I love soup! I make a wicked clam chowder, a forest mushroom, and pea soup with ham. Those are my favorites. One problem, is that my DH retired recently so he’s not taking a lunch And he doesn’t like leftovers, so I have to feeze the rest and it takes up a lot of real estate.💁

No, it is supposed to be 109° today, and so soup is very far from my mind. I do like a few cold soups, such as avocado soup and vichyssoise, but I do not have any potatoes (or avocados) at the moment and will be going back to L.A. on Saturday. I don't particularly like gazpacho but will eat it if someone else makes it - it is not worth my effort, since it is not one of my favorites.

I tend to make Japanese soups when I make hot soups and often add shrimp to them. I also like Vietnamese crab asparagus soup and make that frequently in the winter, such as it is. When I have the ingredients, I love to make gumbo, but I also make avgolemono soup regularly.

The other soups that I make on a regular basis include minestrone, split pea, lentil, and Cuban black bean. So far, I have only made pozole and lentil soups in the desert

I make French onion soup occasionally, but I have to have a craving for it, as it is a bit labor intensive, considering the result. I much prefer gumbo.

I had my first bowl of Fall.Winter soup today at Panera: Autumn Squash, which is one of my favoites. So, despite our 100+ degree days, I guess I'm too ready for it to be Fall.

You do remind me that I have a jar of bone broth defrosting in the fridge, and some fresh veggies from the garden, so a good soup is in my near future.

Too hot for soup here as well. I don't think I'll be making any for a couple of more months.

Envying those with cooler weather!

I love to make soups and it’s not hot here, but it’s still too warm to be thinking about making or eating soup yet. :p

I won't make any soup until early November at least. I'll usually make a couple double batches of Hot and Sour soup over the winter months and freeze it to have with Chinese meals year round. We also have Clam Chowder, Chile, Ham and Beans, Split Pea, and Beef Stew a couple times each over winter.

I love making Zuppa Toscana soup using some kale out of the landlord's garden. I have some cooked ham in the freezer, so I'll be making some soon.

I also like making chicken soup, cauliflower soup, potato and bacon soup. I like cream soups, so hearty.

plllog, it IS hot here and always the time of year when I start longing for cool, crisp soup weather. Problem is it can be HOT well into October. Once we have a smidgen of cool weather I'll start with the soups. So many favorites...Split Pea With Ham (best ever from the Silver Palate), Spinach Meatball Minestrone with Cheese Toretllini, Potato Cheese, Vegetable Beef, Clam Chowder, Chicken and Noodle, Black Bean and Kielbasa...on and on.

Jasdip, zuppa toscanna is one of my favourites. I don’t remember ham in it. Does it just go in the broth?

It is rarely hot enough here to deter me from soup so I make it year round. And while we are currently enjoying a spate of gorgeous weather, there is definitely a hint of fall in the air. I recently made avgolemono and I think chicken tortilla is next on the agenda. Or borscht, while fresh local beets are still in stock.

After a brief hiatus i am back into soups. Only brothy miso bone broth noodle bowls. Not heavy but so good and on the light side for this time of year. Some cultures in hot climates have noodle bowls year round. Even for breakfast. As long as i keep bone broth in the freezer and miso in the fridge with an endless variety of garden veg and veg box shipped, i can pull together a meal without much fuss. 1/2hour five minute prep. 4 minute ramen.

I do also make many classics posted above. Though a bit heavy right now. (windows are open randomly with a cool breeze or two).

Last night was a pile of veg...garden yellow and green squash, some chard and kale. Carrot tops, Ginger lime miso. Bone broth. Ramen. Black garbanzos. (Italian ceci neri)

Some need milk and eggs stocked always. I need white miso, noodles, grains, beans, various crisper veg, and freezer stocks.

Cleaned the crisper drawer waiting for the veg box that came a day late last night...so fresh so happy about that....

New veg box...;..

Noodle bowls are back in rotation once-twice a week. With or without a shrimp, chicken, pork, shaved beef, salmon, etc., topper. But they all are great with a miso bowl. Just need to thaw the night before. Shrimp and salmon thaw quick.

After the garden harvest gets its Fall attention, another big bone broth goes on the back burner when the weather gets squirley and cold. Right around the corner me fears.

For years now we've had an annual Halloween Soup Party. I always make 3 or 4 different soups that includes some type of chili. It's very casual, simple and fun. Obviously we weren't able to do it last year, and now this year looks a bit questionable, too.

Louise, I put ham and sausage in mine. I've never had it in a restaurant but when I saw a recipe, I thought if sausage is good in it, ham would be even better. I always have leftover cooked ham from a bone in the freezer.

Thanks Jasdip. I make zuppa Toscana a lot. I may add ham next time.

We make soup year round. To us, inside the air conditioned house, it is never too hot for soup.

Lars, I have never made gumbo, but used to go to a restaurant (before covid) that made a delicious gumbo. I would love to have a bowl. Would you share your recipe or do you even use a recipe?

