5 great hearty soup recipes

weefreemen · September 2012

Hamburger Soup

Don’t be deceived by the name – this is a family favorite and a breeze for entertaining. This recipe makes 18 soup ladles and freezes very well.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1 – 28 oz. can tomatoes
2 cups water 500 mL
3 – 10 oz. cans consomme
1 – 10 oz. can tomato soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sticks celery, finely chopped parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 cup pot barley 125 mL

Instructions:
Brown meat and onions. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in large pot. Simmer covered, at least 2 hours, or all day. Serves 10.

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Orange Soup

When the cold winds blow, warm up with this soulful soup.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped 1

2 small parsnips, peeled and coarsely 2 chopped

2 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet 500 mL

potato (about 1 medium)

2 cups coarsely chopped peeled 500 mL

butternut squash (about 1 small)

3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided 45 mL

1 tbsp chopped gingerroot 15 mL

1 tsp ground coriander 5 mL

4 cups chicken broth 1 L

1 tsp liquid honey 5 mL

Juice of 1 orange

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large bowl, toss onion, parsnips, sweet potato and squash with 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the oil. Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning once, for 45 to 50 minutes or until softened and browned. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Sauté ginger and coriander until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add roasted vegetables, chicken broth and honey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Using an immersion blender, or in a food processor or blender in batches, purée soup until smooth. Return to pan, if necessary. Stir in orange juice and reheat over medium heat, stirring often and adding a little water if soup is too thick, until steaming. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with cilantro and almonds. Serves 6.

Make ahead: Let soup cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat to serve.

Tip: Roasting the vegetables takes awhile, but it caramelizes their natural sugars, making them sweet and delicious.

Variation: Use carrots, turnips, pumpkin or regular potatoes in place or one or two of the vegetables in this recipe. Just be sure to include one orange vegetable for an appealing and colorful soup.

From: Bravo! Best of Bridge Cookbook

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Fleshy Roma tomatoes make great soups and sauces. Check your local farmer’s market for good buys and build a batch of this great soup – freezes well for a quick winter’s dinner.

Ingredients:
3 lb. ripe Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 – 28 oz. (798 ml) can plum tomatoes and juice
2 cups torn fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. thyme
4 cups chicken stock

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss tomatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Spread in one layer on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In large pot over medium heat, heat oil and saute onions,garlic and red pepper flakes until onions start to brown.
Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken stock. Add oven-roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Puree in batches to a coarse mixture. Serve hot or cold.

Book Reference – A Year of The Best (Page: 67)

Best of bridge bean soup

1 lb hot italian sausage
2 ham hocks (smoked, cups, cubed)
3 potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 onions (diced)
3 stalks chopped celery
5 carrots (diced)
1 green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 cup chopped parsley
42 ozs kidney beans
14 ozs canned tomatoes (sauce)
28 ozs canned tomatoes (chopped)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 Boil sausage to remove excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2 Skin pork hocks and remove excess fat.
3 Brown sausage and pork hocks in large heavy pot. Drain.
4 Add all other ingredients and add just enough water to cover. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer. Cover and continue to cook for 2 to 3 hours.
5 Remove pork hocks and cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to pot. Serve with crusty bread or cheddar beer bread.

Tortilla Soup
This hearty southwestern soup makes a great meal for your family.

Ingredients:
Soup:
2 Tbsp. oil 30 mL
3 corn tortillas, cut into 1″ pieces 3
1/2 cup finely chopped onion 125 mL
3 garlic cloves, minced 3
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced 1
2 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded & finely chopped 2
8 Roma tomatoes, seeded & diced 8
2 Tbsp. tomato paste 30 mL
2 tsp. cumin 10 mL
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 mL
5 cups chicken stock 1.2 L
1 cup picante sauce (medium) 500 mL
2 whole cooked chicken breasts, shredded 2
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled & diced

Garnish:
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese 125 mL
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) 75 mL
2 corn tortillas 2

Instructions:
To make soup:
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the tortillas, reduce heat and cook until they are golden brown and slightly crisp. Add the onion And cook 3 minutes longer; add garlic and jalapeno pepper and cook another 2 minutes. Add the Anaheim chilies, tomatoes and tomato paste; Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cayenne. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and picante sauce. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Add the shredded chicken and avocado and heat until warmed through.

To make garnish:
Preheat oven to 350 F (180oC). Cut tortillas into strips. Place the strips on a baking sheet and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or until crisp.

To serve, ladle soup into 6 bowls and garnish with the grated cheese, cilantro and baked tortilla strips. Serves 6.

Book Reference - The Best of the Best – Vol. 1 (Page: 112)

The difference between a pessimist and an optimist: The pessimist says, “Things are so bad, they can’t get any worse.” The optimist says “Oh yes they can.”