Best Homemade Soups

Discussion in 'Member Casual Chat' started by Merwen, Jul 29, 2017.

  1. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    How about sharing your favorite homemade soup recipe? Summer is a great time for soup, as it can easily incorporate many ingredients from our summer vegetable gardens that might otherwise go to waste before we can get to them.

    I just made up a second batch of Pepper Pot Soup and am wondering how many of you might also like this. It has become a favorite of mine, but I never saw it until moving here to South Central Pennsylvania, where, at a certain time in the summer, the landscape becomes full of ripe green peppers....

    I first tasted this soup in several different family restaurants in the area. The identifiable ingredients are always hamburger, cut up green peppers (the more the better), and wide egg noodles, often cooked to the verge of disintegration--which is the way I like it best. Other ingredients are less consistent and less evident, but can include vegetable broth from cooking green beans or other vegetables, small pieces of potato, and small quantities of other soft and mild flavored vegetables, such as carrots or tomatoes, or even zucchini--but not to the point that they overpower the taste of green peppers or the soft consistency of the noodles. A few pieces of well-flavored bacon can also be cut up and thrown in to good effect.

    Basically,take a large soup pot and fill about two thirds full of water and heat to boiling. While this is heating, cut up your green peppers in large chunks about a half inch square or so. Throw these into the heating water. Next take a pound or so of raw hamburg (I use thin transparent disposable gloves) and loosely rip off shooter-marble-sized bits of the hamburger directly into the now-boiling water. If desired, take three or so pieces of bacon and cut directly into pot with cooking scissors in pieces roughly one inch long. Next locate any mild flavored garden vegetables you wish to use up, like tomato or zucchini (but not things like onions, celery, corn, peas or beets), chop those up coarsely, and add them to the boiling water. Finally, throw in about four cups of wide egg noodles (preferably thicker type) and add a good amount of black pepper. .Any reserved broth from other projects can also be added.

    Turn stove burner down until you have a gentle simmer, and stir from time to time to mix ingredients well and keep soup from "catching" on the bottom.

    I like to allow the above to cook until the noodles begin to disintegrate and the whole thing thickens into a congee-like consistency. Yum.

    This is a great comfort food for anyone that like the taste of green peppers, and can easily replace a main meal in the evening if it contains enough hamburger.



    [I checked, and only found one other thread mentioning soup, in connection with pies.

    http://politicalforum.com/index.php?threads/what-is-the-best-soup-and-pie.425521/

    It is evocative, but what I want is recipes--how to make the most delicious homemade soups in existence! Pies are another matter, as the fashioning of a decent piecrust is almost a lost art today....]
     
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  2. tealwings

    tealwings Well-Known Member

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    When I read this I was getting my list together to make cucumber soup tomorrow.
    I have plenty of cucumbers, tomatoes and mint.

    4 lg cucumbers peeled, seeded and diced
    2 cup plain yogurt, I'm using Greek yogurt
    1 cup veggie broth
    2 cup sour cream
    1/2 cup fresh mint
    1 clove garlic
    mix together and chill for at least an hour
    garnish with lemon or lime , diced tomato and/or diced onion

    super simple...hope its tasty. I want another gazpacho recipe...I love that soup.
     
  3. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    Looks interesting. How small are you dicing the cukes, and how did it come out? Looks like it would be great for a hot day.

    If your report is positive I may try it, but possibly blend everything instead of dicing. I know I have a large mint plant in the garden, and large cukes that need to be used up...only thing I don't have on hand is yogurt, and I have to get in some items tomorrow ...

    Here's a link you might enjoy:

    http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/gazpacho/
     
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  4. Mr_Truth

    Mr_Truth Well-Known Member

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    Soup is so good for you! And a good, wholesome, tasty bowl of soup is incredibly easy to make.

    Example: chicken soup


    take a chicken quartered, remove much of the skin, give it a good soaking in white vinegar & cold water to remove any possible trace of listeria

    boil water

    put the meat into the boil

    add garlic salt/oregano/other spices & tomato paste

    with about 15 minutes to go in the cooking, put in frozen or canned spinach and/or add corn


    very easy to make, tasty, and very nutritious ~ you know what they say, "life's simple pleasures are best" :)
     
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  5. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    It never occurred to me to just add greens, but with the right seasonings I can see this would be delicious.For some reason I always follow the "stew" scheme of potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions when I deal with chicken. I also usually top my stewed chicken with dropped dumplings, made according to the Bisquick package recipe but adding at least one egg.

    My DD once got into a dispute with her husband about beef stew, made similarly, --he maintained one should also add cabbage to it! New Englanders, at least, don't seem to believe in this--they save their cabbage family vegetables for boiled New England dinners, which are always simmered with a salted meat such as corned beef or picnic ham.

