Finally, after many, many attempts, I've been able to make
a pot of vegetable beef soup that I like.  I know, soup is
supposed to be real easy - one of the first dishes a cook
masters - but it never happened for me.  My vegetable soup
has always been either too thick, or too bland, or too "dry"
tasting and I must have tried making it 30 times over the past
20 years.

But my father had surgery this week and he's a real sucker for
vegetable beef soup so I went to a new cookbook that so far has
resulted in 4 out of 4 wonderful recipes and made the Three Hour
Vegetable Soup just as instructed.  It works.  My criteria for
"working" is if the vegetables are still mostly crisp yet the 
broth is full flavored and the whole thing isn't thick and 
starchy.  

So, fresh from my success, I'm ready to try more soups.  Anyone have
a favorite soup recipe they'd like to share?  

33 responses total.

Mine all start with a can opener ;)  I'd be interested to see some
good soup recipes, also.

  I love homemade mushroom soup... Just can't find a good source for a 
recipe.

We love the recipe for cream of mushroom soup in the _Betty Crocker
International Cookbook_.  It also has a great recipe for quick French
Onion Soup (it starts with canned broth for those who don't have the
time or patience to make their own).  For the vegetarians in the crowd,
the onion soup would work with veggie broth in place of the beef broth
called for.  I have also made it with chicken when I didn't have beef on
hand and didn't want to run to the store for some just to make the soup.
There is also a wonderful recipe for an Shrimp in Spicy Sauce (Indonesian)
that we serve as soup, either as an appeziters soup for a fancy meal or
with crusty bread or rice and salad as a main course.

Will enter recipes for above later, have Dr appt in 1/2 hour.

My wife makes a great lentil soup.  I'll ask her for the recipe when
she gets home.

Back from Dr, so can now enter recipes.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Potage Creme de Champignons)
Fresh mushrooms are the tasty key to success with this soup from France.
To prepare the mushrooms, just rinse under cold water and pat dry - never
soak them.

6 servings (3/4 cup each)
8 oz mushrooms
4 T margarine or butter
1 med onion, chopped
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed chicken broth (I use homemade when I have it)
1 soup can water
1 c half-and-half
snipped parsley

Slice enough mushrooms to measure 1 cup; chop remaining mushrooms.  Cook and
stir sliced mushrooms in 2 T or the margarine in 3-quart sacuepan over low heat
until golden brown.  Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon.

Cook and stir chopped mushrooms and onion in remaining margarine until onion
is tender; stir in flour, salt and white pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring
constantly, about 1 minute; remove from heat.  Stir in chicken broth and water.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir in
half-and-half and slice mushrooms.  Garnish each serving with parsley.

I don't usually use mushroom soup as a sauce base, but this one is heavenly.
I use less salt and margarine than they call for, salting to taste and use
just enough margarine to keep veggies from sticking to pan.

French Onion Soup
Slow simmering of onions and an irresistible topping of melted Swiss and
Parmesan cheese bring a rich homemade flavor to the much-admired French Onion
Soup.  Our recipe makes an ideal first course for and intimate dinner for four.
Individual ovenproof soup bowls or casseroles make service easy.

4 med onions, sliced
2 T margarine or butter
2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) condensed beef broth
1 1/2 c water
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves
4 slices French bread, 3/4 to 1 inch thick (I often use Italian)
1 c shredded Swiss cheese (about 4 oz)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cover and cook onion in margarine in 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring
occasionally, until tender, 20-30 minutes.  Add beef broth, water, bay leaf,
pepper and thyme.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Set oven control to broil and/or 550F.  Place bread slices on cookie sheet.
Broil with tops about 5 inches from heat until golden brown (cheat and use
a toaster, they burn too easily), about 1 minute.  Turn; broil until golden
brown.  Place bread in 4 ovenproof bowls or individual casseroles.  Add soup;
top with Swiss cheese.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (STeve leaves this off).

Place bowls on cookie sheet.  Broil with cheese about 5 inches from heat just
until cheese is melted and golden brown, 1-2 minutes.  Serve with additional
bread or rolls if desired.

