What is a soup?

I am not sure what the exact defination of a soup is but apparently it is a liquid with some sort of caloric addition.

Mamaw Smith who lives next door routinely makes soup in the winter using apparently whatever is in the frige.

Sometimes it is veggie soup consisting of whatever is veggie in the frige and othertimes it consist of whatever meats happen to be present. She nevers lets the opportunity go by without making some soup.

She took the carcus of the Thanksgiving turkey and added veggies to it and made a soup that we enjoyed all the way till Christmas.

My mother in law has been extremely sick recently and Mamaw Smith made her version of potato soup and brought it over for her health.

I am not sure what the roadfooders do for soup, but it would be interesting for me to hear your versions.

Perhaps if they are interesting, I could do the same.

Thanks to you

Paul E. Smith

Knoxville, TN

Sundancer, volumes and volumes and tomes have been written on soup! I love soup, love to cook it, love to serve it, love to eat it, loved to cook it in the restaurant and love to make it for ill friends. Geeze, you can use any kind of meat, poultry, fish or shellfish; any kind of vegetables; any kind of legumes. I could provide you with hundreds of soup recipes....can you narrow it down a little? In the winter I make soup 2-3 times a week at home and at the restaurant the soup would change every day and I'd make 5 gallons/day.

My sons favorite meal in the winter is what he refers to as "Cream of Refrigerator Soup". I basically open the fridge and start making soup---never know what it will---thats what i love about soups---there are NO limits!! Most of mine are completely of the cuff and i usually do one a week at home. There is one i am partial to that is a great way to use up all those big overgrown zucchinnis that so many folks end up with---you might like this---and it easy!

Zuccinni Soup

Take any soup pot. Add a lttle olive oil--or grapeseed oil--and fill it i/4 of the way up with coursely chunked onions and carrots and as much chopped garlic as you like-saute till the onions are clear----fill the pan with zuccinni chunks to the top----add a whole bunch of parsley--some peppercorns---a teaspooon or so of tabasco--and yopu favorite herbs ---i use what fresh in the yard--oregeno---rosemary---Barely cover this all with good chicken stock---or canned broth and simmer it all till the vegies are soft. At this point i remove some of the stock with a ladle and reserve and the use an immersion blender and blend the whole thing to a smoothn thick consistancy---like pea soup---using the reserved stock to thin to the desired consistancy---i drink any that is left like any good pot liquer Before serving i top it with a dollop of sour cream! Love this soup and its killer with grilled cheese on rye with alittle mustard and swiss cheese!!

My family loves "garbage soup" for lunch on Saturday. I keep a large container in the freezer and in it goes any leftover vegetables from our meals, left over cooked rice, the tomatoes left from salads.........you get the idea. Then on Saturday morning, I saute lots of chopped onion, garlic, and celery and herbs that I decide on. I add stock and the contents of the "garbage container" and we have a delicious soup. It always tastes wonderful and keeps the fridge uncluttered as we do not have little containers of left-overs in it.

Sundance, here's one that's a real comfort soup for me. This was my mother's recipe:

Bushie's Mother's Potato-Cheese Soup

6 potatoes, peeled and chunked
2 carrots, slivered
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped

Combine and cook barely covered in water or chicken stock, 20 to 30 minutes, then add:

1 pound of Velveeta
1 stick of butter
1 quart Half & Half

Heat until the cheese and butter are melted and smooth.

Thanks and I like all of them posted.

I got enough stuff in the frige to make a lot of soup right now and in fact, I think I will

Thanks
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, I thought about this a little while and wonder if you wouldn't benefit from a simple recipe for basic potato soup (post Adkins). I don't have a recipe recorded, but this hearty, tasty soup isn't much effort and only requires potatoes, a bit of water (or canned chicken stock), a lot of butter, cooking onions, whole milk, salt and fresh grated pepper.

My favorite potato soup is a potato corn chowder, and has been posted in another forum. I will email it to you.

I LOVE soup! It's hard to pick just one, but this is one of my favorites. It could be easily be made Atkins-friendly by leaving out the bread in the meatballs and substituting Splenda for the honey in the broth.

