paste
12 oz chicken breast, cubed
8 oz mushrooms sliced (I like baby bellas)
32 oz chicken stock
can of unsweetened coconut milk
2-4 Thai chilis, based on your tolerance of spiciness (sometimes I just substitute a huge squirt of sriracha here)
juice from fresh lime
for garnish
basil – chopped
cilantro – chopped
green onions – chopped
rice
In a sauce pan with a little bit of olive oil simmer the lemon grass, garlic and ginger until aromatic but don’t allow it to brown. Add the fish sauce, curry paste, mushrooms and cubed chicken and stir continuously until the chicken starts to brown a bit. Add the chicken stock and slowly pour the coconut milk while vigorously stirring the soup to properly incorporate. If you pour the coconut milk too quickly or don’t stir fast enough it may separate. This is fine to eat but not very pretty. Add lime juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
Serve over rice (glutinous rice if you can find it) and top with basil, cilantro and green onions. Serve with sriracha for added kick.
March 25, 2013 — 10:22 AM
Casz Brewster says:
I just did a sausage and kale soup. The kale in my garden is doing so well, that I’ll likely make it again. My husband called it “Kid’s Italian Wedding Soup.” But, I made a huge batch of homemade garden minestrone soup recently and it was to die for. The secret? Make your own beans (I make beans once a week, and freeze as not eaten, so they are ready to go for stuff like soup or nachos) and chop the veggies really small. I use my crock pot like my own personal chef. So, this one is kind of fix it and forget it:
Garden Vegetable Minestrone:
1 bunch Swiss chard, Kale, or Spinach (your choice), rinsed thoroughly
4 medium tomatoes, fire-roasted, chopped & seeded (or 2 cans diced, low-sodium)
4 cups (or about 2 cans of 14 1/2 oz. each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion diced fine
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (you can do a 1/4-in dice, too).
2 medium zucchini, shredded (if you prefer, you can quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-in. pieces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine (important! don’t skip this)
2 cups shredded & chopped savoy or green cabbage (remember we want the veggies small)
1.5 cup of kidney beans (or 1 can. 14 1/2 oz., rinsed and drained)
3- to 4-in. parmesan cheese rind (like the wine, don’t forget this)
6 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth (my secret, again is homemade)
1.5 cups of ditalini pasta
About 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan
Directions:
1. Spray your crock pot (I always use my large 6 1/2 quart)
2. Take half the cannellini beans and whip into a puree
3. Dump the puree into the crock
4. Put all other ingredients in crock pot except pasta and shredded pamesan
5. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours or low 6 to 8 hours.
6. In the last :30 before wanting to eat, take out the parmesan rind, toss in pasta. Cook :30
7. Serve with shredded cheese and a good crusty bread.
Enjoy.
March 25, 2013 — 10:30 AM
Casz Brewster says:
Oh and the above…chop the greens. Also you can add hot pepper flakes to the shredded parmesan when serving.
March 25, 2013 — 10:32 AM
Stephanie Lormand says:
At this very moment my house is redolent with the smells of menthol vapor rub and simmering cabbage, garlic, onion, chicken soup. If your brain went, ohmahgawd– gross–you’d be correct, but I was taken down by a little boy and his ninja stealth when he sneaked into my bed and spent an evening coughing in my damn face. Ain’t nobody got time for that shit.
Nasty-Ass, Mucus-Crushing Medicinal Cabbage Soup.
-1 head of cabbage, chopped. Take that core thingy out first.
-All of the fresh garlic in your house. Today, 15 cloves, sloppily diced.
-2 cups of vegetable broth. Or chicken broth. Or, when your pantry contains neither, hot water with some salt and pepper, aka, what you use to boil the raw chicken.
-A few tablespoons of oil. I use olive.
-Onion, celery, and carrots. Otherwise known as mirepoix. Sha bebe`, you can’t make a soup without the trinity!