    Back to soup! Around here the Pennsylvania Dutch are big on Chicken Corn Soup. This tends to be made toward the end of the summer, when tough old hens stop laying and there is so much corn no one knows what to do with it all. Again, you start with the simmered chicken, then add the corn, but sometimes with one other somewhat "secret" ingredient--leftover hard boiled eggs, chopped up. I actually prefer creamed corn in my chicken corn soup, but that is not how I see it being made here.

    Another neat way with corn, of course, is corn chowder. This can be done very quickly with canned creamed corn by adding it to boiling water that has been thickened with instant potato. A copious amount of black pepper and up to a stick of butter can be added to improve flavor and eliminate the need for any other stock.

    A chowder variant is to do the same thing with cut up onions instead of corn--and overgrown onion greens can be cut up and added as well.
     
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  6. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I do it when I have them. I also add cabbage to a lot of soups as well if cooking in crock pot. I am a believer that when it comes to soup, decide what is the one thing you have a hankering for and start with that, and just randomly add in until your are satisfied. I guess because growing up, my mom always made exactly the exact same soups exactly the same way every time she made them that I have always had the proclivity to do it so no two are ever the same.
     
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  7. QLB

    QLB Well-Known Member

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    Gumbo in it's many forms. Can't really get it in a can and for practical purposes always homemade.
     
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  8. Crownline

    Crownline Banned at Members Request

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    I don't usually do soup in the summer, well i make gazpacho sometimes. I do a pretty good clam chowder. That hits the spot after several hours of moving snow.
     
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  9. Foolardi

    Foolardi Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    My one Grandmother was a master chef in her Kitch.Grandpa
    was a very active naturalist { spent most his days outdoors either
    hunting or fishing or scouting good places to watch animals and
    birds }.Grandpa had built his own outdoor aviary with the extra lot
    he purchased when he bought his home in the burbs { in the 30's }.
    He even built a huge outdoor fireplace and picnic area.
    Grandpa had a large appetite.His only vice after giving up the
    bottle { drink } was his Tobacco chew.So Grandma tenderly shopped
    for whole foods and butcher cuts of fine meats and chicken.
    Her Chicken Noodle soup { with homemade noodles } was splendid.
    I think it was the noodles that made it great.Tender little chunks
    of fresh chicken and real chicken broth with just the right touch of
    seasonings.Grandpa sure came a callin' right quick when Chicken
    Noodle soup was the first course for many a lunch.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2017
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  10. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    My mother in law made noodles from scratch, too. They were delicious. Sometimes we can find noodles similar to homemade in grocery store sand farmer's markets around here. The Pennsylvania Dutch are big on noodles.
     
  11. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    How do you make yours? They can be pretty complicated--this one, for example:

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/216888/good-new-orleans-creole-gumbo/

    Here's Wikipedia's definition:

    "Gumbois a stewthat may have originated in West Africa or was a traditional stew of the Choctaws served over corn grits and today is more known for being a dish in the state of Louisiana in the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and what Louisianians call the "Holy Trinity" of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, the vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice Kombo powder(dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either a word from a Bantu language for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo).

    Regardless of the name origins, Gumbo can be made with or without Okra or Filé powder. The preferred method in the historical New Orleans variation is with a French dark roux. The flavor of the Louisiana state dish has its origin in many cultures.

    Several different varieties exist. Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a dark roux, file, or both. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. Sausage or ham is often added to gumbos of either variety. After the base is prepared, vegetables are cooked down, and then meat is added. The dish simmers for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. If desired, filé powder is added after the pot is removed from heat. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice. A third, lesser-known variety, the meatless gumbo z'herbes, is essentially a gumbo of slow-cooked greens.

    The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including French, Spanish, German, Filipino, West African, and Choctaw. Gumbo may have been based on traditional West African or native dishes, or may be a derivation of the French dish bouillabaisse, or Choctaw stew, but most likely all three dishes contributed to the original recipe. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. The dish gained more widespread popularity in the 1970s, after the United States Senate cafeteria added it to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender. The popularity of chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s spurred further interest in gumbo. The dish is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana."

    I developed a taste for Gumbo when I visited our DD when she lived in Louisiana, and was delighted to find a small place north of Houston where they served it too. I also developed a taste for Crawdads in Louisiana....someday would like to try a gumbo just with those....

    I have a couple of Prudhomme's books stashed away somewhere; will have to dig them out this winter.

    Gumbo is big on the internet now...

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Gum.....69i57j0l5.3392j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
     
  12. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    How do you make them? Tealwings said they are looking for another Gazpacho recipe....and I love a good clam chowder!
     
  13. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    Split pea (with plenty of garlic, but no ham .. in our house).
    Potato and Leek (Vichyssoise)
    Minestrone
    Roast chicken
    Cauliflower

    Made from scratch. The best soups on planet earth.
     
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  14. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    Won Ton is my favorite soup to make at home. I buy chicken breasts bone in. Separate the bone from the breast meat. Add bones and water in pot with a couple of chicken bullion cubes. Boil until the skum in the water turns to oil. Drain and discard chicken bones. Make won tons from egg roll wraps filled with ground pork and minced shrimp. Make sure ground pork in not too greasy. Cook won tons in soup stock and serve. You can also add shrimp, baby corn, leeche nuts sliced, and bamboo shoots. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp...ad whole cleaned shrimp last.
     
