Yeah! what Echoes said and I'd really like the recipe!!

Ooh, lovely. Lentil soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. I actually just made some Friday. I've never made a version with tomatoes, though. Sounds intriguing.

This week I'm planning to make a spiced shrimp and pumpkin soup. I found the recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens cook book. The combination of flavors sounds a bit odd, but they really go quite well together, if my memory from a few years ago is correct.

Yay for hot soup and winter!

Oh yum, I used to make soup all the time but my h doesn't eat it. Echoes my love, chunky brothy vege soup is pretty easy enough if you keep the base simple.

JONES'S ROUGH-AS-GUTS (BUT QUITE YUMMY) SOUP

BASE
I just boil up a big pot of water and chuck whatever in it. Use stock cubes, powder or liquid to make it salty (taste it now and then as the veges cook to see how you're going, add more stock if it's weak and if you have an accident and it's too salty just balance it with more water/lemon/tomato!). Squeeze in lots of lemon and/or chuck in some chopped fresh tomatoes to make it tangy. The tomatoes will take a little while to boil down before the flavour spreads.

BEGINNING STUFF
Chopped onion and/or large cubes of potato can go in as you are boiling up your base. Also feel free to throw in a handful or two of barley at this point, and maybe some bay leaves, a clove or two of garlic (you *could* saute these first but you don't have to).... Or instead of barley or potato, throw in a can of kidney beans and some pasta for a minestrone-type thing.

If you want to make it chickeny you can even add a few chicken legs at the beginning. These will just boil away as you cook until the meat is ready to flake off the bone. This adds a lovely flavour throughout. BUT if you do this just make sure you don't taste-test until the chicken's cooked right through.

LATER STUFF
Other veges later - you can use celery, carrot, broccoli, cauli, heaps of stuff. Throw these things in once anything that needs long cooking (barley, potato, chicken) is close to done. Then just cook away until the veges are softish!

And you can stir in fresh herbs (thyme & parsley, or coriander for example) at the end. Cracked pepper too!


Well, it's very basic and not quite a recipe but it's also very edible, easy and cheap to make. It's flexible too, and you can use up things in the fridge, like those slightly past-it carrots or the centre of the bunch of celery...all good!

Love,
Jones

Haha, well, if you kill someone with my one you can always write to me, I'll be very sympathetic! Just make sure it's no one you'll miss....

Jones
"All care, no responsibility."

Hmmmm!!! Echoes - forget it - you're clearly as talented in the kitchen as me
xoxo - if you would care to give up that lentil soup recipe I'd be delighted - truly!!! and you wouldn't believe it but I have that particular can opener - clearly a maestro
Jones - rough as guts soup? sheesh - are we related???

quote:

broccoli and pea veggie muffins

OMG THAT IT JUST TOO HIDEOUS TO CONTEMPLATE

oh echos, my echos! Thank you for the wonderful recipe:

quote:

Get a nice carton of soup from the supermarket.Buy one with a loooooong sell by date, then you know its kinda fresh Cool

Find a pair of sharp scissors.Pull out the end of the carton and snip the end off.

pour into a bowl. preferably a nice deep one, otherwise it has a habit of spitting up the sides of the microwave. Wink

Microwave for 6 minutes on full power.sit down with a nice cup of tea and wait for the ping.
when the ping happens.open the microwave door and serve.... Big Grin

At this point you might want to add a bit more salt, cracked pepper and a few moth eaten fresh herbs that look good on your window sill , but you never use Wink

It looks yummy! I'm going to try it out tonight, I think! (Do the scissors have to be sharp, or will a dull pair do?)

But I am curious about that picture that xoxo posted...what *is* that thing?

You guys crack me up. Echoes - I love your dedication to the kitchen with your complex food making routines.

That can opener is impressive - looks like a deadly weapon. we have an electric one - that would make life easier for you Echoes...

JOnes - I too have that recipe. Boil Water And Chuck Stuff In and See How it Turns Out. If it takes yuck - then add things to improve it. Just keep adding herbs, salt or sauce until it is edible.

Luckily my family are not fussy eaters and they love soup. Phew.

