Soup Time!

Food is a comforting way of reaching out to our families, friends and neighbors--send food those who may need it, call to check on others and use humor and common sense during these difficult times. These soup recipes bring a homey aroma to the kitchen and nourishment to the body and soul.

Foodie Lit

The heart of any soup is the stock. Aside from the aroma and flavor, making stock is the perfect way to use up your leftovers. There is a chicken or beef bone stock and suggestions for a vegan stock.

Soups can be made in such great variety. You can add cooked leftovers such as chopped poultry, grains, vegetables or beans to any soup. Soups taste amazing and what a budget friendly meal! In addition to the stock recipe, there are links to 9 of our favorite soups.

I add scraps of vegetables and herbs to a freezer bag. All are washed and still good—-a bit of a carrot left over, stems of parsley, an extra sprig of thyme, the core of an onion, celery leaves and so on. When my bag is full, time to make stock, as I did today. While store bought stock can save time, the flavor is just not the same as homemade. It’s worth the time!

Review and Recipe

Author Holly Bush told me, “Almost all of my books begin with a person traveling to a new place. It doesn’t really matter, I don’t think, whether you are going from farm to city or from city to farm. Those kind of lifestyle changes could be just as dramatic then as they can be today. New people and habits and sometimes a new way of looking at things can be the making of us. It was the making of Olive.”

Strong men and women, romance and heartbreak make Romancing Olive a frontier novel worth reading.

Olive's Peach Cobbler is the perfect recipe for this frontier romance.

Homemade Stock

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped (peeled if not organic)

¼ cup dry wine

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

8 cups bones from poultry or beef

1. In a large stock pot, add the olive oil and onions. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add garlic, celery and carrots. Mix in turmeric, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme to cover vegetables. Sauté for 8-10 minutes. Add bones to pot and water to cover. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, checking to make sure the water still covers the vegetables and bones.

2. Cool stock. With a large slotted spoon, remove bones and vegetables into a colander which is fitted into a large bowl. Discard bones and vegetables. Taste stock and add salt and pepper to taste. Add other spices and herbs to your liking.

3. You can store stock in the refrigerator in glass jars or containers of choice for 3-4 days—great to make ahead of when you need it. Stock is easy to freeze in quart size freezer bags or containers of choice. Label and date. If using freezer bags, freeze lying flat and when frozen, you can stand and stack in the freezer.

4. Make your favorite soup. We have 9 of our often-made soup recipes for you, linked below.

Expandthetable suggestions

Vegan: Omit bones from poultry or beef.

Veggies for stock: Aside from those listed, tomatoes, corn cobs, zucchini, leeks, green onions, white or sweet potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower florets, asparagus stems, spinach, kale, chard, bell peppers and washed peels of vegetables.

Roast veggies: Try roasting tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes or bell peppers and then adding to cooked stock.