Saute` the mirepoix in oil until the onions are just clear. Add a touch of butter and the garlic, saute` for a few. Add the broth and the cooked chicken. Bring to a boil for a minute. Add the chopped cabbage. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Close the lid. Leave it there for awhile.
Sit on the couch with a tumbler of whiskey, sip slowly. *
Dish up a giant bowl and seek out** the Coughing Ninja Child. Sit closely to him and slowly slurp your heaping bowl of nasty right in his ear. Quietly rejoice– you are the adult– in his disgust.
*The whiskey is a vital part of the virus germ-killing. Also helps to dull the taste buds.
** Children seem to find this soup’s pungent aroma… distressing. However, I found my continual refrain of “COVER YOUR MOUTH” to be an epic fail. But when I combined my words with the power of scent-memory? Being assaulted by mom’s garlic, onion, cabbage soup breath erected a bridge of true understanding.
March 25, 2013 — 10:48 AM
thatjeph says:
My kid isn’t born yet, but I’m keeping this just in case…
March 25, 2013 — 1:08 PM
Liana says:
Deliciousness from my pal Marie. (@crows on Twitter.) She peels the tomatoes, I do not. Great for winter too, when tomatoes need the roasting to concentrate the flavor.
Marie’s Tomato Blue Cheese (Serves 4)
3 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled quartered and seeded.
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp veg oil or butter
1 leek, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 1/4 quarts unsalted chicken stock
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp whipping cream
several large fresh basil leaves, or 1-2 fresh parsley sprigs, plus extra to garnish
1 cup cooked & crumbled bacon, to garnish.
Heat oven to 400, spread tomatoes in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the garlic & some salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes.
Heat the oil or butter in a large saucepan. Add the leek and carrot and season lightly with salt and pepper, cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes (until soft).
Stir in stock and roasted tomatoes. Boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the blue cheese, cream, and basil or parsley. Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until smooth
March 25, 2013 — 11:12 AM
Marianne says:
My favorite potato soup. It comes out delicious every time.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-ham-and-potato-soup/detail.aspx
When I make it I substitute chicken broth for the water and boullion.
I also like this shortcut recipe for chicken soup.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fast-chicken-soup-base/detail.aspx
I then use this recipe to make the soup. You can add whatever you want in the way of vegetables.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/classic-chicken-noodle-soup/detail.aspx
March 25, 2013 — 11:35 AM
Pete Sears says:
I like a nice navy bean soup. My papaw used to make it every single day of his working life at his restaurant. His secret was that any old store bought can of condense bean soup was ok as long as you added pepper, plentiful garlic salt, and a single drop of bacon grease.
It was also best if it had been sitting on the steam table all day and had condensed a little bit like a good chili on the second day.
To this day, a bowl of bean soup is the first thing I do when i need recharge my spiritual batteries.
March 25, 2013 — 12:02 PM
Maureen C. Berry says:
Soup! Yesterday I simmered the best chicken stock ever (a most necessary ingredient for most soups). Today, it’s an Asian Salmon Chowder kind of day. If you need visual inspiration, check out my twenty-four second video clip of a few of my favorite soups and chowders. http://cuisinebymaureen.com/chili-and-chowders-and-soups-oh-my/
March 25, 2013 — 12:35 PM
Ding! says:
The best, by nature of, soup du jour. I challenge you to come up with a new recipe. Purée something and add stocks, creams, and/or veggies.
March 25, 2013 — 2:47 PM
feltenk says:
I’m not much of a cook, so I usually eat soup from a can. Tomato and veggie are my go-to’s. The most disgusting soup I ever had was a turtle soup from New Orleans. Everything else that I ate in New Orleans was amazing though.
March 25, 2013 — 3:14 PM
The Liz with the Aliens says:
Mulligatawny soup!! It’s hot and spicy and sour and sweet and all sorts of different awesome. The recipe I use is gluten-free, dairy free/vegan, but you can find originals online, too.
