Soups & Stews

[sun_set_bravely]

I've recently discovered the wonderful economy of cooking a big pot of soup on the weekend, and then eating it for dinner during the week. This technique gives me the satisfaction of cooking for myself, but frees me from the stress of figuring out what I want to eat and cooking it every night after a long day at work. Last week, it was chicken noodle soup. This week, it will be cheese and broccoli soup.

So now I'm asking all of you. What's your favorite soup or stew to cook? Got any good recipes I should know?

Comments

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Now I feel badly because I cannot remember if you're vegetarian. My sure fire stew involves bouillon cubes, stew beef, potato slices, tomato soup, onions and carrots. It's a can't miss, and can be done by crock pot or by stew pot. The proportions would be roughly a carrot, a potato, and a bit of beef plus one cube per quart, if I remember right, but actually, I just dump a bunch in and cook.

When I was single, I did well when I cooked on Sunday night, and froze several days' of meals, soup or not.
This "home made TV dinner" actually works, and helps one avoid restaurant food with its sodium and caloric disadvantages.

These will probably be your least gourmet suggestions, but they have the virtue that even a non-cook such as myself can make them taste good. Oh, and did I mention, off topic, wrapping your favorite tamal stuffings in a corn tortilla, wrapping that in
aluminum foil, and then running the crockpot on high for a few hours? the tortilla "puffs up", and one can make tamals worth savoring--also freezeable. This require a bit more attention than usual "ignore and it's okay" crockpot cooking, but worth a try.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I am a meat-eater, and this stew sounds yummy, and good for winter nights. Growing up, I never liked leftovers, but now that I'm responsible for feeding myself every day, and I know that some recipes taste better days after they're made, I've become more leftover-friendly.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

You need to go check out Twelve Months of Monastery Soups. It's organized by month, so you use what's seasonal. That book was my bible last winter. All the soups are simple and tasty. Some of them are a little bland, but then, monks have to live in close proximity...I punch up some of the recipes with pepper or more of whatever spice is being used.

Ask me about soups in about a month, when I'm sort of unpacked, and I'll have lots of answers for you.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I remember you writing about this book last winter. It sounds intriguing, and very very useful. Oooh, and I'm browsing through the pages on Amazon -- Saint Seraphim Soup? Traditional Austrian Cheese Soup? Leek and potato soup? Yumm. And that's all in October!

Thanks for the recommendation.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

You and I need a speakeasy drink. I need a cheapass, whirlwind weekend in NYC. Maybe in late autumn, when the weather is lousy enough that no one else wants to get on the bus and go.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I hope you know that you always have a cheapass place to stay in Brooklyn. You met me at one of my lowest moments, so you never have to worry that you'll drop in at a strange time.

[paularubia.livejournal.com]

Cabbage
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Etc. (pretty much whatever else you want to throw in)

The secret ingredient, though, is one or two giant cans of RANCH STYLE BEANS. (Can you get those up there?) Fill the cans with water and pour all of that delicious Ranch Style-flavored water into the pot.

It gets better and better each day.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

!! I love Ranch Style Beans, but I can't get them up here!! I've been tempted to order a case of them and have them delivered up here. This recipe sounds really tasty.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

I can't make soups with cabbage, which is a pity, because it seems all the winter soups have at least half a head of cabbage in them.

If I try it, the cabbage tries to get out directly through my intestinal wall, Alien-style.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

It's amazing, but I've never had cabbage before, not that I'm aware of. I'll watch out for the Alien antics, though. That doesn't sound like much fun.

[paularubia.livejournal.com]

Some people don't like the smell of cabbage cooking, but that's never bothered me. I think cabbage is great in soups (and by itself) - it doesn't have a lot of flavor - it's very subtle. But it's packed with vitamins and minerals.

And it squeaks when you eat it!

You need a CARE package of Ranch Style Beans, Wolf Brand Chili, and a bag of Ellis County pecans.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I am seriously drooling right now. Add some pralines and I'm a goner.

[curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Another vote for beef stew. Here's how I make it:

Coat about a pound of stewmeat in flour and brown in olive oil in the bottom of a nice big stew pot. Add 2 large sliced carrots, 2 chopped stalks of celery, a large chopped onion, a small minced shallot, and a bit more flour, and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, stirring the whole time. Pour in 4 cups of water, half a cup of crushed tomatoes, and a quarter-cup or so of red wine. Add 2 large potatoes, peeled or not (as you prefer) and cut into chunks. Top off with 2 minced cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a sprinkle of thyme. Pop the lid on the pot and let it cook over low-to-medium heat for about an hour. At the end of that time, fish out the chunks of stew meat and chop them up into smaller pieces, stir them back in, and add salt and pepper to taste. This is actually better the second day, and it freezes really well.

[curmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Oops, that should be 3 large potatoes. I like my beef stew with lots of potatoes.

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I like potatoes in beef stew, too. They soak up all the yummy juices so nicely. Thank you for the recipe!

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

jeepbear's easy chili:
1 pound lean ground beef
3-5 cans of beans(ranch style, of course, but if
you can't get those, whatever is good where you are)
fresh onions to taste
fresh garlic to taste
1 can tomatoes
(can be any style that suits your taste)
any other spices your little heart desires,
and your tummy can handle!
***********
brown ground beef in large stew pot
add onions, garlic, tomatoes &spices.
put in crock pot and leave on low all night
or all day, whatever works with your schedule.
may be frozen in meal sized portions, or refrigerated
in suitable containers for about 5 days.(add cheese &
bread or crackers of choice when serving)
****************
my son is an awesome cook! he gets it from his mom,
and practiced by working catering about three years.
enjoy!~paul

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

I loooove chili, and this sounds like a great recipe. Thank you!

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

credit goes to my son
jeepbear
~paul

[http://users.livejournal.com/lindalee_/]

home made chili!

also... home made (sorta) clam chowder!

tortilla soup!

[bluesavannah.livejournal.com]

the best ever...

cut and pasted from allrecipes.com...it's super simple and lasts a few days....soo good!

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into small pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions


1 In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2 Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3 Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Re: tortilla soup!

[sun-set-bravely.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, this sounds delicious. Thanks for the suggestion!

Re: tortilla soup!

[bluesavannah.livejournal.com]

no problem...all my friends love it.

there's also a good taco soup recipe on the site and some other good soup recipes that i just haven't tried.

[freak1c.livejournal.com]

I make this great creamy potato soup, but I left the receipe in Brooklyn, NY. In a blue notebook full of water marked papers and chocolate stained pages.

[nickelchief.livejournal.com]

Don't mention this in public, but my favorite stew recipes are from the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook. And no, I haven't just been made over on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, I just, um, happen to like her soup.

Anyway, I wasn't able to find those online, so here's a link to a rilly rilly quick/easy/healthy/simple non-Martha soup for when you're low on energy and need to throw a few things together. You can fudge the seasonings -- garam masala is expensive, so we just throw in a variety of stuff -- and we skip the blender/puree part at the end, it's just as good. Oh, and in place of "6 cups water" I would substitute 3 cups water and 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth. Yum.

http://soup.allrecipes.com/AZ/MoroccanLentilSoup.asp