Who ever heard of a recipe for vegetable soup? Most seasoned cooks will not even have one. What goes in a vegetable soup? Well, just about anything, from with meat to no meat. What types of meat? Sausage, beef, kielbasa, chicken, turkey just to name a few. What types of vegetables? I often let the meat and the stock base determine that factor. What do I mean by stock base? Some folks make vegetable soup with more of a tomato base, I make most of mine with a beef broth foundation. While a chicken based vegetable soup would most likely have a chicken broth base.
This past weekend I prepared the most succulent chuck roast in my pressure cooker. Searing it on both sides and rubbing it down, with a good rub, it was done in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Poundage, I would say 3-4 pounds. I increased the additional liquid, on the roast so I would have plenty for soup and gravy.
The recipe I am providing for you is pretty basic. My biggest tip on vegetable soup is no pasta, unless…..cooked before and added at serving time. Otherwise it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. You also can’t freeze it as nicely with pasta, in the soup.
When you have small children at home, you have to put things in the soup, which you know they will eat! When they leave the nest personalize it to your likes and dislikes. Cabbage is an ok additive, but it’s not a vegetable I usually put in my vegetable soups. However, I’m pretty sure my mother, Betty, puts it in her soup.
Time consuming, I would say yes. Sometimes I cheat and throw maybe one bag of frozen mixed vegetables in to lighten all the chopping. If our son, Phillip, is at home I won’t use any tomatoes.
Sometimes I sauté the onion and celery first and begin adding my firmer vegetables, then ending with the softest vegetables. Pretty much like you would do a stir-fry dish.
If you are like me you’re going to make extra for the freezer and for any senior adults you know that could use a healthy meal. This soup is actually a great idea for Christmas or Valentine’s. Make a huge pot and then deliver so it can go in the freezer, if there’s not an immediate need.
It doesn’t matter what name you call it, ‘suppa’, ‘soupe’, ‘suppe’ or ‘sopa’ (soopa) this ‘pottage’ is going to be a big hit. (That was Latin, French, German and Mexican.)
One thing I do remember about vegetable soup, as a young girl I greatly disliked it. Why? In those days we didn’t ‘trim’ our meats and you would be eating along and hit a piece of fat. That was enough to keep me from enjoying the bounty.
In a pinch, some of you will remember my tip from a couple of columns back. I commented on the vegetable soup by ‘Bear’ dry soup mixes. FYI, every time I go to get it, it’s always out! When I picked up my grocery order on Saturday they substituted with something else, and I was not a happy camper. ‘Sometimes’ this may be all you have time to prepare for a healthy family meal. Believe me, I’ve used it, and it’s truly good in a pinch. (I always add some beef to mine.)
Have an outstanding week. We are celebrating the hanging of a new piece of art in my office, this week. Our family tradition is anytime new art is hung we have a meal that fits the painting/print. This piece is by my good friend, Buck Taylor, who played Newly on Gunsmoke. So, what meal is my staff having? Ham and Beans and cornbread!
Simply yours, The Covered Dish, www.thecovereddish.com
Vegetable Soup
1 medium size chuck roast, finely chopped
1 can of corn, undrained
1 can green beans, undrained
2 cans red beans, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
4-5 medium red potatoes, chop with skins on
1 small bag frozen peas
1 large can (30 oz.) tomato juice
3-4 cups beef broth
1 package dry Lipton soup mix
1 ½ cups quick cook barley
5 bay leaves
Garlic salt or powder to taste
Pepper to taste.
Prepare the roast the night before making the soup. Personally it’s easier to chop the meat when it is cold. Save the broth, removing the grease the next morning. Put everything in a very large stockpot and cook until everything is tender. Then simmer on low at least one more hour.
This recipe will feed a large crowd of 10-12 and then some.
As noted in the above column, I now make my vegetable soups so differently than when I made this one over 20 years ago. Today I wouldn’t be caught dead using a dry onion soup packet, I also don’t use tomato juice because I like it more beefy. There wasn’t any celery added because children were eating the soup. Another thing I note is that I now drain all my vegetables, before adding them to a soup. Except for things like chili beans.
I will say that I shared this recipe with the neighbors some 20 years ago and they thought it was just fantastic, so the dry onion soup must not be that bad!!!
One of my favorite vegetable soups leans more towards a steak soup implementing carrots, potatoes, celery, onion and mushrooms, with a hearty beef.
