My mother was a good cook but she didn't own a cookbook! Correction...she owned Julia's Childs "Mastering the art of French Cooking". If anyone has this cookbook, you will understand that my mother obviously didn't use it to cook for 5 children on a day-to-day basis. But I own about 50 cookbooks, and rely on them to keep me trying new recipes. My husband and I both love homemade soup, served up with a salad and some great bread. I usually depend on my cookbooks for recipes, but this one sort of made itself one night. The key is to blend some of the finished soup and re-add it to the pot. This makes the stock thicker and less thin looking. This soup freezes great so make a big pot and enjoy it over the next month or so. The soup thickens over time, and the leftovers can be left thick and served over rice the following day (my husbands favorite!)
NANCY'S VEGETABLE SOUP
I have found that the easiest way to make this soup is to assemble all the ingredients and do all the chopping and prep work first. The soup goes together very quickly, and then just needs simmering time.
1 cup sliced carrots...not too thin
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
olive oil
2-3 cartons of vegetable broth (32 oz each)
2 cups of chopped potatoes....leave the skin on
1 cup of chopped cabbage (optional....If I have some in the fridge I add it)
3/4 cup of brown rice or small soup size pasta
1 small can of lima beans (rinsed)
1 16oz can of white beans rinsed....cannellini, great northern etc
salt and pepper to taste
1. saute carrots, celery, onion and garlic in about 1 TBLS of olive oil. Saute for about 5-8 minutes on med heat until the vegetables are still crisp but not raw.
2. add 2 cartons of vegetable broth (reserve the 3rd carton until the soup is ready to serve in case it needs some thinning.
3. Add potatoes and cabbage if using.
4. if using rice add this now too. If using pasta wait until almost ready to serve.
5. Bring to a boil, then dial back to medium-low heart and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
6. Add beans
7. Take about 2-3 cups of the cooked soup and puree it in a blender or food processor.
8. Return the pureed mixture to the soup pot and stir.
9. If you are using pasta, then add the pasta to the pot at this point and simmer until the pasta is cooked (10 minutes)
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The soup will thicken and if you are not serving right away, you may need to add some more broth. Definately if you are having leftovers the next day you will probably want to thin it.
