Here is a recipe for my Mom's very, very simple soup. It is so good.

Edith Whitehead’s Soup

My mom always made a very simple soup that everyone wanted her to make when
they were visiting.

Sauté 1 large yellow onion in a small amount of bacon grease or olive oil.
Add 2-4 potatoes that have been peeled and chopped to bite size. Crush 1 28-oz
can whole tomatoes then add to pan. Fill the tomato can about 1/2 way with
water or broth and add to pan. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper (don't use
too much pepper, just enough to give it a tiny zing). Cook until potatoes are
soft. We always like to have cornbread with Mom's soup.

I hope I didn't leave anything out, I have done this from memory.
Regardless, this is so very simple, with ingredients that one nearly always has
in the pantry, and the taste of the soup is so, so good.

Pea soup, lentil soup, navy bean soup, minestrone soup, sweet and sour cabbage soup, cream of chicken soup, potato soup.....

If you would like any of these recipes, just let me know. I just checked and none of them are written down. My Mom showed me how to make them many years ago, so they are stored in my head.

Italian wedding soup, vegetable beef, Gypsy Stew ( chicken veggies and some green chilis and red bell peppers) Black bean soup, Broccoli cheese soup, beer cheese soup, roasted red pepper and tomato soup....clam chowder both Manhattan and New England, oyster stew....so many soups and the winter is so short!

Winter is a long way off - at least two months - and last year winter did not visit us, but we are supposed to have one this year, if El Niño arrives as predicted.

Here is one of my favorites:

Lars’ Posole

I recommend that you soak more hominy than you need,
and you can freeze the leftover for later use.
It is best to use hominy that is in pieces rather than whole kernals.

3/4 cup dried white hominy corn (maiz trillado
blanco) – about 2-1/2 to 3 cups when soaked

2 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6-7 cloves garlic, minced, or finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper (or 2 Anaheim chilies), chopped

4 Serrano chilies, finely chopped, seeds removed or 1
Habanero chili minced

1 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder (I use Ancho powder)

1 10 oz can of tomatoes

2-1/2 tsp vegetable soup
base (can substitute 1 tsp salt, to taste)

2 cups water (or reserved liquid from soaking)

Cilantro, for garnish

Grated cheddar cheese

Shredded cabbage (optional)

Lime juice

To quick soak the hominy, place it in a pan and cover
with triple depth of water. Bring to a
boil, cover, and remove from heat.
Allow to soak for about 2-3 hours, and then drain the water. You may need to check periodically to make
sure there is enough water covering the hominy. Save the soaking water if you want to use it as a thickener for
this or another dish.

While the hominy is soaking (or almost ready), you
can begin the rest of the process, starting with chopping all the
vegetables. The pieces should be fairly
small, but not minced, except for the garlic and chilies.

Heat the oils in a large saucepan, and add the
chopped onion, peppers, chilies, and garlic.
Sauté for a few minutes, or until the onion becomes a bit translucent –
it does not need to cook thoroughly, and you do not want to make the vegetables
too soft. Turn off the heat, and stir
in the cumin and chili powder. Add the
canned tomatoes, soup base (or salt), water, and drained hominy. Bring to a boil, and cook covered for about
20 minutes.

Serve
in individual soup bowls with chopped cilantro, stirred in at the last
minute. You can also add grated cheese
if desired and/or cabbage (traditional) and lime juice. I prefer mine with grated cheese and no
cabbage or lime juice, even though that goes against tradition. Instead of vegetable soup base, you can use
pork broth with shredded pork.

One of my family's favorites is Maha's Lentil Soup from the Jan. 2008 issue of Yankee Magazine. I don't know how to link, but it should come up if you google it.

It's something I crave when we've been harried, traveling or just had a spell of eating a little too richly. It's satisfying and hearty but tastes real and healthy. The recipe makes lots & it keeps & reheats well. Ingredients are easy to find & are budget friendly.

Please don't neglect her instruction squeeze the lemon on each serving just as you're plating it. It brightens all the favors. Not the same without it.

I would like nothing more for dinner tonight than this soup with a slice of fresh baked pita......

"I prefer liquidy soup, not soup you can eat with a fork."

Never heard of such a thing.

We eat a few soups year round ... Pasta e Fagioli, roasted red pepper, and ginger carrot ... but the rest are reserved for cooler weather. We were just talking about that over dinner tonight.

Looking forward to gumbo weather. Other soups that we enjoy:

--Sweet Potato Andouille Bisque

--Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

--Butternut Squash Bisque

--Chicken Noodle

--Turkey and Wild Rice

--Onion & Fennel Soup Gratin

--Ina's Minestrone

--Cream of Cauliflower

--Roasted Garlic Soup (this year I want to try Jacques Pepin's version)

--Split Pea & Barley Soup

--Cream of Crawfish

--Curried Cauliflower Soup (Ann T's)

--Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque

--Wild Mushroom Soup with Sherry

--African Peanut Stew

Winter here is long so we eat a lot of soups but a super quick one is :

A good dollop of frozen mirepoix that I always have in the freezer. Good chicken stock and a cup of red lentils. Cook it up then liquidise.

