Winter Soups--The Ultimate Comfort Food!

I love soups in the winter time! They're great for a large, busy family. They're great for using up left-overs. They're great on a budget. They're just plain great! In the winter time, when the woodstove's going full blast I can put together a soup in my 24 quart stock pot, set it on the woodstove, and pretty much forget about it until dinner time!

I have a lot of soup recipes, but here are a few to get started. I'll continue posting them until they're all here. Just keep checking "soup" in the archives.

Buon Apetito!

A Formula for Soup

This is basically from Pan Anderson's "How To Cook Without A Book," one of my FAVORITE cookbooks. Using one set of instructions, and a "pick and choose" method for ingredients, you can make as many soups as your imagination allows.

Start by sautéing an chopped onion, then add a pound of diced vegetables, some sort of starch (diced potatoes, rice or pasta), a pound of meat (ground or cut into bite sized pieces), and a quart of broth. You just bring it to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so.

Basic Recipe

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a soup pot. Saute the onions until slightly soft. Add 1 lb. vegetables, and 1 lb. meat (unless using shrimp or pork tenderloin--add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking), the starch of your choice (1 lb. potatoes, 32 oz. beans, 4 oz. wide noodles, or 1/2 cup rice), 1 cup canned tomatoes, 32 oz. chicken broth, and dried herbs and spices of your choice. Simmer until veggies are tender and flavors have blended, about 20 minutes. Add fresh herbs and salt & pepper to taste. Delicioso!

Here are a few combo suggestions (there are more in her book):

1 lb. ham, 1 lb. red potatoes, 2 small leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced thin, 2 diced carrots and 3/4 cup peas, seasoned with 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 lb. ham, 8 oz. chopped escarole, 2 sliced carrots, 2 (16 oz.)cans drained and rinsed white beans, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, removed after 10 minutes of simmering and shredded before returning to the pot; 2 diced carrots, 2 diced celery ribs, 3/4 cup frozen peas, 4 oz. wide egg noodles, and 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, removed after 10 minutes of simmering and shredded before returning to the pot; 10 oz. washed spinach, 1 diced zucchini, 1/2 cup long- or medium-grain white rice, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice, squirted into finished soup

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, removed after 10 minutes of simmering and shredded before returning to the pot; 1 diced zucchini OR 8 oz cut-up cauliflower, 2 diced carrots, 1 diced red potato OR 1 (16 oz.) can rinsed and drained chick peas, and 1 tablespoon curry powder

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, removed after 10 minutes of simmering and shredded before returning to the pot; 1 diced zucchini, 2 diced turnips, 1 each diced red potato and sweet potato, and 1/4 teaspoon firmly packed saffron threads (available real cheap from Hispanic and Middle Eastern Grocers)

Buon Apetito!

Escarole alla Nonna

This is my nonna's recipe for escarole. Be sure to eat it with a thick slice of pane rustica!

Bring a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, wash one head of escarole, removing tough ends of stems, and tearing into manageable pieces. Peel 3-4 cloves of garlic. Boil escarole and garlic until escarole is tender. Drain some of the water, leaving enough for escarole to "wade" in. Pour olive oil over broth and generously salt and pepper.

Buon Apetito!

Schamelot To-Die-For Clam Chowder

This is absolutely delicious. We werve it with biscuits or french baguettes. You could add a salad, but my bet is people will want seconds of chowder rather than salad. This makes about 12 quarts.

1/4 bacon fat or oil
3 onions, diced
5 celery ribs, diced
4 carrots, diced
6 red potatoes, diced
clam juice plus water to make 8 cups
2 bay leaves

3 sticks butter
1.5 cups flour
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint milk
water to make desired consistency

24 oz. salad shrimp
8 oz. frozen corn
6 cans chopped clams, juice reserved

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablepoon salt

Saute onions in large stock pot. Add celery. Saute 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and bay leaves. Add clam juice and water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and milk and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Pour into vegetables and add more water to get desired consistency.

When ready to serve, stir in shrimp and corn. Heat through. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe is part of my "40 Pounds of Pork Project" because I use the frozen pork broth as the base for the soup. In the winter time I make up the soup in my pressure cooker in the morning and set it on the woodstove all day. Then in the evening I bring it to pressure and release right away. We eat it with cornbread (making extra for breakfast in the morning), and a glass of good beer.

1/4 cup pork fat, skim from top of broth
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
5 celery ribs, sliced thin
2 16 oz. bags split pead, rinsed
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pint pork juice
16 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Buon Apetito!

Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (NOT Pasta Fazool!)

My mother always made this for us as kids (along with Pasta e Lentichie--lentils) and I crave it all throughout the winter months. My seventh child, born in the dead of winter, was grown in utero almost entirely on Pasta e Fagioli and milk--he weighed 11.5 lbs at birth! My mother learned to make this from her mother who is from Naples. I learned to make it from my mother with no measurements, but I've tried to approximate the measurements for you--give or take a little. We like to serve it sprinkled with fresh diced onions, and, of course, thick slices of buttered Pane Rustica!


Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced fah-jo-lie, like Angelina)

1 lb. dry cannellini, navy or great northern beans (I usually use navy beans)
2 stalks celery (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tomatoes, diced for 1-1/2 cups
2-3 cloves garlic (usually I just use the whole stinking blub!)
2-3 quarts water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

You can soak the beans in water and 1 tablespoon baking soda for 8-10 hours, drain and proceed with the recipe, of you can throw it all in a pressure cooker like I do. If you soak them, then drain them, place them in a large stock pot and add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and pasta.
Boil for 1-2 hours with lid on, checking to make sure the beans don't lose their boil, and stirring frequently.

If you pressure cook them, then just place the rinsed and picked over beans in the pressure cooker with all the other ingredients except the salt and pasta, and bring to full pressure. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for about an hour, adding salt after the beans are tender, but not mush.

Now for the pasta--you can either cook it separately, ladeling the beans over them in each individual bowl, or just throw the pasta into the boiling beans before serving. It's better when you cook it separately, but if you don't want to take up another burner on the stove, then just throw them in with the beans and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the quality of the pasta. I like to use the small to medium shells because the bens get cupped inside. I hope you enjoy this old family recipe as much as we do!

Buon Apetito!