Soup - your favourites and recipes

Now there's that Autumn chill in the air it's time for some hearty soups ! - do you have a favourite and perhaps share your recipes.

Here is one of our favourites:

KALAMATA LENTIL SOUP
Serves 2
125 gr. (5oz) Green or Brown lentils
Greek Olive Oil
Small clove garlic chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 stick celery chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato puree
500 ml. (1 pint) vegetable stock
Bay leaf, parsley, chopped, a little fresh rosemary finely chopped (optional)
Teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
White wine vinegar or lemon juice.

Soften the garlic, onion and celery in about a tbsp. of olive oil, then add the toasted cumin seeds, the stock, lentils and stir in the tomato puree, bay leaf, parsley and rosemary if using. Cook at a slow simmer until the lentils are soft (30-45 minutes). Serve in soup platters, stir in a dessert spoon each of olive oil and wine vinegar (or lemon juice) and garnish with more chopped parsley.

 

This is one of mine, at this time of the year when butternut squash is plentiful. The best thing about this soup is that you can make this all but the chicken broth and it freezes wonderfully in 4 or 6 cup containers. Then simply thaw as needed and add the chicken broth. Its a grand soup for the holidays to make ahead for your freezer. And freezes well, I've tested it out for 9 months and it still tastes great.

http://www.marthastewart.com/284268/apple-butternut-squash-soup

 

Homemade mulligatawny soup. Better and cheaprr than the tinned stuff.

http://www.food.com/recipe/mulligatawny-indian-soup-beef-57831

 

I buy a large packet of bacon miss shapes, Cheap....into the pressure cooker half hour,then you have a good basis for lotsa soup. Lentils/split peas/green@yellow.
Garlic/fresh chilli/celery/tomatos anything really I put the whole lot into my Kitchen Aid Blender the best piece kitchen equipment I have ever bought.
I used to get through the cheaper ones yearly, this reduces it into a fine puree which you can dilute with milk/water or freeze

 

my split bean and ham is made from the left over ham bone that I froze from Easter, or whatever holiday I bought ham for.

Soon I will be going to the butcher and getting 4 turkey backs, and putting them in a huge stock pot with chunks of carrots, celery, onions, and simmering them for about 4-5 hours. That will be my turkey stock for Thanksgiving .

 

I have a soup maker thingie - basically a liquidiser with a heating element (highly recommended ). I chuck all the left over veg in (off the sides of plates, anything left in the steamer - we cook all fresh veg (assuming there is more to be harvested tomorrow!) rather than keeping it [for another meal] as it get tired, and we very rarely have time to freeze [and prefer to eat "in season" rather than "out of season"]. Anyway, I have "enough" left over veg etc.)

Add some stock, or some out of a pot [in which case I use the Veg water out of the bottom of the steamer, rather than plain tap water], and a chilli and turn it on; then I just listen out for the Beep 30 minutes later and Have Lunch

I've tried Garlic & Onions but I didn't think it made much difference, so I don't bother with those any more - maybe I'm being a heathen though?

 

Easy Curried Parsnip soup...

Fry off chopped Parsnips,onion and garlic for a few minutes,add chopped chilli's ,then add a couple of teaspoons of Garam Masala .Add a good chicken or veg stock and leave to bubble till the parsnips are tender...I prefer to 'Whizz' my soups and then add a nice big dollop of cream and chopped corriander

 

I usually do a chicken soup. I add carrots, onion, chicken carcass, then strip it all off the bone after a couple of hours cooking. Then I return the meat and veg to the stock, add chicken stock cubes, and rice.
When it has cooked through, I add a touch of milk to give it a nice colour, not too much though. Then I season it with pepper
Mum use to put mixed herbs into hers, but I am not keen on that.
I also use a tip from @shiney , to skim the fat off the stock before continuing with the cooking
Should I add the carrot and onion after stripping the meat off the bone? or is it needed to give the stock flavour in the first stage?

 

Carrot and coriander soup is affectionately known as "eat it up and you won't have to have it again soup".
The kids and hubby hated it. Tried to get it by them every couple of years or so with no success. My daughter in law has taken trying to introduce it to my son now! Lol!
Family favourites leek and potato, homemade minestrone.

 

I use to 'buy' a chunky chicken and veg soup, but I can no longer find it
So I may have to have a crack at making my own

 

carrots give off sugar which is good to curtail acid if you use tomato in your soup or sauce.

 

Mmm Parsnips do go very well with curry they also thicken up veg soup well, nice creamy texture,Must get on, I purchased big bunch leeks so its leek and tater soup today .
It is throwing it down again so getting in the garden is out.

 

Yes, Curried Parsnip Soup is another of our favourites !

a-a