I need recipes! If you have seen my collection of cookbooks or the volumes of newspaper clippings of my 52 years of writing “From My Kitchen,” you would question the sanity of my asking for more recipes.
I recently read somewhere (probably online) about a group that acquired recipes from all over the nation that were favorites of each state or area. Each recipe was supposed to be something that was well known and one for which the area was famous (Chicago pizza or Philly steaks).
I was surprised at the one which was submitted for the Texas favorite — Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake. I thought it would be a form of barbecue or chili. I have decided that the perfect Texas (or at least East Texas) recipe would be one which was appropriate for weather which was 30 degrees in the morning and 80 degrees in the afternoon. I think even Mark Scirto (our Channel 7 weather guru/hero) would approve since that is almost what we have seen in the past month.
With the first puff of cool/cold air in the fall, I bring out the 8-quart soup pot and make a big batch of vegetable or beef vegetable soup. Well, after I got all my tender plants moved in last week when we got the PPP warning (pets, plants, pipes to be protected from a likely frost ) I started to work on it. Before I got the all the ingredients out and ready to start this soup in celebration of the cold snap, the temperature had already begun to rise. Determined to get going with this massive amount of soup for the chilling cold (already 50-plus degrees) I got it started. However when I finished it, the thermometer was pushing 80 degrees. So, the soup that was going to all those on my “soup list” will get theirs frozen so that when the cold really does come, their vegetable soup can be thawed, heated and ready to serve.
The soup seems complicated because it has so many ingredients in it. It is not difficult to make, makes lots of servings and is fairly inexpensive. I have been working on this recipe for several years. It turns out differently each time I make it because of the variation of vegetables. Use your own judgment about the vegetables you want to add. The protein comes from the various types of beans.
My 18 (or so) Vegetable Soup Recipe
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
4 large cloves garlic
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (10 ounces) chopped tomatoes with green chilies (Like Rotels)
3 cups water
2 heaping tablespoons vegetable broth base paste (or beef if you are not strict vegetarian)
1 small to medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium purple top turnip, peeled and diced
2 cups sliced fresh carrots
For the following vegetables you may use canned or frozen. If canned, use 15-16 ounce cans, undrained. If frozen, use 8-10 ounce packages.
Green beans
English peas
Sliced okra
Cannellini beans
Red kidney beans
Whole kernel corn
1 1/2 cups Edamame beans (I have only found these frozen)
2 small yellow squash, sliced
2 zucchini squash sliced
3 cups shredded cabbage (or packaged slaw)
Saut? celery and garlic in oil in large soup pot. Add all tomatoes, water and broth base. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add hard vegetables (potatoes, turnips and carrots) to tomato mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining vegetables.
Add seasonings:
1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Any dried herbs you choose
Makes 25-30 servings. Can be frozen.