Lentil Soup

This is more like a stew because it's rather thick. I prepped all my ingredients and made TWO pots of it, side by side. One contained cooked Italian sausage and the other remained meatless, for the vegetarians in our family.  You can omit the sausage completely if you want to make this meat-free. The photo shows the vegetarian lentil soup on top with the soup containing sausage beneath it:

For ONE pot of soup:

Start by cooking 1/2# (3-4 links) of Italian sausage, casing removed - either bake or fry it, then drain it well, mince it and cool it off. Set aside.

In a dutch oven or small soup pot, heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil) and once it's hot, add:

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

1-1/2 cups sliced celery

1-1/2 cups sliced carrots

few cloves of minced garlic

Saute until softened.

Add 2 C. chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) with their juice.

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. Trader Joe's 21 season salute (OR 1/2 tsp. all-seasoning, like Ms. Dash)

a few 'grinds' of Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (or cayenne) - or more, if you like more of a zap!

Simmer for 20 minutes and then add one (16 oz.) package dried lentils.

Add 6 cups water and 1 cup tomato sauce.

Add the reserved sausage at this point.

Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.  If (toward the end of the hour) the soup appears to be TOO thick, add another cup or so of water.  Test for seasoning.  Add more S&P, if needed.  After an hour of cooking, taste the lentils to make sure they're softened enough.  If not, cover and continue to simmer a bit longer.

Potato Leek Soup

This is a 'just threw it together' recipe - I didn't measure accurately, so I'll share as-is:

Peel & dice (small cubes) 8-10 med. brown/russett potatoes. Boil approx. 15 minutes until cooked (without becoming too soft). Drain & set aside.

In a 1 gallon stock pot, melt 1/2 stick (4 T) butter and over medium low heat, saute until wilted but not browned:

2 chopped leeks (rinsed & cleaned well)

1 small chopped onion

3 lg. stalks chopped celery

Add 2 quarts of chicken stock (or same amt. of water plus an ample amt. of chicken 'base'- that paste in a jar... I buy it at GFS) to the onions and stir. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes (low simmer) and then add the potatoes. Season with salt & pepper. If you like a thicker soup, make a paste using cornstarch or flour added to cold water (3 tblsp. dry to a few tblsp. water), add to the soup, stirring until thicker. Otherwise, leave the soup in its more pure form.

To the potato soup, add 1 to 1-1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream. Stir to incorporate and heat on low for another 10 minutes making sure it's not cooking on a high heat or it'll scorch.

Top with ground black pepper, cooked, crumbled bacon or shredded cheese, if desired.

Cream of Potato soup

This is what's cooking today:

In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tblsp. butter and 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil.
Over medium heat, saute:
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1-1/2 cups diced carrots ---

(Today when I made this, I grated the carrots, onions & celery)
Cover and saute until wilted, not browned.
Add 8 slices of fried, drained and chopped bacon.

To the vegetables, add:
10 cups chicken (OR vegetable) stock
Bring to a boil. Lower to med-low and simmer - COVERED - for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a couple Tblsp. chopped parsley.

In another pot, place 8 medium peeled & diced potatoes (doesn't matter what kind) and bring to a boil - simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are nearly cooked. Drain & carefully add the potatoes to the stockpot. Simmer for 15 minutes, keeping the heat on medium-low.

Keeping the heat on low, add 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), stirring to heat, but NOT boil! Taste - add more S&P if needed.

If you're happy with the thickness of the soup, leave it the way it is. If you like a thicker soup, add (a Tblsp. at a time, whisking constantly to prevent clumping) instant mashed potatoes. It works a LOT better than making a flour/cornstarch thickening paste and tastes much better too! Thicken as little or as much as you like.

Now's the time to add cheese if you like a cheesy potato soup. Grate as little or as much colby/jack cheese as you like, and add to the soup, stirring constantly and keeping the heat LOW to prevent sticking/scorching. Here's a tip: If you really like a smoky/bacon flavor but do not want to ADD bacon (or just don't have any on hand), grate smoked Gouda cheese and add a half cup or so to the soup. It will TASTE as though there's bacon in the soup even if there isn't any! Be creative - use chopped ham or whatever else sounds good to you. Serve in bowls and have shredded cheese on hand to sprinkle on top.

Broccoli cheese soup

In a large stockpot, melt 2 Tblsp. butter. Add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 cup diced celery, 2-3 cups diced broccoli stems (reserve the thinner stalks/tips) and 1 large grated carrot. Saute (covered) for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted.

To the pot, add 2 quarts chicken (or vegetable) stock. Add 6 cups (more or less - depending on how much broccoli you have - chopped broccoli stalks/tips). Season with salt (to taste) and a generous tsp. (or more) of ground black pepper & bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.