Gluten-free/vegan recipe:
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/03/vegetarian-mulligatawny.html
Buttery, chicken-y recipe:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/easy-mulligatawny/
March 25, 2013 — 3:21 PM
jesshaines says:
I love soups! Leek soup is one of my favorites. If you want an excellent recipe, let me know and I’ll dig up the one my aunt makes every year. It’s amazing.
<3,
-J
March 25, 2013 — 3:23 PM
eleanorpierce says:
This:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rhinelander-lentil-soup/
I cut back on the flour to about a quarter cup though, and it’s still plenty thick/delicious/addictive when you dunk a keizer roll into it.
March 25, 2013 — 4:00 PM
Kristopher Neidecker (@Kris_Neidecker) says:
I make a very simple soup sometimes, and I have always found it delicious. Get a good veggie soup stock, without MSG which they are sneaking into everything again. I use ‘Knorr Homestyle Vegetable Concentrated Stock’
Do up the stock, get the water boiling away, and then just add chopped celery, carrots, leeks, etc. It’s open season on veggies here, they almost all work in a soup. I even throw in some bell peppers well chopped (simmer longer if you add peppers to let them soften a little). Then some red beans, and whatever seasoning strikes you, salt and garlic being the norm.
Let it simmer for a while, and prepare some rice while it does.
I add the rice to the actual bowls of soup, rather than the whole batch, otherwise the rice absorbs all the soup if you have leftovers.
What you end up with is a thick veggie soup with rice, great with some saltine crackers.
Not exactly gourmet, but my taste-buds don’t seem to mind how simple the soup is when I am chowing down. And it only takes a few minutes to get it going.
March 25, 2013 — 5:01 PM
J Kenton Pierce says:
Tamale Stew. (No real recipe, I make it up as I go along every time.)
Slow cook a lean pork roast like a loin. (You can use chicken or good lean beef too.)
Shred, then dump into chicken stock
1/2 to 1 small can of tomato paste (I use just enough to make it red, but if you like tomatoes, knock yourself out.)
1 small or med hot onion, diced finely
garlic or garlick powder
cumin
chili powder
a tickle of cayenne if you like.
Thicken with masa, the more the better if you like real tamales.
This recipe also works as a good tamale pie filling if you use less broth.
March 25, 2013 — 5:37 PM
Wendy Morrell says:
Here’s a kick-ass soup for you, Chuck. Thick chunky chowder – kiwi style.
ingredients:
Add1 big kumara cut up into small chunks (sweet potato)
Add100g NZ scollops
Add100g NZ prawns
Add100g NZ shrimps
Add100g terakihi or hoki cut into medium sized chunks.
Add1kg of NZ greenlip mussels (whole)
Add1 tsp of fresh thyme chopped
Add1 garlic clove finely chopped
Add1 onion chopped fine
Add1 celery stalk chopped
Add 250g cream or creme fraiche
Add 400g stock (vege or seafood)
Preparation:
Fry garlic, onion, thyme and celery in a pan.
At the same time steam your mussels until they open and the de-beard them (green fuzzy thing).
Add your kumara in with the stock. Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer.
Once kumara is soft add your seafood and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Season with a pinch of salt, add in cream and continue to reduce until you have a thick and creamy chowder!
Serve and garnish with a pinch of pepper and parsley.
Enjoy and eat!
Suggest eaten with copious amounts of NZ Pinot Gris. Bloody marvelous!
March 25, 2013 — 5:51 PM
Echoe says:
No set recipe for this one, but cream of potato and red bell-pepper soup with onion and carrot. Even better if you add a bit of spice to offset the cream.
March 25, 2013 — 6:06 PM
shannon says:
Favorite soup: Baked potato soup made by my dad
I do have a “cheater” soup recipe for you all. Quick and easy, something you can teach yer kids.
