Soups

Salmon Chowder
5 slices bacon
1 tbsp. bacon drippings
3/4 c. chopped onion
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (15 oz.) can salmon - remove skin & bones, drain, reserve liquid
2 med. sized raw potatoes - cubed
2 c. milk
1. In breakfast skillet, fry bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Drain on paper toweling. Reserve bacon drippings. Crumble bacon.
2. In skillet, combine bacon drippings and onion. Saute over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Add to onion mixture, stir. Measure salmon liquid, add water to make 3 cups. Gradually add to onion mixture over medium heat.
4. Transfer onion-liquid mixture to 3-quart saucepan. Add potatoes; bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.
5. Add salmon, milk and crumbled bacon. Heat over low heat until heated thoroughly, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Makes 6 servings.
NOTE: One or two 16 ounce cans of potatoes can be substituted for the raw potatoes, eliminating approximately 20 minutes of preparation.

Two of Each Soup
2 tbsp. butter
2 onions - chopped
2 apples - peeled, diced
2 celery stalks - chopped
2 tsp. curry powder or to taste
2 c. half & half
2 bananas - peeled & diced
4 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. salt
Lemon slices or melon balls or sour cream
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, apples, bananas, and celery. Then add chicken stock, curry, and salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Puree in blender or processor. Chill thoroughly. At serving time, blend in half and half, turn soup into chilled tureen, garnish with lemon slices or melon balls. May also be served hot (add half and half at the very end), right after blending, serve immediately, garnish with sour cream dollop.

Arizona Chuck Wagon Beans
1 1/2 lb Chuck steak - cubed
1 lb Dried navy or pinto beans
1 1/2 tsp Salt
6 c Water
1/2 tsp Oregano - crumbled
1/4 lb Salt pork - diced
1/4 tsp Red pepper
1 lg Onion - chopped
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
10 ml Garlic - minced
8 oz Tomato sauce
1 lg Green pepper - chopped
1. Pick over beans and rinse well. Combine beans and water in a large kettle. Bring to boiling; cover; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour then pour into slow cooker. 2. Brown salt pork in a large skillet; remove with a slotted spoon to cooker; saute onion, garlic and green pepper in pan drippings; remove with slotted spoon to cooker. Brown beef, a few pieces at a time in pan drippings; remove to cooker with slotted spoon; stir in salt, oregano, red pepper, cumin and tomato sauce.
Add more water, if necessary to bring liquid level above beans. 3. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours, or until beans are tender.

Baked Potato Soup
4 lg. baking potatoes
2/3 c. margarine
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
6 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 green onions - chopped and divided
12 slices bacon - cooked, crumbled and divided
1 1/4 c. (5 oz.) Cheddar cheese - shredded
1 (8 oz.) pkg. sour cream
Bake potatoes with skins; let cool. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out pulp, set aside. Discard skins. Melt margarine over low heat in large saucepan; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stir constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions and 1 cup of cheese. Cook until heated then add sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary for desired thickness. Serve with remaining onion, bacon and cheese. Serves 8 - 10.

Italian Wedding Soup
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 T. garlic, minced
1/2 T. kosher salt
1/2 T. ground black pepper
1 t. dried basil
Pinch nutmeg
1 lb. ground chuck
2 T Olive Oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup ham, diced
1 T. garlic, minced
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 can (15 oz.) white beans - drained and rinsed
2 cups whole spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
Stir together first 13 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add the ground chuck and mix together thoroughly with a fork. Using a portioning scoop (#100), shape the meat mixture into balls (about marble sized).
Sweat vegetables, ham, and garlic for soup, in oil in a stockpot over medium heat until softened.
Add chicken broth and seasonings (oregano, red pepper, bay leaf); simmer 15–20 minutes.
Drop meatballs into simmering soup with a small scoop or a melon baller. Cook until they float to the top, 3–4 minutes.
Stir in beans, spinach, and parsley. Cook just until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
Combine eggs and Parmesan with a whisk. Off heat, stir egg mixture into soup.

Kentucky Burgoo
This recipe makes a lot! Feel free to halve. Otherwise, it makes great leftovers.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 pounds pork shoulder or country ribs - cut into large pieces (3 to 4 inches wide)
2-3 pounds chuck roast - stew meat, or other inexpensive cut of beef, cut into large pieces (3 to 4 inches wide)
3-5 chicken legs or thighs (bone-in)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs - chopped
5 garlic cloves - chopped
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 large potatoes - (we used russets)
1 bag frozen corn - (about a pound)
1 bag frozen lima beans - (about 14 ounces)
Salt and pepper
4-8 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco or other hot sauce on the side
1 Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large soup pot (at least 8 quart size). Salt the meats well on all sides. When the oil is shimmering hot, working in batches brown all the meats. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam and not brown well. Do not move the meat while browning a side. Let the meat pieces get well seared. Remove the browned meats to a bowl.
2 Add the onions, carrots, celery and green pepper to the pot and brown them. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pot. After a few minutes of cooking, sprinkle salt over the vegetables.
3 When the vegetables are well browned, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Add back the meats, and the chicken and beef broths and the tomatoes, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours.
4 Uncover and remove the meat pieces. Strip the chicken off the bone and discard skin if you want. Break the larger pieces of meat into smaller, more manageable pieces. The reason you did not do this at first is because the meats stay juicier when they cook in larger pieces. Return all the meat pieces to the pot and bring it up to a strong simmer.
5 Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks about the same size as the meat pieces (if using new potatoes, you can skip the peeling, but russets you’ll want to peel). Add them to the stew and cook them until they are done, about 45 minutes. When the potatoes are done, add the Worcestershire sauce, mix well and taste for salt. Add more Worcestershire sauce to taste if needed.
6 Add the corn and lima beans. Mix well and cook for at least 10 minutes, or longer if you’d like. Here is the point where you decide whether you want a burgoo that’s been hammered into a thick mass or a stew with bright colors in it. It’s your call.
To serve, taste one more time for salt, and add either Worcestershire or salt if you want. Serve with crusty bread or cornbread and a bottle of hot sauce on the side.
Serves a small army. Or 12-16. Print this post