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  15. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    chicken, pork, and seafood ... together?

    :eek:
     
  16. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    Yep, tastes good. I also make sweet and sour pork with shrimp.
     
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  17. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    Split pea with or without a ham bone for flavor is one at the top of my list--I frequently just use a half stick of butter instead of a ham bone. DD adds carrots to hers, cit fine.

    Minestrone is another of my favorites, but I have never successfully made it--I seem to be missing something in the ingredients--

    Here's an "Olive Garden" copycat minestrone...maybe garlic is what I have been leaving out....also, I don't usually saute before adding ingredients, but maybe I should....


    Directions
    1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
    2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
    3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
    4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
    5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
    6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.
    http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-olive-garden-minestrone-soup-77585


    A couple of readers had additional suggestions--

    review by Elisa 7/11/2017
    I added in an additional cup of water, an extra can of tomatoes (which I didn't drain), 1 (14oz) can each of beans (drained, instead of 30 oz each), 1 c. green beans, extra noodles, 1 tsp garlic powder in addition to 3 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 c red wine and I added 3-4 tsp beef boullion I wasn't measuring (I know OG is vegetarian and think vegetable boullion would be better, but didn't have any so...) I also only used about 2 c. chopped spinach. I added the zucchini and wine the last 20 min of simmering. Those are my corrections. And using those extras/tweaks it actually was identical to Olive Gardens! With my additions I'd give it a five star rating. As written three. If you're wondering what little extras you could do to make it more like OG, I'd suggest trying some of these tweaks.

    Like 1
    Comment

    tweak by Elisa 7/11/2017
    Added 3/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 c. Red wine

    Like
    Comment

    review by nolifebutsoftball 7/9/2017
    I read quite a few of the reviews before trying this recipe. I have to say it really tasted what I remember Olive Garden's minestrone tasted like. I did add tomato sauce I had frozen from last year's tomatoes since I thought it needed a bit extra tomato taste. I only used 1 can each of the beans also. I did add about 1/2 cup of red wine from the recommendations of some reviewers. I didn't use zucchini though because I had fresh summer squash and fresh green beans from the garden, also the onion too! I put in more green beans than it called for since I had so many. As far as the spices go, I used white pepper, which I prefer and more basil, since I love basil! Honestly, this tasted so good and was very simple to make. Definitely will be making this one again!"
     
  18. Merwen

    Merwen Well-Known Member

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    I live right near two fabulous Vietnamese establishments and a great Chinese restaurant so it may be awhile before I try this...but I love ground meat cooked in wraps and dumplings....
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
  19. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    Surf and turf. Quite the abomination :p
     
  20. Mr_Truth

    Mr_Truth Well-Known Member

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    variety is the spice of life
     
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  21. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    Indeed, split pea with a tonne of butter works beautifully. Gorgeous, rich, thick, hearty soup.

    Minestrone is notoriously difficult to get right, despite appearances. And I would suspect that garlic is essential. Lot's of it!
     
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  22. Ritter

    Ritter Well-Known Member

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    A salmon-soup is always nice. All you need is carrots, leek, cream, salmon and dill. You just boil the veggies for a couple of minutes, add fish-broth, let it boil, then you add cream, dill and salmon and let it boil.

    I hate recipes and suck at explaining stuff, but this is a very delicious soup if you make it right. Soups are actually harder to make than they seem imo.
     
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  23. tealwings

    tealwings Well-Known Member

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    I did make it... tastes a little bland.
    Last batch I made had buttermilk in it, but I couldn't find that recipe. ( also added chopped onions)
    Everyone here prefers the pieces of veggies vs the blended version. I like it either way. The cukes I diced fairly small.

    Thanks for the link.
     
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  24. tealwings

    tealwings Well-Known Member

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    Hey now!! Surf and Turf is a regular item on many restaurant menus. :nod: lol
     
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  25. robini123

    robini123 Well-Known Member

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    I been making something I mislabeled long ago as "desperation stew" but it is really a soup. I called it desperation stew because in the 90's I had a stretch of bad luck and fell on hard times. One day a friend came by with a bag full of vegetables and some meat, I looked at the food and thought "how can I make a meal out of this" and concluded that all I needed to do was put 4 to 6 cups of water in a crockpot, bullion cubes, chopped vegetables and meat, let it cook in high for 4 to 6 hours, and you have the mislabeled "desperation stew".

    Over the years I have found that pre-seasoned meats like sausage work well else one could use ground beef or turkey and season the meat to ones own taste. To this day I still make the desperation stew and love it, and keep the mislabeled name as it brings back a good memory during a difficult time in my life. It is a basic soup that tastes great and is easy to make and easy to swap out vegetables, meats and spices to change things up.
     
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