I made a lovely tomato basil soup yesterday with some of the excess garden produce.

Lizbeth, I have written down my gumbo recipe, and it is rather lengthy and involved, which is why I do not make it all that often I make a large batch when I do so that I can freeze portions of it for later, and I generally freeze 3/4 of it.

I make it with both okra and filé, but many people use just one or the other. I have never made it without okra, as I love okra, and so I only make it when I find fresh okra, although I think you could use frozen okra. I'll have to try that some time.

Seafood Gumbo

• 1-1/2 pounds okra, sliced into 1/4” thick pieces (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp grape seed oil (or canola)
• 8 cups water
• 4 tsp vegetable (or chicken) soup base (can use vegetable cubes)
• 2 tbsp clam or crab soup base, or to taste
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
• 1-1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
• 4 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried oregano)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (do not substitute dried for this one)
• 4-6 Serrano (or Thai) chilies, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp filé powder
• 1 10 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1-1/2 pounds King Crab legs (or 1 pound lump crab meat)
• 1 pound shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 1/2 pound bay scallops or clam or oyster meat
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 4 cups cooked rice

Sauté the okra in a small amount of oil in an iron skillet for 8 minutes on high heat and then about 7 minutes more on medium heat, or until the stringiness is gone. Set aside.

Note: Do not substitute olive oil in this recipe.

Sauté the celery, onions, bell pepper, and garlic in 2 tbsp oil until the onions are translucent. I usually start the celery first for a few minutes, and then I add the onions and bell pepper and sauté those for a couple of minutes and add the garlic last. This way the garlic will not burn and not turn bitter. I sauté with the garlic only about 1 minute. You can then store these on top of the okra.

In a large saucepan or stockpot, make a roux with the 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp grape seed (or canola) oil, and 1/3 cup flour. Cook the roux until it is a deep reddish brown—this will be just a few minutes past the “peanut butter” color stage. Add more oil, if needed. The roux should have the consistency of yogurt and be fairly easy to stir at this point so that you do not burn it. Add the tomatoes and cook until all liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is thickened into a paste. Add the filé, basil, oregano, and thyme and cook about 5 minutes more. It will be a very thick paste at this point, similar to a choux or puff paste. Add the water slowly, stirring constantly, and then add the bay leaves and bouillon. Stir until the bouillon has dissolved, and then add the sautéed vegetables, including the okra, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. This is a good time to start making the rice.

Just before you are ready to serve, add the crab, shrimp, parsley, and scallops, and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the scallops are done. Check the seasoning, and add a dash of cayenne, Tabasco sauce, chili paste if it is not hot enough. It should be slightly salty, as the rice will require a bit of salt, but be careful not to overdo the salt—this will ruin the flavor. You can always add a tiny bit of salt at the table. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, add them only at the time of serving, and store leftover shrimp separately. Serve in large, deep soup bowls over rice. You may want to offer Tabasco or chili paste for those who want more pepper flavor, but I don’t find this necessary. If you use Thai chili peppers, it will be hot enough. If you use milder peppers, you may have to increase the quantity or you can leave the seeds in.

When I make quantities that I expect to freeze, I always store the leftovers in individual containers of whatever amount I want to reheat at one time. Gumbo can be reheated once, but not twice.

Yield:4 quarts, or 8 large (2 cup) servings, not including rice

Variations

Many people like to add chopped Andouille sausage to gumbo, but I reserve that for jambalaya. You can make your own fish stock in place of water and bouillon, but this dish is already enough work as it is. However, if you boil your own shrimp and crab, use the water that you boil them in for some of the water in this recipe. You can still intensify the flavor by adding the bouillon.

Just adding this for the coming season...so easy. Though a little extra work, I've made mini leaf- and pumpkin-shaped croutons to serve on top for company.

Pumpkin Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups heavy cream (or part cream/part milk)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, or to taste (see *Note below)

Optional garnishes: cubes of cream cheese, dollop of sour cream, minced chives, parsley, or roasted pumpkin seeds

Sauté the onion in butter until it is limp but not browned. Sprinkle with curry powder, and continue to cook for a few minutes. In batches, in a blender or food processor (or using an immersion blender for the entire mixture), puree the onions with the pumpkin and salt, then add the cream, continuing to blend. Transfer this mixture to a soup pot or saucepan and whisk in the chicken stock. Heat slowly, seasoning with the spices (see Note). Do not allow to boil. Serve hot in large hollowed-out pumpkin "tureen" or in individual hollowed-out pumpkin "bowls." Garnish with desired toppings listed above.

*Note: Use a very light hand with the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. You don't want the soup to taste like liquid pumpkin pie. Start with a pinch of each and check the taste. Alternatively, use only the allspice, or a pinch of ground cloves, and increase the curry powder slightly.

Lars, thank you so much for posting the recipe. It sounds delicious and very time consuming. I want to try this as soon as I can get everything together. And I love that it freezes well and makes a large quantity.