Cabbage Soup with Meatballs

Soup base:

One large head of cabbage chopped
One large onion, chopped
One large can of tomatoes
Two quarts of chicken broth
1/3 cup of cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
Two tablespoons caraway seeds
Salt and pepper

for meatballs:

One pound ground beef or ground turkey
One and ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup water
One large clove garlic, crushed or minced
½ teaspoon salt

Put all the soup base ingredients together in a large pot, and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.

For meatballs: Soften bread in water and mix until smooth. Add meat and seasonings, mix ingredients together (best with with your hands) and roll into 1” meatballs. Drop the meatballs one by one into the simmering soup.

Simmer for 1½ to 3 hours (depending on how soft you like your cabbage - I like it very soft) until cabbage is tender and meatballs are cooked through.

Growing up, my mother made us a refrigerator soup every once in a while -- I always remembered them fondly. Now when I make one, my family trembles ... in fear -- so far about 1 in 3 fridge soups have received anything close to a thumbs up ....

In the meantime, I am still trying to perfect the chicken soup made from the carcass.

Another fun carcass soup is turducken soup.

But still, I think I cook the carcass too long, and the soup is always too fatty.

I just made lentil soup this weekend. It was terrific. I used the recipe from a recent issue of Cook's Illustrated (I always have such good luck with their recipes). Sundancer, you subscribe don't you? If not, I will post it.

As far as soups go, I love anything I can use my immersion blender on. I just LOVE creamy soups. Squash soup, creamy mushroom, asparagus, carrot, YUM YUM YUM.

Meowzart: Why is it I feel guilty telling you that I do not subscribe to Cook's Illustrated. I do not think I have ever heard of it. Send the recipe on and thanks a lot.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

CABBAGE BEEF SOUP(I recreated from Shoney's)

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1 head green cabbage, cored, roughly cut
1 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 large can(28 oz?) kidney beans(light or dark)
1 large can V-8 juice
1 bay leaf
2 t basil
salt and pepper to taste
Brown ground beef with onion and garlic, drain.
In large pot or dutch oven, add drained beef, cabbage. Cover barely with water, add salt and pepper. Simmer covered, about 10 minutes. Cabbage should still be tender-crisp,do not drain water. Add beans, V-8 juice, bay leaf, basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for about 10 minutes.
I had this at the restaurant and like it so well, that I'd call ahead before going to see if this was being served. I analyzed it as best I could. I also called the Shoney's plant and told that I could purchase it and have it shipped to me in 5 gallon bags. The person I spoke with verified that I had all the key ingredients, I just may have to adjust my herbs to my desired taste.

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie

My family loves "garbage soup" for lunch on Saturday. I keep a large container in the freezer and in it goes any leftover vegetables from our meals, left over cooked rice, the tomatoes left from salads.........you get the idea. Then on Saturday morning, I saute lots of chopped onion, garlic, and celery and herbs that I decide on. I add stock and the contents of the "garbage container" and we have a delicious soup. It always tastes wonderful and keeps the fridge uncluttered as we do not have little containers of left-overs in it.

Sounds great, chezkatie !!

Rusty, you did a pretty good job analyzing Shoney's cabbage soup. I do not think I could do that just by tasting. How did you nail the V8?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Cooks is my favorite cooking magazine. It accepts no advertising, and it is filled with down-to-earth, fully tested recipes and techniques. It also has terrific product reviews.

One of my favorite winter soups is minestrone: I take 2 cups each of sliced onion; diced carrot, celery, squash, green beans, and potatoes; and a small head of savoy cabbage, shredded. I sauté the onions in hot oil for about 8 minutes, and then add the other veggies one at a time for about 3 minutes each. Put in a can of good crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen) and cover with boiling water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then -- in this is the best part -- I use the rinds of Parmesan cheese and toss them in, and cook everything over low heat for about 3 hours. Add to cans of cannellini (or white northern) beans during the last 15 minutes. Season to taste. If you like a little meaty edge to it, add some concentrated beef stock or a couple of cubes.

quote:

Originally posted by Grampy
Then -- in this is the best part -- I use the rinds of Parmesan cheese and toss them in,

This is one of my favorite fridge leftovers for soup. I read about saving the rinds a few years ago to add to soups and sauces for great flavor and have been kicking myself ever since for not knowing enough to do this years ago!