Poor Man’s Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1 large can creamed corn,
1 sm can corn nibblets (I like the peaches & cream nibblets)
Bacon bits, bacon or ham
1 small white onion or 3 to 4 sm green onions (i prefer the white)
salt & pepper
milk
In yer pan/pot, if yer using bacon, fry it till really crispy then bit size it, then add onion into the bacon grease and saute it until its carmelized. If yer using ham cut 4 x 1/4″ (or 1 ham steak) thick slices into small cubes and fry them up with finley diced white or green onion in some butter until onions are carmelized. Add can of creamed corn. Fill can with milk add milk. Add can of nibblets. stir thouroughly, turn heat to low stir occasionally and eat when hot. Salt pepper to taste.
March 25, 2013 — 6:08 PM
Julie says:
Lentil Soup (no, not that kind)
1 cup red lentils
1 onion, diced small
2-3 Ham stock (cubes) (could use veg or chicken stock if you can’t get ham)
3 pints water
1 cup assorted diced soup veg (you know, carrots, root veggies)
Diced ham if you’re so inclined
Pop it all in the pot, let it simmer until everything is mushy and green (probably 30 mins or so).
If you can leave it sitting for a day or so it’ll start to taste really good. Also, you should be able to stand a spoon up in it.
(sorry for the imprecise measurements but it’s one of those family recipes that you just have to play with).
March 25, 2013 — 7:22 PM
Maya says:
Oh wow, I love soup!
Have you ever had albondigas? It’s a Mexican soup. My grandma used to make it for me; it’s delicious
You will need:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup rice (uncooked)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 quarts chicken broth
1 diced onion
2 diced potatoes
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 teaspoons of oregano
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
(you can adjust as needed)
Preparation:
Mix ground beef with rice, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and the crushed garlic. Take the meat and use all of it to form 1 inch meatballs. While your doing this, bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Turn down to a slow simmer (where there are hardly any bubbles) and add in meatballs. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in the potato, onion, cilantro, remaining spices, and garlic. Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice in meatballs is cooked through.
I hope you like it 🙂
March 25, 2013 — 7:56 PM
rachelannpierce says:
I’m a bit late to the party, but I’ve just saved this page because it’s become quite the collection of soup recipes. I’ll add mine.
Celery Bisque (highly edited version of a Bon Appetit recipe)
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups sliced celery (about 8 stalks)
1 chopped fennel
3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I also add some salt, pepper and garlic for flavor)
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and fennel. Sauté until celery is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and 4 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Whisk in 1/3 cup sour cream and cayenne pepper. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls.
Not hard at all, and it keeps well.
March 25, 2013 — 7:59 PM
Paul Weimer (@PrinceJvstin) says:
I don’t make a lot of soups. So I will speak in generalities.
My favorite kind of soup marks my origins. Manhattan Clam Chowder. The purists may howl, but that is what I grew up thinking clam chowder was. Imagine my surprise when I learned differently. I’ve not had a good bowl of it in years. It’s uncommon to rare here in the Midwest.
Hmmm…maybe I *should* figure out how to make it, hmmm?
March 25, 2013 — 9:25 PM
kaikiriyama says:
This is my signature soup recipe that i created. I love it. It is beautiful and orange and not overly sweet. I like to make it in the winter since it’s pretty heavy. You can omit the cinnamon and change the cream content by adding it all in the pot and reheating for a creamier soup.
Candied Pumpkin, Yam and Carrot soup
Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin, cooked and cubed
2 large yams, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup butter
1.5 L chicken or vegetable broth (I prefer vegetable)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
Cream to finish
Directions:
Cook and cube the pumpkin. Set aside.
Peel and chop the yams.
Make a groo by sauteéing the onion, celery and carrots in the butter. When the onion gets soft, add the sugar, cinnamon and the yams. Cook on low, stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes.
Add the pumpkin and broth (add water if needed to cover.)
