The North Wind does blow, and we shall have snow. And soup!
When chill winter winds whistle outside the house, our thoughts naturally seem to turn to warm, hearty soup. Here are some recipes quick to fix and guaranteed to please the most discerning palate. And if these three selections don't pique your interest, we've also included some super URLs to explore, for more.
Italian Potato Soup
5 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped 6 to 8 chicken bouillon cubes 2 carrots, chopped fine 2 stalks celery, chopped fine 4 tbsps margarine 2 tbsps vegetable oil 3 to 4 cups of milk ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp crushed dried basil ¼ tsp garlic powder
In large kettle, cover peeled, chopped potatoes just to the top with water. Add bouillon cubes. Boil until just tender (15 to 20 minutes). While potatoes are boiling, sauté carrots and celery in butter and oil in small skillet. Mash potatoes in cooking water (don't drain) with potato masher, until consistency of small chunks. Add sautéed vegetables, milk, Parmesan cheese, basic, garlic powder. Return to heat and bring to a simmer, but don't boil. Cool slightly to serve. Leftovers freeze exceptionally well.
Polish Sour-Leaf Soup Or 'Szczaw Zupa,' Polish for 'Sorrel Soup'
This recipe is compliments of my Polish grandmother, Stefania Szostek. You think chicken soup will cure your ills? If someone in your house has a winter cold or case of flu, try this!
8 chicken bouillon cubes 1 10-oz package frozen, chopped spinach (or 1 lb young sorrel - a green plant - if you can find it) 2 leftover boiled or baked potatoes 4 tbsps margarine 3 eggs 2 tbsps lemon juice 4 ozs sour cream salt, pepper to taste
Thaw spinach, squeeze dry, cook in skillet with margarine for a few minutes, stirring so it won't burn or scorch. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes. Combine spinach and potatoes in 8 cups of water with the 8 bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil and summer slowly for 10 minutes. Beat eggs with 2 tbsps lemon juice and several tbsps hot broth. Pour into simmering soup, stirring constantly. Add sour cream and serve while soup is still hot. (Sour cream can be optional, and added as one tbsp per serving in a dollop on top.)
Scottish Winter Soup
½ cup quick-cooking pearl barley 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 carrots, diced 2 potatoes, cubed 2 onions, chopped 1 10-oz frozen, chopped spinach (thawed) ¼ cup margarine or butter pinch or two freshly grated nutmeg
Cook barley according to package directions. Saute all vegetables (except spinach) in oil. Then add sautéed vegetables and spinach to barley, adding water as necessary, and simmer 20 minutes. Add margarine and nutmeg before serving. Optional: add one cup of cooked beans (any type) to this recipe.
Gram subscribes to several recipe ezines. One of the best is from Chet Day - Healthy Crock Pot Recipes. This is only one of his recipe ezines. Visit http://chetday.com/crockpotrecipes.htm
Go here for almost 50,000 recipes: http://www.recipeland.com/
A fun site is one devoted to "copy cat" recipes - such goodies as Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits, recipes from the Olive Garden, and many more. Go to: http://www.copykat.com/asp/whatsnew.asp
Do you need low-fat recipes? This web site would be hard to beat, plus it's original and very cute! It's called 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet -- http://www.3fatchicks.com/
About the Author
Stephania is a human service professional with nearly 40 years in the field. She publishes a content-rich ezine, "Tidbits from the Pantry," about self-help, growth, and relationships to over 11,000 subscribers, and offers a life coaching service. To subscribe to her ezine, mailto:info@humansrv.net?subject=SUB Visit her site at http://www.humansrv.net