How to Make Soup (for those who don't know! :-) )

[dem in texas]

15. Making soup should be easy.

I make soup almost every week. favorites are vegetable beef, minestrone,, White bean and tomato, Navy Bean, Split Pea, and baked potato chowder. I don't make much chicken soup as my husband doesn't like. I love posole but the old boy doesn't like that either.

I use water or purchased stock or Caldo de pollo cubes for the broth. If I am going to use dry beans, I cook them in my crockpot overnight on low heat along with some ham shank or chopped bacon. So Much better than beans from a can I cook a one pound bag, serve the cooked beans for one meal and about half the beans are left over and that is my base for making soup, the broth from the home cooked beans makes the soup have a rich taste. I try to make enough soup so we can eat on it for two days and I have some left to share with my neighbors, or put in the freezer.

Here are some things that are secrets to making good soup. Don't use raw potatoes. Day or two old boiled potatoes are good, left over baked potatoes are best. If you are adding noodles, rice or pasta, cook them separate from the soup and add right at the end. Great ways to use up left over potatoes, rice and pasta.

When making a white bean and tomato soup, add a cup of white wine at the end.

Here's the family favorite. Happened to have this recipe written down as my grandson in New York just asked me for it just a few days ago.
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Baked Potato and Corn Chowder

4 to 6 pieces of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled into small bits - can skip this and use 2 or 3 tablespoons oil.
3 or 4 medium size left-over baked potatoes, at least one day old. Remove the brown outer skin. Chop in small cubes
2 stalks celery chopped small
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 cup corn – Fresh , cut off the ear (takes one ear) is best, frozen second best, then canned corn
1 qt chicken stock – I use the Kitchen Basics brand -If out of stock, use 1 or 2 Caldo de Pollo cubes with 4 cups water
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons flour
salt, pepper to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce

Fry bacon crisp and drain on paper towels.
Pour off all the bacon grease except about 2 or 3 tablespoons.
Add the onions and celery to the bacon grease and saute until onions are limp. Add the corn and saute until corn cooks ( a few minutes more). If the corn seems tough, add about ½ cup water and stir until liquid cooks away (won't hurt the celery and onions).

If you need a larger pot, transfer the sauteed mixture to the soup pot, now. Add the flour and cook on low stirring, cook a minute or two to cook the flour. Add the baked potatoes, bacon, chicken stock and milk, Add salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste. Simmer chowder on medium low for 15 to 20 minutes, giving it a stir every so often. Watch that it does not boil as this will cause the milk to curdle, If it is cooking down too much, add a little water or milk. It should be just a little thick, not much. Chowder should never be thick like gravy. Turn off heat and let it stand a minute or two and serve. You can stir in a little sour cream or best of all some Mexican crema for a richer taste.

This chowder tastes even better the second day. It makes about 2 quarts of chowder. Freezes well.

Soup making hint. Left-over baked potatoes have a much better flavor and texture than just cooked potatoes. They are also better tasting than raw potatoes when added to any soup. When I bake potatoes, I always add a few extra to be used for soup or breakfast hash-browns.