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Rusty, you did a pretty good job analyzing Shoney's cabbage soup. I do not think I could do that just by tasting. How did you nail the V8?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Actually when I first made it I just used tomato juice, then experimented with V-8. The V-8 by far gave it more flavor IMO. I've also added diced tomatoes before to make the soup a little chunkier. Leaving the cooking water from the cabbage makes the soup have more of a lighter "broth", again IMO. I just love it. It's kind of like a "comfort" soup, it fills up up without alot of guilt.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Meowzart: Why is it I feel guilty telling you that I do not subscribe to Cook's Illustrated. I do not think I have ever heard of it. Send the recipe on and thanks a lot.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul---i dont subscribe either but its in my library---check yours--i think you'll like it. Not at all as pretensious or beyoond the reach of ANY kitchen and good recipes.

I love soup of all kinds and make it frequently, at least once a week in winter. Here's one of my easy favorites:

Tasty Lentil Soup

1 Tb veg. oil
1 c. red lentils, picked over, rinsed well & drained
1 c. onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
4 c. stock (chicken or veg) or water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 c. celery, finely chopped
1 c. carrot, " "
1 c. tomato, " "
2 tsp honey
juice of 2 lemons, salt and pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in a soup pot until soft, add lentils, stock, and spices, simmer 1 hr. Add celery and carrot, simmer 30 min. Add tomato, honey, lemon, salt and pepper, heat through. Enjoy!

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I am not sure what the exact defination of a soup is but apparently it is a liquid with some sort of caloric addition.

Therefore a full bath tub containing, say, David Crosby is a soup ??

(Please, for the love of God, say it 'aint so !! )

Mamaw Smith who lives next door cooks lunch three Sundays out of four. She always has a conglomeration of either meatloaf, baked fried chicken or country fried steak (her own version which ain't anything like what everybody knows).

Every Tuesday Mamaw gathers together the remnants of the Sunday after church dinner and makes a soup. It is almost predictable. With baked fried chiken, we have a chicken soup with Okra, potatoes, green beans, some macorini with cheese and broccoli, With country steak, we have the same and with meatloaf we have the same. Fortunately when she adds onions, garlic and some other secret ingredients which she will not reveal, it changes the taste. How it does, I haven't a clue.

Soup is soup???

I guess not

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Here it is…from the Jan/Feb 2004 issue of Cook’s Illustrated:

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP
(makes about 2 quarts, serving 4-6)

3 slices bacon (about 3 oz.), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tbsp.)
1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. Fresh minced thyme leaves
1 cup (7 oz) lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 tsp. Salt
Ground black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
4 ½ cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ tsp. Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. Minced fresh parsley leaves

1) Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to simmer. Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.

2) Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to the pot; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of the remaining parsley.

quote:

Originally posted by pogophiles

quote:

Originally posted by i95
Therefore a full bath tub containing, say, David Crosby is a soup ??

(Please, for the love of God, say it 'aint so !! )

Absolutely. I believe this delicacy is known as "Stoned Soup"...

Isn't it often served with really bad liver?

I remember a great book on hot tubs from the 70's----Loved the title---"Hippie Soup"

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

I remember a great book on hot tubs from the 70's----Loved the title---"Hippie Soup"

So thick you'll want to eat it with a fork -- but use a spoon to get every drop.

To further enhance meowzart's lentil soup recipe.......when the soup is done, add three large handfulls' of fresh spinach leaves and two handfulls of freshly grated Romano cheese. Stir the spinach into the soup until wilted (and cooked) and the Romano will give it a nice touch. (Italian Lentil Soup is what you've got!) Yummy!

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

To further enhance meowzart's lentil soup recipe.......when the soup is done, add three large handfulls' of fresh spinach leaves and two handfulls of freshly grated Romano cheese. Stir the spinach into the soup until wilted (and cooked) and the Romano will give it a nice touch. (Italian Lentil Soup is what you've got!) Yummy!