With a potato masher, an immersion blender (if you don't have one, GET one - they're fabulous!!!) or with a blender, mash the broccoli until it's pureed as thick or as smooth as you like.

To the broccoli soup, add approximately 1-1/2 cups heavy cream. Make sure the heat is low so it doesn't scorch on the bottom. Continue stirring. If you want the stock thicker, add a few Tblsp. (or more) of instant mashed potato flakes. When the consistency is to your liking, taste to see if it needs more salt/pepper. Add several cups of grated cheddar or co-jack cheese, stirring so that it melts evenly in the soup.

Cream of Potato Soup

In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tblsp. butter and 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil.
Over medium heat, saute:
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1-1/2 cups diced carrots
Cover and saute until wilted, not browned.
Add 8 slices of fried, drained and chopped bacon.

To the vegetables, add:
10 cups chicken (OR vegetable) stock
Bring to a boil. Lower to med-low and simmer - COVERED - for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a couple Tblsp. chopped parsley.

In another pot, place 8 medium peeled & diced potatoes (doesn't matter what kind) and bring to a boil - simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are nearly cooked. Drain & carefully add the potatoes to the stockpot. Simmer for 15 minutes, keeping the heat on medium-low.

Keeping the heat on low, add 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), stirring to heat, but NOT boil! Taste - add more S&P if needed.

If you're happy with the thickness of the soup, leave it the way it is. If you like a thicker soup, add (a Tblsp. at a time, whisking constantly to prevent clumping) instant mashed potatoes. It works a LOT better than making a flour/cornstarch thickening paste and tastes much better too! Thicken as little or as much as you like.

Now's the time to add cheese if you like a cheesy potato soup. Grate as little or as much colby/jack cheese as you like, and add to the soup, stirring constantly and keeping the heat LOW to prevent sticking/scorching. Here's a tip: If you really like a smoky/bacon flavor but do not want to ADD bacon (or just don't have any on hand), grate smoked Gouda cheese and add a half cup or so to the soup. It will TASTE as though there's bacon in the soup even if there isn't any! Be creative - use chopped ham or whatever else sounds good to you. Serve in bowls and have shredded cheese on hand to sprinkle on top.

Tortilla Soup

Keep in mind that there isn't a standard recipe for this and amounts are approximate. Add more (or less) vegetables/seasonings, depending on your taste!

In an 8 qt. stockpot, add a couple tsps. olive oil and saute 2 cups sliced celery, 2 cups chopped onion & a few cloves crushed/chopped garlic - until soft & wilted, NOT browned.

To that, add 1- 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes with juice (or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes. Add 1-1/2-2 cups sliced carrots. Add 4 qts. chicken stock/broth, home made or canned/boxed. Bring to a boil - add 2 large pcs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Simmer (covered) for 1/2 hour, until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken & dice up meat - return meat to stock. Simmer another 1/2 hour.

Season stock with salt & pepper to taste. Add 1 teasp. ground cumin, 2 teasp. chili powder and 2 tblsp. chopped fresh parsley. You can add some fresh, chopped cilantro now OR before serving, if you'd like - I'm not crazy about fresh cilantro so I don't use it. If you like a super-spicy soup (say THAT 3 times quickly!!), add some hot chili peppers or cayenne - to taste.

Continue to simmer the stock for another 15 minutes. Add 2 cups (canned or fresh/cooked) black beans and 2 cups (canned, frozen or fresh off the cob) corn. Taste and add more salt/pepper, if needed. Simmer for another half hour.

Spoon the soup into bowls - add grated chihuahua cheese (or co-jack) and garnish with tortilla strips.

Minestra/Italian wedding soup

In a large stock pot, bring to a good simmer:

6-8 quarts chicken stock (homemade is best, but I often use those mega-cans of chicken stock purchased from GFS)

4 large carrots, peeled & chopped

1 c. diced celery

1 large head of escarole, cleaned and chopped (approx. 6 cups or so)

few cloves of smashed/minced garlic

S&P to taste

Simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the escarole is tender.

Make the meatballs while the stock is simmering:

For meatballs:

1-1/2 lb. ground veal (OR use a 50-50% mix of LEAN ground beef & ground pork)

3 large eggs

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tblsp. chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

Form into small balls, an inch or less in diameter. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the pan and carefully place them into the stockpot.

Simmer for another half hour.

If you like, add 4 cups of COOKED small pasta (any shape - or broken up linguine) If you prefer to put the uncooked pasta right in with the soup to finish cooking, make sure you add an additional 2 cups of chicken stock to replenish the loss of liquid.

Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano puts the icing on the cake... or the cheese on the soup!