Soup Night (21 page)
Authors: Maggie Stuckey
Serves 6–8
Heather Frederick, of Soup and Solidarity (
page 84
) credits her friend Jennifer Sammons with this soup, which is very popular with the writing group. But Jennifer adds that it’s a real hit for any occasion where friends and family gather, and she suggests serving it with corn chips and a complementary jalapeño slaw.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1
⁄
3
cup chopped onion - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3
⁄
4
teaspoon ground cumin - 3
⁄
4
teaspoon dried oregano - 1
⁄
4
teaspoon chili powder - 1
⁄
4
teaspoon black pepper - 8 cups veggie broth, more to thin if needed
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups corn kernels (frozen or canned) - 1 cup cooked black beans (canned or homemade), drained and rinsed
- 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 2–3 teaspoons salt
- Avocado, sliced or diced
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Sliced black olives
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- 1.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and pepper, and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the spices are fragrant. - 2.
Add the broth, tomatoes (including juice), and green chiles. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the corn and black beans. - 3.
Stack and cut the tortillas in
1
⁄
8
-inch-wide strips and add them to the boiling broth. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tortilla pieces disintegrate during cooking, thickening the soup in the process. Simmer until the soup is heated through and the tortilla strips have fallen apart. Season with salt and pepper to taste. - 4.
Set out the garnishes in bowls, and serve the soup hot.
Variation:
This can easily be turned into a chicken-tortilla soup, with all the flavors of chicken fajitas. As a first step, cut 1 or 2 chicken breasts into 1⁄2-inch strips and sauté in vegetable or olive oil over medium-high heat until nicely browned and no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chicken strips to the soup pot at step 2.
Make ahead?
Of course. If you’re making the chicken version, I would cook the chicken and refrigerate it separately, then add at step 2.
For large crowds:
This is perfect for a crowd, but go easy multiplying the cumin. It’s a strong taste, and you might not need a full double or triple measure. Add increases in tiny increments and taste as you go.
Karen Robbins
Grayslake, Illinois
The Robbins family is friends with the Dahlbergs (they live in the same town but different neighborhoods), and loved going to their Soup Nights (
page 58
). So when the Robbinses moved into their new home, they decided to start a Soup Night too. Their usual pattern is once a week, from early January to late February or early March.
“One thing I wanted to do,” Karen says, “was share what God has given me. I love to share my home. When I mentioned Soup Night to people, they were completely shocked that I would have people in my house that I didn’t know. But I never thought of it as work. The big payoff was getting to see everyone, especially in winter.”
The first year, Karen made handwritten invitations and delivered them to all the neighbors; they also invited about 30 friends from church and 20 other friends from their daughters’ school. From a slow start the first year, they now sometimes have as many as 60 people.
The Robbinses agreed to do this as a family. Their two teenage daughters have specific jobs, and Karen has developed a checklist to simplify the preparations; thanks to her for allowing me to share it with you (see
page 292
). Some other logistics they have developed over the years:
- A mix-match collection of bowls picked up at sales, stacked beside the stove where two big soup pots are kept simmering.
- Spoons, napkins, and whatever food contributions others bring (breads, appetizers) are laid out on the dining room table. The desserts are on a separate table so the kids don’t grab them first.
- They now send invitations by e-mail, with a reminder the day before. Everyone is asked to sign a guest book, so new people can be added to the list. The invitations specify no RSVP is needed, just come if you can.
“I love to see the connections develop,” Karen says. “Once I watched two women start chatting, and pretty soon they were crying. Turns out they were talking about adoptions, which can be pretty emotional.”
The Robbinses found, after five years of Soup Nights, that families have more complicated schedules as their children get older. So they took a break in 2012, only to find that people were always asking about it. But when I think about Karen’s last comment to me, I have a feeling they will start up again: “People used to sit on their front porches and visit with whoever walked by. Now we don’t even know our neighbors, much less visit with them. We’re all too busy to socialize. It’s not healthy. It’s just not healthy.”
Serves 6
A “soupy” version of traditional chicken curry, this versatile soup is delicious both hot and cold; see serving suggestions below. If you have time, simmer a whole chicken for richly flavored homemade broth, then cut the chicken meat into small chunks for the soup.
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, cored, peeled, and chopped
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 cup cooked chicken, in strips
- Shredded coconut, toasted (see note below)
- Sliced almonds, toasted (see note below)
- Raisins or dried cranberries
Notes:
To toast the almonds, spread them in a thin layer on a metal baking sheet, and toast in a 300°F oven for a few minutes until golden brown. Stir occasionally so they toast evenly. Set aside. The coconut is more easily toasted in a dry skillet on the stovetop; watch closely, it only takes a couple of minutes.
- 1.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot and sauté the onions and celery over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the curry powder; cook for 5 minutes. - 2.
Add the bay leaf, chicken broth, and apples. Simmer until the apples start to fall apart, about 10 minutes. - 3.
Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender. - 4.
Stir in the cream and the chicken, and heat through. Serve with bowls of garnishes alongside.
Variation:
For cold soup, refrigerate after step 3. Then proceed to step 4 when ready to serve.
Make ahead?
Prepare the chicken and broth, either from scratch or using purchased cooked chicken. Make the soup through step 3; refrigerate. At party time, complete step 4 and reheat
slowly
.
For large crowds:
Since chicken is among the least expensive meats, this is appropriate for groups.
Serves 6
Here’s another soup that starts with cooked chicken, perhaps a rotisserie bird from the supermarket. This is also a great way to use leftover turkey.
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 cup sliced leeks (see
page 186
) or chopped onion - 1
⁄
2
cup chopped red or green bell pepper - 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons snipped fresh basil, or
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried basil, crushed - 1 teaspoon snipped fresh oregano, or
1
⁄
4
teaspoon dried oregano, crushed - 3
⁄
4
teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary, or
1
⁄
4
teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed - 1
⁄
4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - 1
⁄
2
cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained - 1
1
⁄
2
cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey - 1
1
⁄
2
cups sliced carrots - 1
⁄
2
cup quick-cooking barley - 1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes, cut up, juices reserved
- 1.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks or onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté until tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. - 2.
Carefully stir in the broth, basil, oregano, rosemary, pepper, and the lentils; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. - 3.
Stir in the chicken or turkey, carrots, and barley. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes longer or just until carrots and barley are tender. - 4.
Stir in the tomatoes and reserved juices; heat through. Serve hot.
Make ahead?
Get the chicken ready: either cook 1 or 2 chicken breasts, or pick up a supermarket chicken and cut up enough to make 11⁄2 cups meat. If you need to, you can also do the entire recipe ahead; stop step 4 a few minutes early, so that the reheating doesn’t overcook the carrots.
For large crowds:
This is a good candidate for making large quantities.
For vegetarians?
You could leave out the chicken, of course, but you’d have to come up with another name for the soup.
Toni Kelly
Erie, Pennsylvania
For the past 14 years, Toni has been serving up soup once a week to family and friends. “When my youngest son moved out of the home, he was in his early 20s and not eating like he should. So I started to have him over for soup one night a week. It proved to be a winner for him and for me, knowing that at least one night he was getting something warm and nutritious, and we could stay in touch.
“What I didn’t realize was how much he appreciated it too. It was one hour we could sit together just to talk about our week without criticism. We have continued to have our Soup Night during the fall and winter months for years now. He got married this past year, and he and his bride still want to come for Soup Night.
“I also didn’t realize what an influence this has had on others until one of the wives at my husband’s office Christmas party thanked me for telling her about Soup Night. They now have Soup Night once a week at their house too, and love it.”
