Soups

Creamy Onion Soup

     Those first nippy days when the wind bites your ears and numbs your nose won’t be half so bad if met with a bowl of steaming hot soup.  It’s a sure “warmer-upper” - better than a fire place and delicious to boot, that is, if you follow this recipe it will be delicious.

6 onions

6 tablespoons margarine

1½ cups boiling water

4 bouillon cubes or dry soup powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups hot milk

6 tablespoons flour

18 small slices French bread or potato chips

2 tablespoons grated sharp cheese

      Sauté onions slowly in margarine till yellow but not soft.  Add boiling water with soup cubes or powder and salt dissolved in it.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add 1 cup milk slowly to flour and stir smooth.  Add to onion mixture with rest of milk.  Cook until thickened.  Cut small sized loaf of French bread very thin.  Dry out in oven.  Or use potato chips.  Sprinkle with cheese and brown slightly.  Float a few slices of bread (or chips) on soup and pass the rest like crackers.  Serves 6.

Salmon Chowder

½  cup sliced onions

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups diced raw potatoes

1 cup diced celery

½  cup diced carrots

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

4 cups water

1 lb. can salmon

4 cups milk

      Sauté onion in butter until transparent but not browned.  Add vegetables, salt, pepper and water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Add salmon, flaked, and milk and heat to steaming hot.  Serves 6.

French Chicken Stew

2 (2½- lbs.) broiler-fryer chickens, cut into serving pieces

6 cups water (about)

2 cups sliced celery stalks and tops

¾ cup parsley sprigs

2 medium onions, sliced

2½ teaspoons instant bouillon powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons bouquet garni flakes

¼ cup corn starch

      Place chicken in large (about 6 quart) kettle; cover with water.  Add vegetables and seasoning.  Cover; bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1¼ hours.  Remove chicken from kettle and discard breast and rib bones.  Strain broth; measure 6 cups, adding boiling water if necessary.  Pour 5 cups broth back into kettle; blend remaining 1 cup with corn starch, then stir into broth in kettle.  Stirring constantly, bring to boil and cook until mixture is thickened.  Add chicken.  Heat.  Serve with rice.

 He-Man Beef Stew

     The crisp Fall breeze whips up a man’s appetite and a desire to try his hand at cooking.  Then, there are others who follow this “hobby” the year ‘round.  If “your man” is looking for some recipes to try his hand, turn him loose with the following:

¼ cup flour

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon celery salt

1¾ lb. boneless chuck, cut in ½  in. pieces

¼ cup fat

¼ cup minced onion

1 minced, peeled, clove garlic

3¾ cups boiling water

4 teaspoons meat extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

12 peeled, small white onions

12 peeled carrots, whole or in halves

½ package frozen peas

½ cup hot milk (about)

salt

pepper

      Combine flour, pepper and celery salt in bowl.  Coat meat with flour, a few pieces at a time.  (Reserve any flour that’s left.)  In Dutch oven sauté meat, a few pieces at a time, in hot fat until deep, rich brown on all sides.  Remove pieces when browned.  Add minced onion and garlic; sauté lightly.  Stir in remaining flour.  Gradually add water, meat extract, salt, Worcestershire sauce.  Then add browned meat; cover; let simmer over low heat for 2 hours, or until meat cuts easily with fork.  Then add whole onions and carrots, and simmer, covered 15 minutes.  Add peas, and cook, covered, 5 minutes longer.  Meanwhile, cook potatoes in 1 inch salted water until tender - about 30 minutes.  Drain, and mash, adding salt, pepper, and enough hot milk to make a creamy consistency.  Turn stew into casserole, and heap potatoes in spoonfuls around edge.  A feast for 4.

TV Chili con Carne

1 tablespoon cooking fat or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

½ lb. ground beef

1 package (2¼ oz.) tomato vegetable soup mix

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 quart (two 1-lb. cans) red kidney beans

boiling water (amount called for on soup mix pkg.)

      Melt the fat and add chopped onion and meat and cook until meat has browned.  Add boiling water and stir in tomato vegetable soup mix and chili powder.  Cover, and cook for ten minutes.  Add red kidney beans and simmer for five minutes.  Serves 6.

Hearty Italian Soup

     Snappy, cold winter days are perfect for cheery, warming, homemade soup.  Serve thick slices of French bread, crisp relishes and fresh fruits of the season for an easy, nutritious meal.

2 cups Corn Flakes or

½ cup packaged Corn Flake Crumbs

½ lb. ground beef

¼ lb. bulk pork sausage

½ teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 tablespoon chopped parsley or parsley flakes

½ teaspoon crushed oregano

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese

1 egg

3 tablespoons olive oil

1¼ cup (10½ oz. can) condensed consomme

1 cup (8 oz. can) tomato sauce

2½ cups ( 2 10½ oz. cans) condensed vegetable soup

2 cups water 

      If using Corn Flakes, crush into fine crumbs.  Thoroughly combine beef, sausage, seasoning, cheese, egg and Corn Flake crumbs.  Shape into marble-sized meatballs.  Heat olive oil in deep kettle.  Add meatballs and shake gently over moderately high heat, turning and browning meatballs.  Drain off fat.

     Add consomme, tomato sauce, vegetable soup and water to meatballs.  Stir gently to combine liquids; cover and simmer at least 30 minutes.  Serve piping hot.  Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Chowder Soup Mate

     When a chill wind blows across the water, a fisherman gets hungry, even if the fish are biting beautifully.  Something hearty, something hot, but easy to carry is what a man wants then.  Soup Mates and sandwiches are the perfect answer. 

1 can (¼ cups) condensed bean with bacon soup

1 can (1¼ cups) condensed beef noodle soup

1½ soup cans water

      Blend soups and water; heat, but do not boil.  Makes 4 servings, or enough to fill a quart thermos.

Hearty Soup Mates

1 can (1¼ cups) condensed beef soup

1 can (1¼ cups) condensed tomato soup

2 soup cans water

      Blend soups and water; heat, but do not boil.  Pour into 4 mugs and serve. (Campbell’s tested recipe.)

Navy Bean Soup

1 ½ lb. navy beans

½ lb. onions

1 lb. seasoning bacon or ham end

1 small bunch parsley

3 small stalks celery

pepper and salt to taste

      Soak beans overnight.  Then boil beans very slowly, with seasoning bacon or ham end.  Add onions, parsley, celery and pepper and salt.  Serves 10.

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