Soup’s On!
By Janet Peterson

On a cold January night, a bowl of hot soup is a wonderful, warming meal. Even in the Sunbelt and other areas where January is pleasant, soup can provide an easy and delicious dinner.

Soups are “souper” meals almost by themselves. Soups are easy to prepare, economical, nutritious, and flexible in the amount of cooking time required. Soup can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator or frozen for a night when there’s no time for cooking.

The aroma of soup simmering on the stove draws family members to the kitchen, eagerly waiting for the call of “soup’s on.” Served with hearty rolls or breads or a green salad, soup is satisfying.

Our family enjoys a Monday night soup tradition from September to May. With Sunday dinner usually a feast, soup the following night allows the cook and the diners a nice change. It’s been fun to try out various recipes and acquire some new favorites, such as Butternut Squash Soup and Hearty Bean Soup.

Most general cookbooks have a soup section with basic instructions for soup making and recipes that appeal to most people, such as chili, chicken noodle soup, and beef stew. Specialized soup cookbooks offer more exotic fare, with sometimes quite unusual ingredients. A soup cookbook I was given includes recipes for Chinese Mixed Vegetable Soup, calling for “dried tree ears,” and Squab Soup, specifying “4 squabs, preferably with livers, lungs, and hearts.” So far I’ve resisted making these soups, and my grocery store doesn’t stock such ingredients on its shelves.

$           Put hot soup in a pretty or fun soup tureen and set it on the table. Family members can ladle the amount of soup they would like.

$           Be adventurous and try new soup recipes.

$           Collect interesting soup mugs in your travels and serve soup to your family in them.

$           Serve soup in special holiday soup bowls — pumpkin-shaped for Halloween, snowman-adorned for Christmas.

$           Purchase bread bowls at a bakery and serve thicker soups in them. (Thin soups will leak through the bowls.)

$           Make a double batch of soup, then deliver the extra portion to someone in need.

$           Make sure your kitchen is equipped with a good quality and large enough soup pot.

The following are a few “quotable quotes” on the subject of soup:

“Soup, chili, pot roast, and other hearty one-dish meals that go together with ease but that require hours of simmering are the home cook’s best friend during the winter.

“Wonderful smells fill the house as the soup, stew, or chili bubbles away — hours of free advertising for the cook that practically guarantees perfect attendance at the dinner table, to say nothing of hearty appetites.

            Doris Christopher, Come to the Table: A Celebration of Family Life (New York: Warner Books, 1999), 72.

My grandmother came from Denmark with her family when she was nine years old. She didn’t remember a lot about Danish ways, but she did pass along her mother’s recipe for Danish soup with dumplings. My mother, Ada Petersen Jensen, made it frequently, and it is one of my favorite childhood memories. It was especially good on those icy Idaho days when we rode home from school in an unheated bus. My mother had it simmering on the old coal stove when we came shivering in. There were few joys to match slurping down that good soup in Mother’s warm and fragrant kitchen where geraniums bloomed profusely on the windowsills year round. I have served it to my own family over the years. Now, when my Jewish son-in-law visits, he almost always asks for “that soup.“

            Lael Littke, quoted in Elaine Cannon, Five-Star Recipes (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002), 42.

Nothing satisfies us quite like soup.  Soup is perfect for a winter day, it’s easy to make, and it’s usually low in calories.  What could be better on a cold night than a hot bowl of soup?

Here a few of our favorite soups that are easy to prepare and delicious.

Southwest Chili

This soup can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Brown ground beef before adding other ingredients. Cook on low heat 6 to 8 hours or high heat 3 to 4 hours.

2 pound ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
2 cup chopped onion
3 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, with liquid
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies, with liquid
1 teaspoon chili powder (more, if desired)
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon pepper
Flour tortillas
Grated Monterrey Jack cheese

In a large soup pot, brown ground beef. Remove from pan and drain all but a small amount of grease. Saute green pepper and onion until soft. Return ground beef to pot and add water, pinto beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. While soup is cooking, warm tortillas in oven or microwave.

Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Serve with tortillas for dipping.

Serves 6 to 8.

Sopa de Tortilla con Naranja

¼ cup oil
8 small or 4 large corn tortillas cut in ½-inch strips or corn chips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2½ cups chicken broth, canned or homemade
1½ cups orange juice
1½ cups tomato sauce
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chiles
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (no substitutions)
3 carrots, sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
Grated Monterey Jack cheese

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and fry tortillas over medium heat until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to a paper towel and drain. (Corn chips may be substituted.)

In the same pot, sauté onion, garlic, and celery. Stir in broth, orange juice, tomato sauce, chiles, cilantro, and carrots. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are tender. Add uncooked chicken strips and simmer, uncovered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until chicken is done. Do not boil.

To serve, placed toasted tortillas (or chips) in large soup bowls. Ladle soup over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 4.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 (6-ounce) package Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice
3 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, sliced
3 to 4 ribs celery, sliced
one-third cup butter
one-third cup flour
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk or half-and-half
1 to 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
4 to 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cook rice according to package directions. In a large soup pot or saucepan, cook onions, carrots, and celery in chicken broth until tender. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour, stirring until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened.

Add white sauce to broth and vegetables, stirring until smooth. Add chicken and rice. Cook until soup is hot, but not boiling. Add bacon just before serving

Serves 4 to 6.