Shrimp in Spicy Sause (Sambal Goreng Udang)
On festive occasions, Indonesians serve sambal goreng udang with separate
bowls of rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with curry powder.  The
shrimp can be garnished with crisp cucumber slices and roasted peanuts.

4 servings
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 lb small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 small onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped (be realistic and use more, I always do)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste, we like it hot)
1 c Coconut Milk (below)
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, thinly sliced into rings
1 T packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in 10-inch skillet until hot.  Cook and stir shrimp, onions, garlic
and red pepper until shrimp starts to turn pink, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in
remaining ingredients.  Simmer uncovered until shrimp is tender, about 5  min.
Serve in bowls.

Coconut Milk
Place 1 c chopped fresh coconut and 1 c hot water in blender container.  Cover
and blend on high speed until coconut is finely chopped.  Strain through
several layers of cheesecloth.  Refrigerate no longer than 48 hours.
Note:  To open coconut, puncture eye of coconut with ice pick; drain liquid.
Bake coconut in 375F over 12-15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Tap shell with
hammer to open.  Cut meat out of shell.  Pare brown skin from coconut meat.


I cheat and use canned coconut meat.  Again I use only enough oil to keep
things from sticking (1/4 c oil is a *lot*).  We have always served this
as a soup by increasing the amount of coconut milk and spices.  It really
is too liquid even with extra coconut milk to serve with rice as they suggest.

one soup i like to make is a valerie original recipe that i call
Invent-A-Lentil.  Throw some lentils and salt in a pot, add a bunch of
water, heat to boiling and then simmer for around 40 minutes.  Also
throw in miscellaneous chopped vegetables, other beans, rice, and pasta
that cook in 40 minutes or less, and sometimes some additional herbs.
A bay leaf makes it smell great!  The recipe is never the same twice,
but my theory is that anything with lentils, warm water, and salt has
got to be satisfying to some basic human instinct.

Too often, i get so carried away with throwing in a handful of this
and a spoonful of that that i end up with something far too thick to be
called soup, but that's good too.


my favorite soup in the universe is called gojiru.  type "recipe soups goj"
at any cooking conference prompt to see the recipe.  (type "recipelist soups"
to see the list of all the soups in grex's recipe archives).  gojiru always
seems to me like the vegetarian equivalent of chicken soup: warm,
nourishing, and as healing a warm liquid can possibly be.

Yum...all of these sound like droolers...keep 'em comin'

Re last paragraph #8:  I cheat and use canned coconut *milk*, not canned
coconut meat.  That's what I get for not reading through before actually
posting.

Wow, these are wonderful!  How about a minestrone?

I made a vegetable beef soup for dinner tonight (it was started out to be
beef stew, but got sidetracked along the way).  It was basically 1 lb stew
beef (organic from Whole Foods), some onions, potatoes and carrots (also
organic).  I cooked the beef separately in the microwave (STeve has had to
go on a very strict fat reduced diet) so that the fat didn't get into the
meal.  Brought some water to a boil and added the veggies, granulated
garlic, white pepper, tarragon, bay leaves, dill and the cooked beef; simmered
til STeve got home from work ( couple hours) and threw in some orozo (rice
shaped pasta) and cooked for another 10-15 minutes.  STeve loved it the way
it was, but I added a bit of salt to my bowl.  Staci refuses most one pot
meals and Damon has been boycotting stews lately so they had the normal "if
you refuse to even try what is prepared for dinner" standby meal of pb&j.
Damon did stick a spoon into the pot after his sandwich and comment that
it was "pretty good, but I'm full now".

Cooking is going to be interesting from now on, since STeve can't (and I
shouldn't have) fats, too much animal protein, and simple carbohydrates
(i.e. sugars).  We have to limit added fat, red meats, eggs and sugar; a
whole new cooking style.  We have been talking about doing this anyway, but
the last gout attack and an elevated triglysoride (sp) level has forced us
into it.  We are working towards 3-4 meatless days a week (I flatly refuse
to give it up entirely, must be the Amerindian blood) with only 1 day a
week having beef or pork.  Our bodies will thank us in the long run and
maybe the kids won't pick up the bad habits that we now need/have to give
up.