Simmer on medium-low for 2 hours until everything is soft and about 1/3 of the liquid has absorbed. (the absorption isn’t 100% necessary if you like a thinner soup.)
Put into a blender and purée the fuck out of it. Put it all back in the pot, reheat.
Spoon into bowls and finish with a generous amount of heavy cream on top.
March 25, 2013 — 9:34 PM
Lanith says:
In equally inflammatory style I declare French Onion soup to be the most delicious.
March 25, 2013 — 9:37 PM
Lucie B. says:
Wow. These are a lot of real, legit recipes. But you strike me as someone who might from time to time be like, fuck all that noise, it’s been a long day, so I submit to you this recipe:
Get one butternut squash. Peel and chop into little bitty squares. Put in a bowl and generously coat in coconut oil (not olive oil – this is really the only crucial part of the recipe), pepper, and kosher salt. Roast on 400 for 30 – 40 minutes until very soft and caramelized. This is super yummy as a side, fyi. But this is a soup recipe.
So while it is cooking soften some diced onion in a skillet with some butter, or olive oil if you’re a sucker.
Put the yummy squash and onion in a blender. Add a cup of chicken stock (more depending on consistency your looking for). Blend. Enjoy. Add a dash of curry if you’re feeling frisky.
March 25, 2013 — 9:39 PM
Chrissy says:
WTF?? Why hasn’t anyone mentioned cream of mushroom? Cream. Of. Mushroom. And no, I don’t have a recipe but if you try to make it use real mushrooms.
March 25, 2013 — 9:45 PM
danielrdavis says:
A simple version I’ve made before. Sadly, these are approximates because I rarely measure some of this stuff. If it seems too thick, add more milk until it’s the thickness you want. Some people might add chicken broth, but aside from the wine, I want the mushroom flavor to come through.
12 oz baby portabello mushrooms, sliced (or more if you like a lot of mushrooms)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk
1/4 cup dry white wine or cooking sherry
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
chopped green onion and/or cheddar cheese for garnish
Sweat the mushrooms and garlic in the butter on medium-low heat until the mushrooms give up some of their liquid, and are tender and aromatic, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour until there are no more white bits and the liquid has been absorbed. Heat, stirring for about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on whether you like a more brown color (if you want it mostly white, don’t go for more than the 30 seconds) and then add the wine or sherry, stirring. It will thicken. Add the half and half and milk, stirring or whisking until the roux and wine mixture clinging to the mushrooms is dissolved into the liquid. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens to a creamy soup consistency (the liquid coats the back of a spoon). If it becomes too thick, add a little more milk. Keep in mind, it will thicken a little as it cools, so try not to overcook it.
You can make most cream based soups starting with a good roux. Good rule of thumb I learned from my long family line of country cooks, equal parts fat to flour. e.g. 3 tbsp butter or olive oil, 3 tbsp flour. I have noticed a lot of chefs use more flour to fat, but I feel it makes the final product feel gummy on the palate.
March 26, 2013 — 1:07 PM
Kyoko says:
Well, I’ve got one I altered if you’re interested. It’s tomato basil seafood soup, Standby for the recipe.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 to 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine (or if you don’t drink, substitute with 1 cup of clam juice)
2 dashes hot red pepper flakes (or a whole tablespoon if you’re like me and enjoy spicy food)
Salt or seasoning salt to taste
2 pounds mussels
2 pounds shrimp
A big handful of roughly chopped fresh basil
Heat the oil over high heat in a pot large enough to hold the mussels comfortably. Add the garlic and cook just until you can smell it, about 30 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes, wine, and 1 cup of water. Add the red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the broth is slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir the mussels and shrimp into the broth, cover the pot, and cook until the mussels open, 4 to 5 minutes. Throw in the basil and give a good stir. For best results, toast some French bread, smear some garlic butter on it, and devour. It’s delicious.