Swiss chard is also a nice touch.

Swiss chard is a great green for soup! Has anyone ever made Italian Wedding Soup? Oh, that's one fabulous soup! The polpettine, the escarole, good aged Parmesan, the chicken.......in small Italian villages it was only made for weddings because it contained meat (a luxury for farmers that usually made soups out of beans, pasta and vegetables).

We're smoking ribs right now.......but I might have to make a batch of wedding soup tomorrow!

I coudn't stand the escarole soup my grandmother made when I was a kid. Needless to say, now I adore making wedding soup, or any soup with greens. I make a vegetarian version of escarole-Swiss chard and farfalle soup for my son, with a hearty dose of chopped garlic, hot pepper flakes and lemon juoce. I adore kale also for soups.

I gotta ask a question? I did the dripping beef with the tender chuck and thick sliced potatoes with thick sliced onions with beef cubes with pressed garlic and Cajun spices. After this was cooked, is the juices that remain gravy or soup.

To me it was a wonderful soup that I enjoyed which was as good as the beef itself?

Thanks
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I think the Soup forum is very much needed and welcome. Most food-related boards on the internet sadly neglect soups as a serious topic of discussion, rather dismissing them as only a haven for leftovers. The only other place I have seen soups taken seriously was on Molto Mario, on which Mario said that soups are seldom served in his restaurants because they are too difficult to make. I happen to disagree with his contention, but it was nice to see soups taken seriously for once.

My particular interest is in trying to re-create "soups I have known." As you can see from my posting under "Turnip Soup," I sometimes have limited success. I like to try new things, too, but at my age (72)food nostalgia becomes a big thing. It's also a great way to teach my granddaughter the basics, as well as passing on a heritage.

Black bean soup is my favorite. I make it in the crockpot with cooked black beans, lots of garlic, tomatoes, ground beef or stew beef, and onions. Add cilantro and sour cream before serving. Yum.

I love soup, although I must admit to eating them less in the summer. Some of my favorites are hot and sour, chicken, gumbo,vegatable with chicken or beef, french onion, I could go on and on. My Mom who is 90 still makes soup for us all the time. Just had some of her cabbage soup (with chunks of meat) tonight.

One thing I had recently at a new BBQ restaurant here which I jokingly called cajun soup was their excuse for gumbo. Not thick, no sign or taste of rouxe, no rice, just a thin chicken and vegetable broth with chunks of veggies, some okra, pieces of chicken, and none of the andouille sausage mentioned in the menu description. I considered sending it back, but it was a good soup - just not a gumbo.

I like to make what we call " Garden Vegi soup" in the summertime.
I use fresh overripe tomatos, okra, corn, onion, cabbage and any other fresh vegis I can get my hands on. During the winter, I also make it, but have to rely on canned tomatos and frozen vegetables.
I like it any season though. I call soup comfort food for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

I love soup, although I must admit to eating them less in the summer. .

There are some lovely chilled soups that make great summer eating .... vichysoisse, gazpacho, green pea and mint ... mmm !

Under the cold soup category don't forget cold cucumber soup and strawberry soup topped with a dollop of creme fraiche and a good dose of champagne! Makes a nice, cool, elegant appetizer.

The single best thing I have ever tasted was a soup. Butternut squash and bacon bisque to be exact... the moment I tasted it at the SF Ritz Carlton Dining Room I realized that was the last thing I wanted to taste right before I died... it was heaven on a soup spoon.

quote:

Originally posted by pogophiles

I've found myself favoring Bok Choy in soups these days. Pretty much every weekend this winter I've found myself making chicken stock and using the dark meat for soup along with garlic, ginger, carmelized onions (I do them in a crockpot), shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, nam plan, white wine, and sambal oelek... Add a shot of sriracha to your bowl and you're good to go...

Pogophiles, that sounds really good. Do you (or anyone else reading)have a recipe you could post for the crockpot caramelized onions?

Thanks!