        BEAN SOUP with PARSLEY and GARLIC

zuppa di cannellini con aglio e prezzemolo
 
serves 4 to 6 people

1 tsp chopped garlic    salt
1/2 cup olive oil       Freshley ground pepper, about
2 tbs chopped parsley      8 twists of the mill
2 cups dried white      1 cup homemade meat broth, or
  kidney beans or          canned chicken broth, or 
  other white beans,       water
  OR 2 20oz cans        toasted Italian bread
  white kidney beans,
  drained.

1. Put the garlic in a stockpot with the oil and saute over medium heat
until lightly colored.
2. Add the parsley, stir two or three times, then add the drained, cooked
beans, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer gently about six minutes.
3. Put about 1/2 cup of beans from the pot into a food mill (or blender)
and puree them back into the pot, together with the broth or water. Simmer
for another 6 minutes, then taste and correct for salt. Serve over slices
of Italian Bread. 
                        
This recipe fills many of my cooking requirements:
It was borrowed from Marcella Hazen's Italian Cooking (book 1, I think)
It has few ingredients
it is easy to make
It doubles very well
Is very yummy.

(You might wait for a cooler week to try it. I almost killed myself and my
guests making it this week!)

it looks yummy!!!!!  :)

i'm one of those people that doesn't do soup by a recipe...i just start,
and ad whateve looks good!

real simple and old fashioned:
Chicken Noodles
A whole chicken, cut up
1 or 2 onions, chopped in big pieces
1 carrot, cut in big chunks
a couple stalks of celery
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and whatever spices you feel 
        like throwing in.
Bring all this to a boil in a big pot of water.
reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is nearly falling off the bones.
fish all the stuff out of the broth.  Cook a package of wide egg noodles
in the broth, following package directions (but don't drain them)>
strip meat off the bones, and add to noodles, along with whatever vegetables
haven't turned to mush.

This is real basic, but it's great on a chilly day.
sorry about the lack of amounts- i learned it by "throw some of this in,
throw some of that in".
@

These recipes will come in handy.  I'm entering soup mode.
Happens every autumn.

Please give some time indication for the chicken soup.  I have tried
things like this, they never came out very well & I suspect my
"falling off the bones" is more adhesive than other people's.  Would
you expect it to reach that point in about 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 ...?

  I'd say somewhere between 2 and 4 hours. Be sure to drain off the fat,
soup like that can get awfully fatty.

I probably make at least one batch of soup every week.  It's
easy, fun to make, portable and healthful.  I've only been 
making soup for maybe the past 5 years so I'm still having fun
experimenting with different combinations.

Yesterday I make a new recipe for Tortellini Soup.  It has
a chicken broth base and lots of spinach.  Now, I'm not even
a spinach fan but this is good soup.  I'm entering the recipe
for anyone who might be interested in giving it a try.

                  Tortellini Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced      
10 cups of chicken broth        
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach
1/8 pound frozen cheese tortellini
1 (16 oz.) can white beans (cannellini)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
salt to taste

In a large stockpot cook the onion in the oil, on medium heat, until
the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and saute for
30 seconds (don't allow the garlic to brown).  Stir in the broth,
salt, pepper, and spinach.  Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for
15 minutes.  Add the tortellini, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and simmer until they are warmed through.  Garnish 
each bowl with Parmensan cheese.

Serves 6

From: A web-site servicing Redbook, Good Housekeeping, and other
      Hearst Corp. magazines.  

I'd like to make a good Miso soup - a version with a few noodles 
and a little tofu and lots of flavor.  Anyone have a good recipe?

Dried seaweed adds a fishy flavor, the same oils in it.  And thickens it a
bit.  Garlic adds flavor.  Dried shiitake mushrooms.

Re 21: Mary -- It's not exactly what you're describing, but, for a wonderful
soup that contains some miso, check out gojiru in Grex's recipe archives --
look under "soup".  (Type "recipe" to go to the recipe archives.)