Source: http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/mussels-in-tomato-basil-broth
March 25, 2013 — 9:50 PM
Allison campbell says:
I hardly ever use a recipe for soup, but this Paraguayan Zucchini Soup is a favorite: http://www.soupsong.com/rzucchi1.html
March 25, 2013 — 9:55 PM
The Liz says:
I cheat with mixes or premade cans, but I’m always augmenting them with my own stuff.
If you want a spicy Mexican soup with a little heat, I LOVE this tortilla soup recipe. You make a tequila lime chicken then I shred (recipe says to cube, but I like it shredded better) the chicken into the spicy soup. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/scotties-chicken-tortilla-soup/
I also like making a deli style broccoli cream soup, (serves 2)
1/2 cup chopped broccoli fresh or frozen
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 can Broccoli Cream Soup
1/2 soup can milk
salt and Pepper
Saute the veggies starting with the broccoli & cauliflower in a little butter for about 3 minutes, add in the onions and saute til the onions are just cooked, pour in chicken broth, cover and simmer 5-8 minutes, until the broccoli is cooked but firm.
Pour in soup and milk, stir until fully blended, add black pepper and salt to taste, then simmer for another 5 minutes, covered, to blend all the flavors.
Then eat and enjoy!
March 25, 2013 — 10:08 PM
Jennie Elloran (@ellorish) says:
I want to share this amazing beef stew recipe (Filipino style). In the Philippines, we call it Nilagang Baka. It really builds up a hearty appetite, and it’s perfectly good for cold weather. 🙂 Thankfully, I found a website with an English cooking video to guide you better. Enjoy! 🙂
http://www.filipinocooking.net/recipe/beef-nilaga-or-nilagang-baka/
March 25, 2013 — 10:09 PM
Elizabeth Poole says:
Hunter’s Stew or Bigos in Polish.
My former boss was from Poland, and one day she came in with this for lunch. She kindly shared some with me, and I immediately went home and dug up a recipe.
If you venture into the interwebs looking for this recipe, take note that this is one of those family recipe things that you can find endless variations of. You being the food nut could add some interesting things to this recipe, I have no doubt.
The basic form is sauerkraut, cabbage, and meat. This dish doesn’t really taste too much like sauerkraut so even people who hate it have a chance of enjoying this stew.
You’ll need:
*2 lbs of sauerkraut (make sure it’s the real stuff, and not the cabbage-with-vinegar variety). It should say “barrel cured”. I buy mine in a glass jar in the canned goods aisle.
*12 oz or so of shredded cabbage OR one medium head of cabbage. I buy mine in a bag pre-shredded that they sell for coleslaw because I have a 13 month old who climbs up onto the couch so he can get to curtains and SWING from them. AIN’T GOT TIME TO SHRED CABBAGE, FOLKS.
*11 cups of beef broth. At least, that’s what my recipe calls for. In reality, I use about 9 or so cups, but have more on hand in case. It will honestly depend how soupy you want the end result to be. I prefer mine with far less liquid.
*ALL THE MEATS
This recipe was intended to be made during the winter with whatever meat you had leftover/on hand. It’s especially awesome for anything gamey, so rabbit, deer, elf, moose, lamb whatever, it can go in the pot.
I don’t live in an area I can get those sorts of meat easily, so I usually wind up buying bacon, Italian sausage, kielbasa, and stew beef.
I’ve also thrown a ham bone in there, leftover diced ham, leftover ground beef, and leftover roasted turkey before. Again, any meat you have leftover can go into the pot. Funny enough, I don’t usually use chicken. I’m sure it would be okay, but I think this is a stronger-meat-flavor dish, not the unassuming chicken flavor.
Right, so measurements for the meat:
*1 lb of bacon
*3 or so pounds of stew beef
*1 package of Italian sausage
*1 package of kielbasa
I know that seems excessive, two types of sausage but I assure you, it’s not. One night my husband brought home these amazing spicy Italian sausages and suggested it go into the bigos. It did, and it was delicious, so I added it to the regular recipe.
