The weather outside might be frightful, but indoors it will be warm and inviting as homemade soups are prepared to warm from the inside out.
This week’s recipes come from a favourite cookbook. These soups are versatile and allow the use of many kinds of vegetables and seasonings related to personal tastes.
• • •
Vegetable Soup
1 beef soup bone
1 gallon water
1 onion, sliced or diced
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
4 carrots, finely diced
3 parsnips, cut into small pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup pot barley
1 bay leaf
2 small chilli peppers, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
dash of dill
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups cream
Place soup bone in the water and boil slowly for 1-2 hours. Remove bone and cut off any small pieces of meat. Skim off fat from broth. Return meat to broth.
Add onion, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peppers and salt and pepper and continue to boil slowly for 1 hour.
Add peas, tomatoes and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn off heat and add a dash of dill before serving.
• • •
Ham and Vegetable Soup
2 lb. ham bone
2 qts. cold water
1 qt. diced carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1 stick mint
1 cup diced potatoes
Cover ham bone with cold water and boil slowly for 1-2 hours.
Remove bone, cut off any small pieces of ham and return to broth.
Add carrots, onion and mint stick. Boil for another hour or until vegetables are soft. Add potatoes and boil for 15 minutes. Serve hot, with a teaspoon of cream added to each bowl, if desired.
• • •
Cheese Croutons
3-4 slices stale bread
butter
cream cheese
Trim crusts from thick bread slices. Butter slices then cut into cubes. Place bread cubes on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted cream cheese or shredded cheddar cheese.
Place in moderate oven and roast until crisp and browned slightly but not burned. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Add croutons to individual servings of a favourite soup. Croutons may be frozen by spreading over a cookie sheet until frozen then placed in containers or bags.
Thaw as many as required.
Joyce Walter can be reached at [email protected]