Just finished a pot of my fall favorite. My version of Portuguese kale and linguica soup. In place of the impossible to find Linguica I use chorizo.

Saute cut up chorizo, remove and sauté onion. Add chicken stock and cut up potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Mash potatoes coarsely. Return chorizo to pot, bring to low boil and add lots of cut up kale. Voila! Really delicious.

In the winter I frequently make quick soups in the morning to take to work with me for lunch. I usually start by sautéing chopped onions, then add whatever I want the main ingredient to be - carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, usually. Whatever main ingredient I choose will influence the seasoning I use. If I'm making carrot soup, I'll add cumin an cinnamon to the onions while they're cooking. If I'm making tomato soup, I'll add basil if I have it, and garlic, and I'll pack some grated parm to add in at lunchtime. Basically, I wing it. I only make small servings, as it has to fit into my thermos. I can usually have these soups in process while I do other things required to get ready for work.

I can't wait for winter!

Sally

I make a chicken tortilla soup quite similar to the posole Lars posted, with the addition of smoked chicken, black beans and roasted corn. I never add the tortillas either. Cheese is a good garnish but unnecessary. I like that it is extremely tasty, freezes beautifully and is gluten free and low fat.

I always have it in the freezer.

I make a heartier version of miso soup. I sauté an onion for 3-5 min, add water, and once it's just about boiling I add red miso paste (our favorite though any type will do). Turn the heat down and stir occasionally until the miso is dissolved. Add a lot of chopped broccoli, 1-2 head depending on the size of the head and simmer until you can put a fork through the broccoli. Add 1 lb or so of soft or medium tofu cut into small cubes. Once the tofu has warmed through, serve. Sometimes I add chopped garlic and/or chopped ginger to sauté too, depending on my mood.

My new upright freezer is full. Yikes how did that happen. But i can pick and choose from different pints and half pints for soups, chowders and stews. Last weekend i made chili and bolognese and some pints of nice chopped and stewed tomatoes in their juices. The weekend before i made some rich bone broth and smoked chicken stock from whole smoked chicken carcases that have been waiting in the freezer for cooler weather.

I had a rough work week and DH is working today so i just pulled out a pint of chili, a pint of duck stock, half pint of fresh frozen corn and a pint of white beans in chicken stock. A quick meal needing no real recipe. I'll top with fresh cilantro and some feta or toast points with parmesan.

Like grainlady i like a brothy soup. Especially with an annoying head cold. I could have chosen the Bolognese that has some lamb sausage but the richness of the chili sounded good to me. (so good on its own but i wanted broth and its spice). It is always good and always a bit different. I like the choices.

I also have some 1/2 pints of frozen mixed sprouted grains and garden tomatillo salsa that i can add for a seafood chowder....i'm set for the winter me thinks.

If i'm working late, DH can pull out a chosen pint and some roasted garlic that i froze in ice cube chunks...and add some anchovies for his gross pasta dish he often craves. : ) (i smoke roasted a few dozen garlic heads mid August)

And lightly steamed kale and spinach freezes well. Another good addition to soups.

When i make a big pot of broth, i always make a mixed grain or a pot of beans and some greens. Then use the cooled broth as the liquid in the containers for the freezer. As well as just plain broth pints.

I can add and adapt just about any favorite recipe using my freezer garden 'stash'. Cuts down on any annoying grocery lists and the labor involved in starting a recipe from scratch.

Just made another soup for tonight. It was recommended by a salesperson at the Le Creuset store (in Maine) who said she makes it during every big snowstorm to enjoy after shoveling. They must have had it a lot last winter! No snow here today but cold & raw.

it's Ina Garten's Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons from the Barefoot Contessa "Foolproof" cookbook. We'll be having ours w/out the croutons tonight - leftover quiche Instead.

Yes, it does have cream in it - but just 1/2 cup for a whole pot of soup. Gives it a velvety texture. Using homemade or a good quality stock makes all the difference.

I'd had the cookbook for a long time & never tried the recipe till she raved about it. Another one of those w/ simple easily sourced ingredients that turns out greater than you'd expect.

Y'all might know that I'm not generally a big cabbage fan, but there's this cabbage beef soup that makes its own stock which is dead easy and really delicious. It's brothy but has big chunks too, and it freezes pretty well.

Cabbage Beef Soup

6 cups water
1 white cabbage in eight wedges
4-5 meaty beef bones -- knuckles work great

2 onions sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut large

1 large can whole tomatoes
1 large can stewed tomatoes

1/2 lemon's juice
Sugar: 2 TBSP then adjust to taste
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Throw everything in the pot, bring to a boil then simmer for a few hours. Remove the bones, leaving the meat. Add some hot peppers or booze or anything that suits your taste.

I love reading all of your ideas! Great inspiration!

It's fall here, and the winter squashes are coming in. I love a curried butternut squash soup--for a Thai version, I throw in coconut milk and red curry paste, and for an Indian version I toss in some Indian spices, use a chicken or veg broth, and finish with some yogurt. Onions, garlic, and lots of ginger in both--and sometimes some carrots as well. I also do a southwestern version with chipotle, cumin, etc. finished with a little crema. (or sour cream) I did a beef soup the other day with some good soup bones from my local beef farmer, aromatics, carrots, potatoes and a half a bunch of kale to give it some heartiness. Black bean soup with poblano chilies, tons of cumin seed, tomatoes, and whatever else I feel like throwing in is also a frequent flier here.