*3 onions, sliced, I usually use sweet yellow onions, but I’ve also tried red or white. I don’t like white onions since they taste really bitter to me, but the red onions have a nice sharp flavor, so sometimes I do 2 sweet yellow and 1 red.
*1 small container of mushrooms. I usually go with baby bellas.
Preparation:
You could, if you were preparing this a day or so ahead of time, throw it all into the pot and let it boil.
However, most of the time I am making it in the morning for that night’s dinner, so I don’t have that time. Also, I prefer the way the meat tastes when it’s been browned a bit over the sat-in-a-pot-and-boiled taste.
So here’s the cooking instructions:
1. Rinse the sauerkraut with cold water and drain well.
2. In a small sauce pot, add the cabbage and about 5 cups of beef broth. Enough that the cabbage is floating to the top, but that you still have some space between the top of the pot and the food. Once it boils, it will rise, and spill all over your stove if you don’t have enough room (not that I learned this from experience or anything…). Bring to a boil, and then cook on medium heat until the cabbage is tender, about 45 minutes.
3. While the cabbage is boiling, in the absolute largest sauce pot you have, add 4 cups of beef broth, mushrooms, sauerkraut, and stir. You can also add in your sliced onions, but I prefer to caramelize my onions a bit first. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Once it’s come to a boil, cover and simmer on low.
4. At this stage, I like to add some seasoning to the sauerkraut pot. A dash of: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Maybe a bay leaf. Try not to go too crazy with the seasoning. Most of the flavor is going to come from the meat and sauerkraut goodness.
5. While the sauerkraut and cabbage are doing their thing, start browning the meats. Cook the bacon until crispy, and then crumble into the sauerkraut pot. Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces, and saute in a pan until browned. Brown the stew beef just long enough to see it start to cook, and then add to the sauerkraut mixture. It’s not essential to cook any of the meat all the way through (except the bacon), since it will finish cooking inside the pot. Once something is done browning, add it to the sauerkraut pot. At each stage of adding something, stir the pot. I like to try and make sure everything is mingling nicely.
6. When your cabbage finishes cooking, drain and add to the sauerkraut. Stir until the cabbage and sauerkraut are blended together. Cover and let it simmer for as long as you can. I would say at least an hour from the time you added the cabbage. As I mentioned before, I start this first thing in the morning, and then let it simmer all day long.
Mine always winds up with a lot of liquid because of the cabbage and sauerkraut, so I strain some of the liquid when I serve it. But I prefer mine to be a lot more solid. You could choose to keep the liquid.
I usually serve this in a bowl, with some nice crusty bread. It’s especially wonderful when it’s cold outside, and an excellent source of Vitamin C.
This makes a huge recipe, so plan to feed an army. As you may have guessed, it’s even better the next day. I always wind up freezing some.
March 25, 2013 — 10:27 PM
Elizabeth Poole says:
Oops, that’s supposed to be “elk” not “elf”. Although, that would be an interesting addition…of course, I’d expect dwarf to be far more gamey than elf.
…….
I need to go to bed now. Goodnight.
March 25, 2013 — 10:34 PM
Shelly Tennyson Taylor says:
I made a soup so awesome that I wrote a blog on it a few months ago.
http://oldmomsunite.wordpress.com/category/recipes/
So Here it is:
Shelly’s Yummy Chicken Soup
•4 Cups Water
•2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (uncooked)
•2 Stalks Celery Chopped
•1 Medium Onion Coarsely Choppped
•2 Cups Baby Carrots Sliced into 4 lengthwise strips
•2 Cups potatoes cut into about 1” pieces
•1 Cup Frozen Peas
•1 Cup Frozen Whole Kernel Corn
•2 10 ¾ Oz Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
•2 Slices American Cheese Singles
•2 Slices Low-Fat American Cheese Singles
•Salt
•Pepper
•Franks Red Hot Sauce
Directions:
Place uncooked chicken breast and chopped celery in the 4 Cups of water, season water with salt and pepper to your taste and boil chicken breast until done on medium heat. About 40 minutes.