Will do.  Thanks!

Waaaa.  The recipe archives DO NOT contain a "soup" category.  Did it
evaporate?

Ok, it's "soups".

Any suggestions for some good soups for the summertime?  Maybe a
gazpacho recipe or  perhaps one of those fruit based cold soups? Hot
soup but perhaps on the lighter side  could be good, too.  Ideas?
Comments?  :-)

Yogurt with cucumbers and if you like also garlic and walnuts, and olive oil.

Here's my favorite gazpacho recipe.  

Conferencing old-timers will recognize the person I got it from:  Bob
Parnes, the author of Confer, one of the first software packages for
conferencing.

Bob's Gazpacho

Red onion       1 small
Garlic          2 cloves
Green pepper    1 small
Cucumber        1 medium
Tomato          3
Salt            1 tsp
Pepper          some
Chicken stock   1/4 C


Peel cucumber (and tomato, if you prefer).

Place ingredients in blender *IN THE ORDER LISTED*

This grinds the onions and garlic but leaves green pepper in larger
chunks.

Much better if left for 24 hours.  

With my food processor, I usually give the onion and garlic a few spins
before I add the rest of the ingredients.  Then I pulse a few times,
check consistency, and pulse more.

I like a fairly smooth gazpacho, so I tend to get rid of the chunky
bits.  

That sounds good, too [re sindi's comment].  I remember havving
something similar-- cucumbers and onions in  a yogurt based sauce [there
were probably other things in there, too].  Which reminds of  of an easy
dish my grandmother used to fix that had cucumbers, onions, and some
kind  of vinegar or something that the stuff marinated in.

And to side-track the soup stuff a bit more, I like that easy side-dish
with the sliced or  chopped tomato with fresh mazerella cheese, basil,
and whatever the marinade that goes  with that [italian dressing maybe,
but perhaps something even more basic than that?]


MMmm, that gazpacho sounds good and it looks easy, to boot!  I'm going
to have to  come back tomorrow and write that one down...

Here's a soup that would be great this time of year:

Cold Cucumber-Dill Soup
Rated 8.0 out of 10

Prep & Cooking Time:  15 min.
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1.000 cup(s)
3 cups plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 tsp hot-pepper sauce
4 pounds (6 medium) cucumbers, peeled, trimmed, seeds removed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Directions:
Peel, trim and quarter cucumbers length wise. Remove seeds and dice
cucumbers into  1/8-inch (.5 cm) pieces. Place 1-1/2 cups (360 ml) of
diced cucumbers in a small bowl  and add fresh dill. Mix well, cover and
refrigerate. Place remaining cucumbers in a food  processor and process
until pureed. Add onions, mint, vinegar, garlic, salt and hot  sauce.
Process again for 20 seconds until creamy. Add yogurt and process 10
seconds,  until well blended. Transfer into a bowl, cover and
refrigerate until soup is chilled. When  serving, garnish creamy soup
mixture with diced cucumber and dill mixture.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1.000 cup(s)

Total Calories:
116
Carbohydrates:
17.95 g
Total Fat:
0.70 g
Protein:
8.94 g
Sat Fat:
0.18 g
Fiber:
2.16 g
Cholesterol:
2 mg
Sodium:
112 mg
Diabetic exchange:
Vegetable: 1.000
Milk: 0.670

In Bulgaria this is made without vinegar, hot sauce, or onions.  Add chopped
garlic and chopped walnuts.  Bulgarian yogurt is sour enough without vinegar.
You can get good yogurt at the local Middle Eastern grocery stores, made in
the Detroit area, with much more taste than Dannon.  Made from non-skim milk.
There is also 'Serbian salad' made of small pieces of cucumber, tomato, and
pepper, with oil and vinegar and feta cheese grated on top.  Or roasted red
peppers with the skins removed, sprinkled with chopped garlic and oil.

The serbian salad sounds pretty good; I'll have to remember that.   And
I'll have to look  into the good yogurt at the middle eastern grocery
stores that are in the AA area. Thanks  for the recommendations, Sindi.

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