Soup Night (22 page)

Recipe from
Toni Kelly
, Erie, Pennsylvania

Serves 6–8

Toni says: I’ve seen other recipes for soup with the flavor of cheeseburgers, but most of them use Velveeta cheese, which I don’t really like. Mine has cheddar and my own spice combination. This is a soup all your kids will like!

• 4 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 1 cup shredded carrots
  
• 1 cup chopped celery
  
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
  
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  
• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• 4 cups cubed potatoes
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 8–10 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₃
  cup sour cream
  

1. 1.
   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, until the beef is browned. Stir in the basil and parsley. Add the broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and then stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes to make a light roux. Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth.
   
3. 3.
   Gradually add the milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the cheese, and heat gently, until the cheese is melted. Add the sour cream and heat gently; do not boil. Serve hot.
   

Make ahead?
Steps 1 and 2. But the whole soup assembles so quickly, you may not need to.

For large crowds:
Double or triple, especially if you’re expecting lots of children.

Recipe from
Toni Kelly
, Erie, Pennsylvania

Serves 6–8

Chock-full of good-for-you veggies and lusciously rich with sharp cheddar — a perfect combination for a cold winter night.

• 1 large head broccoli (about
  ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  pound)
  
• 1 cup water, lightly salted
  
• 3 cups cauliflower florets
  
• 5 tablespoons butter or margarine
  
• 2 cups chopped onions
  
• 8 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₈
  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups milk
  
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups); more if you like your soup cheesy
  
• Salt
  

1. 1.
   Wash the broccoli and cut off the florets, reserving the stalk. You should have about 3 cups florets; set aside 1 cup. Cut the florets in the remaining 2 cups into small pieces, a good spoonable size. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the 2 cups broccoli, and simmer for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the florets and immerse them in cold water to stop the cooking. Save the cooking water.
   
2. 2.
   Chop the remaining 1 cup broccoli florets, all the broccoli stalks, and the cauliflower into small pieces. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until golden. Add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower, 4 cups of the chicken broth, and the oregano; simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
   
3. 3.
   Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot.
   
4. 4.
   Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan; stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. (You’re making a light roux.) Stir in the mustard and pepper, and then gradually add the milk and whisk until thickened.
   
5. 5.
   Stir the milk mixture into the soup; add the remaining 4 cups chicken broth and the cooking water from the simmered broccoli florets. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to bubble.
   
6. 6.
   Add the cheese; stir until the soup is smooth and the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and additional pepper. Add the reserved broccoli florets and heat through. Serve hot.
   

Make ahead?
You can certainly do steps 2 and 3 ahead of time, but I would save the broccoli florets uncooked, and finish up just before serving, so you don’t lose that beautiful color.

For large crowds:
Easy to multiply, although you might not want the full extra measure of cheese.

Serves 6

Here’s a good way to compromise between the “clam” and the “corn” chowder factions — combine the two!

• 4 bacon strips, diced
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 2 (7-ounce) cans minced clams
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon salt
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

1. 1.
   In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
   
2. 2.
   Sauté the onion in the bacon fat until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and stir in the milk; blend well, and simmer until thick, about 5 minutes.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the clams with their liquid, the corn, salt, and pepper. Heat through.
   
4. 4.
   Add the reserved bacon just before serving.
   

Make ahead?
Yes, up through step 2.

For large crowds:
Doubles easily.

Serves 6

In this tasty chowder, the chewiness of wild rice replaces the more commonly used potatoes.

• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  pound bacon, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup chopped onion
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₃
  cup all-purpose flour
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup uncooked wild rice
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup uncooked brown rice
  
• 4
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups water
  
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, undiluted
  
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  
• 1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  

1. 1.
   In a large skillet, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
   
2. 2.
   Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat; add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and sprinkle the flour evenly over the onion, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
   
3. 3.
   Add the wild rice, brown rice, water, and broth. Increase the heat to high, bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the rice is tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the evaporated milk, reserved bacon, and cheese. Heat gently until the cheese is melted.
   
5. 5.
   Sprinkle the parsley into the chowder, and serve hot.
   

Make ahead?
Get the time-consuming parts of the recipe out of the way the day before: Cook the two rices separately; cook bacon; refrigerate. Finishing the soup is now a matter of completing steps 2 through 5, reducing the simmering time in step 3 to 4 to 5 minutes.

For large crowds:
An easy and economical choice for expansion.

Serves 6–8

Edamame is the Japanese name for soybeans harvested when young, still at the “shelling” stage. Outside of Asian markets, you are most likely to find them in the freezer compartment of your supermarket, either shelled or still in the pods. This creamy chowder is lower in fat content than many, because the cream-style corn replaces some of the usual quantity of half-and-half.

• 6 bacon strips, diced
  
• 2 medium onions, chopped
  
• 7
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 2 red potatoes, cut into small cubes
  
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  
• 4 cups frozen shelled edamame
  
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cream-style corn
  
• 1 cup half-and-half
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

1. 1.
   In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
   
2. 2.
   Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 6 minutes.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the edamame, corn, and half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the edamame are tender, about 8 minutes.
   
4. 4.
   Serve the chowder sprinkled with the reserved bacon.
   

Make ahead?
Up through step 3.

For large crowds:
Unless you have guests who’re afraid to try edamame, this is perfect for a big group.

My siblings and I, who grew up in the South, absolutely
love
boiled peanuts. It’s a quintessentially Southern snack, and definitely an acquired taste. A few years ago, on a family vacation in the South, I tried to convince my Oregon-born niece and nephew to try it by telling them boiled peanuts are quite similar to edamame, which they like (they didn’t buy it). On that same trip, out to dinner with South Carolina cousins, I tried to get them to share my edamame appetizer by telling them it tasted a lot like boiled peanuts. They would have none of it.

Serves 6, or a multitude

In a major storm, an impromptu version of this soup was a literal lifesaver (see story next page). It began with an existing recipe for a fairly generic vegetable soup, the sort that lends itself to endless variations. The original recipe card, from 1972, is heavily splattered and barely legible, testament to long use.

• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 3 onions, chopped
  
• 1 pound lean ground beef
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 cups beef broth
  
• 2 (15-ounce) cans tomatoes, diced or stewed or whole, whatever you have on hand
  
• 1 cup diced potatoes
  
• 1 cup diced celery
  
• 1 cup chopped green beans
  
• 1 cup diced carrots
  
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  
• 1 cup red wine
  
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon dried basil
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon pepper
  

1. 1.
   Melt the butter in a large soup pot and sauté the onions until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and garlic to the onions, and cook until the meat is browned. Add the beef broth and tomatoes to the soup pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat.
   
2. 2.
   Add the potatoes, celery, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, wine, parsley, basil, and thyme, and then simmer for 1 hour.
   
3. 3.
   Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
   

Make ahead?
Certainly. It does well the second day. In an ice storm, you can always burn the furniture and use that fire to reheat the soup.

For large crowds:
This is a very dense soup, packed with vegetables. To make large quantities under non-emergency conditions, double or triple the veggies, use a lower proportion of meat, and increase the herbs a little at a time, tasting first. Unless you, like my friends, actually face a power outage — in which case, throw in all the meat that has defrosted. And don’t bother adding extra wine to the soup — just drink it.