Soup, for me, rarely has a recipe--I always start with onions and garlic (because I love them) and then look around at what I have in the fridge/freezer/ and pantry, and see where my whims take me. My family sometimes complains that they never get the same thing twice, which bugs them when they've really liked something! :-)

Cj

For fellow soup lovers...I picked up a new cookbook from the library this week, The Soup Club Cookbook. It's written by four women who cook large batches & do exchanges. Looks interesting & also has recipes for sides & salads. Recipes can be easily halved. I'll report back if I find something extraordinary to share.

According to the cover, soup clubs are the new book clubs...

Winter cats love winter soups.

This one is for cilantro lovers. I don't have exact quantities. I've been winging it for years.

There's 3 main ingredients: brown lentils, cilantro and marrow bones.

Soad 2 or 3 cupts lentils overnight. Rinse. Place in cold water with a couple marrow bones, bring to boil, skim.

Add 2 bunches (yes, two large bunches) chopped cilantro, bring to boil again.

Cover pot, turn flame as low as possible for a very gentle simmer and just forget about it for 4 to 5 hours. Add salt before serving. Fresh black pepper also nice.

I make this soup in a huge pot to accomodate the huge heap of cilantro before it shrinks.

I love BUTTERNUT AND BOURBON BISQUE. It freezes well, too.

I would love to belong to a soup club! Maybe I'll float the idea at the next meeting of our cookbook club. I am a serious soupaholic.

CindyMac: can u post your pasta e fagioli recipe, please?? TIA

Pkramer60: can u post your lentil, navy bean and potato soup recipes, please, TIA

cj4_gw, im kinda like you, i make my soups different all the time and when they like something, i can't "find" the recipe or forget what i did!!! that's what happened with my pasta e fagioli recipe., i made it, DD loved it. made again and she was like "what's this, this isn't what u made last time" Ugh!!!!

Thanks Girls/Guys!!!!

Sprtphntc, I don't always make it the same, but this is the basic recipe. Veggie amounts are approximate. I've started using Kitchen Basics unsalted vegetable stock more often than chicken broth. I also typically add a little water before tossing in the pasta. It's a visual thing.

Pasta e Fagioli

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 - 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, broken up with a spoon or squished with your fingers (or fresh, peeled and chopped)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or cannellini beans)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (sometimes I use fresh unseeded serrano peppers and saute them with the other veggies)
coarse salt & fresh ground pepper
1 – 1 1/4 cups ditali pasta or small shells (that’s approximate ... I usually use about 3 handfuls)
2-3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade

Pamesan or Pecorino Romano

In large saucepan sauté onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil till
soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes,
chicken broth, beans, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper. Simmer
for 15-20 minutes. Bring to a slow boil then add pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Serve and top each bowl with basil and freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.

CindyMac, thank you so much!!!

In this area Chili Soup is very common, they even have chili suppers. Our church's chili supper is coming up in November. It is called a chili supper but is actually chili soup.

The ingredients for the most part are, browned hamburger cooked with onions, maybe some sweet pepper or if you like it really spicy some hot peppers, then to that add some diced tomatoes, chili beans, red beans, tomato juice and let simmer a bit, then add some cooked elbow spaghetti or macaroni. Season with chili powder to taste, maybe some cumin. This is usually better the next day. You can even add some chopped zucchini and it helps make a hearty soup. When the weather starts turning cool, chili soup will be cooking here.

Sue

amck2: Maha's lentil soup sounds good. What color lentil do you use? Is the dry coriander and the cumin both ground?

Sport, I just saw your request. Let me see what I may have written down already or right some up for you. BBL

Here are the soup recipes.

Pea Soup

2 bags split
peas 1# each

1 jumbo
onion, coarsely chopped

1 ham bones

1 ham
hocks-smoked or smoke turkey leg/wing

2 bay leaves

1 tsp garlic

1 to 2 TBS ham
base

Water to cover

1 large
carrot, diced

2 cups
of chunked ham or more to taste

Cook 2 hours
or until peas dissolve. Add ham and cooked
carrots.

Do NOT add carrot while cooking, the soup will sweeten.

Yield 4
quarts.

Variations for this recipe are to use lentils, navy beans or cannellini beans. If using canned beans, cut cooking time to 45 minutes to an hour.

Here is the potato soup recipe.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped leeks

8 potatoes, peeled and sliced

6 cups water

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 ham bone

1 cup heavy cream (1/2 & 1/2 works too

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.

In a large pot over medium heat, cook onions in butter
until translucent. Stir in leeks, potatoes, water, thyme and the ham bone.
Bring to a b)oil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are
tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

2.

Remove ham bone and puree soup with a blender or food
processor. Return to pot, stir in cream, salt and pepper, heat through and
serve.

You can also add some smoke meats, like a pork hock or smoked turkey.