I think if I dished my boys up cardboard with lots of tomato sauce (ketchup) on it - they would try and eat it. Well I know the youngest one would lick the sauce off it before he realised it was cardboard.

I have trained them for a long time to have low expectations in the culinary department of our house.

Hate cooking.

You guys are a riot. I just made some butternut squash soup on Sunday and T actually accepted some yesterday (he had been talking about wanting to try making a pumpkin soup last week).

I think I know what I'm going to have for dinner tonight! YUM!

Must be "soup season". I just made my favorite, beef barley, this weekend. The recipe I use calls for a bit of red wine and cider vinegar, which makes the broth rich and tangy. I so love that soup.

Thanks for the yummy-sounding tomato soup recipe!! Definitely going to try it. Would also love to see others. Here's mine:

Beef Barley Soup

3 lbs cut up stew beef
Salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
Two handfuls baby carrots, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup red wine
6-8 cups beef stock and/or broth
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Thoroughly salt and pepper the stew beef. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add half the beef to the oil and brown for about 8 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Brown the other half of the beef the same way and add that to the slow cooker. Add a little more oil to the hot pan and add the onions and carrots. Sautee until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, garlic, and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for another minute. Add this mixture to the beef in the slow cooker. Add broth, barley, and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low (this recipe calls for a BIG slow cooker, so if you don’t have one, you can also cook this on the stove in a large pot on low heat). Right before serving, add the cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I really like to add about two teaspoons of a seasoning mixture from Penzey’s called Northwoods to this. I don't remember what's all in it - oregano, paprika, chipotle - but probably any savory seasoning good with beef would work.

We always refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. You will need to add more beef broth when reheating it because this soup becomes thicker as it sits, almost like a stew.

Morgs, we are antipodean cousins!

I thought of you when I titled that, I figured you would be the ONLY one who knew the name wasn't just random lunacy!!

xoxo

Cans and cartons and chllied plastic pots in Europe, we're very versatile

I have a glut of leeks in the garden, so leek and potato soup for me is a winner

starfishy

Ha Ha Jonesy!!! Such a turn of phrase is definitely a dead giveaway!!

xoxo Trader Joe's ?? will no doubt find comparable product when the temps drop in about 6 long months and even though I'm super challenged in the culinary arts - much like our Echoes claims to be - will print this out, take up the challenge in the cooler weather and report!

SG - love it another to be tested - thank you!

Starfish - please when older people are on the forum the very mention of 'leeks' creates a problem


No more time to read just now - cheers to all.

This one is really easy. And cheap! H and I figured the cost works out to about 10 cents a bowl. Plus it just tastes really comforting and nourishing.

Lentil Soup

1 pound dried lentils, rinsed
1 medium to large onion, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, chopped small
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
8 cups water

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil along with salt and pepper, until onion is slightly softened and translucent. Add water and lentils, bring to a rolling boil. Lower to a simmery bubble, cook for about an hour with the pot covered. You may want to uncover the pot for the last ten minutes or so depending on how thick you like your soup. Sometimes I add a little cooked pasta along with a ladle full or two of water from the pasta pot. The end.

SG,
Mmm, now I'm craving beef soup. I love using my slow cooker so I think I'll be giving your recipe a try soon!

Hey Jones

.............................................
I thought of you when I titled that, I figured you would be the ONLY one who knew the name wasn't just random lunacy!!
.............................................


I got it and laughed! Morgs and I speak the same language.

quote:

have you got to soak lentils? Confused

Nope. At least, I never have, and I make 'em the way my Italian grandma taught me.

Morgs -

quote:

please when older people are on the forum the very mention of 'leeks' creates a problem

lol do you need me to talk to you about some simple exercises that you could be doing whilst you are cooking the soup?

HIC - love lentil soup, thanks for posting that, it always makes me feel very wintery and snug

starfishy

quote:

quote:
please when older people are on the forum the very mention of 'leeks' creates a problem

lol do you need me to talk to you about some simple exercises that you could be doing whilst you are cooking the soup?

I like the word "snug.." It makes me want to make lentil soup...(with cheese grated on top, mmmmm....)

chuck them in, dear echos, chuck them in. They take about twenty minutes, I think. You can rinse them first, if you want.