When chicken breasts are done remove them from water and set aside. You should have about 3 cups of chicken broth left in the pot.
Add Onions and Carrots to broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and add potatoes, peas, and corn, cook for approx 20-30 minutes or until veggies are all tender, stirring as needed.
While the veggies are cooking take your cooled chicken breast and pull apart into chunks or shredded pieces. It should have boiled so tender that you can do this with your hands. Remove any pieces of fat you come across. You will only be using 10oz of the chicken (it is best if you have a food scale to measure out the 10 oz) Shredded this goes a long way.
When the veggies are tender add the shredded chicken, canned soup and 4 cheese slices. Stir until cheese is fully melted.
Serve with hot sauce if desired (we put this in our individual bowls so that our 2 year old could eat and it is not too spicy)
Makes 8 – 1 Cup Servings
March 25, 2013 — 11:02 PM
ljcohen says:
We had an international student from Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia live with us while she was studying for her master’s degree in the US. She taught us how to make a basic soup base that is now a family favorite. You’ll notice it’s less a formal recipe than a method.
Nurjan’s Kyrgyz Soup
~ 1 lb of meat, chopped small or ground (beef/lamb)
Small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 carrots, chopped small
2 peppers, jullianed
Scallions, chopped coarsely
tomatoes, chopped
fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, dill, etc, torn coarsely)
Salt
Pepper
oil for sauteing
3 cups warm water
In a large wok, fry onions until soft
Add meat and fry until cooked through
Add vegetables, firmest/hardest first and cook until soft.
Add tomatoes and cook until falling apart.
Add herbs, salt, pepper to taste.
Add water and simmer
serve with dumplings or serve over rice or noodles
March 26, 2013 — 11:42 AM
Alex Kane says:
I don’t have a recipe or anything, but I’ve been on a soup kick lately myself: CLAM CHOWDER, in particular. There’s something warm and savage and mystical about it, all rolled into a single bowl. Bounty of the sea grasped by mere mortals, and all that.
March 26, 2013 — 11:54 AM
Troy L says:
Used to be Campbell’s Chunky Beef Stroganoff. Now it’s Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Corn Chowder. Homemade is my wife’s baked potato soup. Potatoes, butter, onion, flour, bacon crumbled, scallions, sour cream, cheddar cheese, etc.
March 26, 2013 — 12:53 PM
fredhicks says:
Split pea soup, all the way. I take the America’s Test Kitchen recipe as a baseline, but hack it up with extra ham, sometimes bacon, and toss the ham hock in there while it’s cooking besides.
March 26, 2013 — 1:05 PM
consent says:
Split Pea Soup (in slow cooker)
1 bag of split peas (they’re green 😉
2 meaty ham hocks (the taste gets progressively better the closer they are to grassfed – I’ve tried all kinds
3 carrots (cut any way you want. I’ve shredded, chopped and sliced, but tiny bits please)
1 onion diced
2 stalks of celery chopped(use everything, including leaves)
2 cloves of garlic (diced) Note: I usually use 4 or 5 cloves myself
1 bay leaf
Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste
(the recipe calls for parsley, but I hate parsley, so I’ve never put it in – but if you like it 1/4 cup of fresh parsley or 2 tsp of dried parsley flakes)
6 cups of water (water is enough, but you can add chicken broth for more flavor, as Alton Brown likes to remind us)
rinse peas, add to slow cooker, covering the bottom. Add each ingredient in layers in the order they are listed. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, low for 8-9 hours – what you’re looking for is the meat to be tender and falling off the bone. I usually end up doing high for about 5-6 hours because of the ham hocks. But then again, my crock pot hates me.
March 26, 2013 — 1:33 PM