Seven soup recipes for cold Lenten days

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Catholic Universe Bulletin) - I love winter. I kind of hate to admit it in northern Ohio, but I really like watching the snow pile up. I like the way it makes popcorn on the trees. I even like looking at the frozen garden. I enjoy walks in the winter. I love the stillness and the way you can see the contours of the ground through the bare trees. But mostly I like staying at my house, reading, writing, cooking and hibernating like a bear in a cave.

So, you may have noticed I left out some of the bad things about winter. I never mentioned ice storms, not being able to get into your driveway, frozen water lines and two-hour commutes home on dark, cold nights.

That's probably why God made soup. This warm and welcoming concoction speaks to me of home, coziness and being well cared for.

When I was a child my mom made homemade soup pretty frequently. The other days we ate Campbell's. I must say that as an adult I have gravitated more to the homemade variety.

Nowadays, when I make a big pot of soup, I actually have leftovers I can put in small containers and freeze. Eat your heart out, Campbell's!

Experimentation and creativity is the key

The thing I love most about soup is its forgiving nature. This is not an exact science, it's a simmering cauldron of possibilities. Out of alphabets? Use elbows, orzo or pastina. Throw some rice in the chicken soup instead of noodles--although that was one of my mom's staples and I didn't like it very much; we used to put ketchup in it. If you don't like chunky tomatoes in your soup, use puréed instead. Be creative and try different herbs. It took me years to figure out the missing flavor from mom's vegetable beef barley soup was dill. She always bought a package of "soup vegetables" in the produce aisle. That was where the dill came from.

Some people like potatoes in their split pea soup, some don't. Leave them out if you're cutting carbs. It'll still be delicious. Although I've included salt in most of the recipes, it's fine to omit it and see if you still want it at the end.

The point is experiment, experiment, experiment. You can't go wrong with soup and it's the perfect match to an Ohio winter.

Here are six soup recipes to try. Note that the first three are meatless and useful for Lenten Fridays, while the last four have meat and would not be appropriate for days of abstinence.

New England Clam Chowder

1/4 lb. bacon, chopped
4 minced onions
4 cups chopped clams, fresh or canned
1 bottle clam juice
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 quarts water
˝ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 quart 1% milk
1 cup evaporated skim milk

In a large soup pot, brown bacon. Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon grease. Add chopped onions and sauté until soft. Add water and clam broth. Add diced potatoes, clams and clam juice. Simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Scald milk and add to soup. Mix evaporated milk with flour, salt and pepper in a covered container. Shake until blended. Slowly stir into simmering soup. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serves 10 or more.

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Barley-Lentil Soup

1/3 lb. barley, rinsed
1/4 lb. dried lentils
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
˝ lb. celeriac (celery root,) trimmed peeled and diced
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 lb. diced ham
8 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add barley and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, boil a small pot of water and add the lentils, garlic and bay leaves and cook for five minutes. In a large stock pot, warm olive oil. Drain lentil mixture and add to pot along with celeriac, carrot, onion and ham. Sauté mixture for 10 minutes. Add the stock and seasonings. Bring to simmer and cook 45 minutes. Stir in barley and tomato paste, and cook another 15 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with fresh chopped parsley. 5-6 servings.

Nine Bean Soup

2 cups nine been soup mix (you can find this in grocery stores, but if you want to make it yourself use baby limas, black-eyed, black turtle, garbanzo, navy, pink, pinto, red chili and red kidney beans)
2 quarts water
1 lb. diced ham
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
˝ teaspoon salt
1 16 ounce can tomatoes with liquid
1 10 ounce can Rotelle tomatoes and green chilies

Sort through (for small stones or husks) and wash dried beans. Place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans and soak overnight.

Drain beans, add 2 quarts water, ham, onion, garlic and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1˝ hours, or until beans are tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. About 8 servings.

Sausage Soup

1 large onion, chopped
˝ lb. sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
˝ cup orzo
2 cans chicken broth
1 can stewed or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt

Brown sausages and onion together in large pot. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, basil and salt. Bring to a boil, add orzo, reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Serves about 5.

Mom's Vegetable, Beef & Barley Soup

1-2 good-sized beef soup bones or 3/4 lb. beef stew meat, cut in 1 inch chunks (use some stew meat with bones if they are totally cleaned of meat)
2 ribs celery, chopped, including leaves
2 medium onions, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1-2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
1 small white turnip, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped
1 package frozen mixed vegetables
2 large cans peeled tomatoes
˝ teaspoon pepper
1˝ quarts water
1/4 cup quick cooking barley
˝ cup macaroni alphabets

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Place all ingredients except frozen vegetables, macaroni and barley in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Skim any scum from top of soup. Reduce heat and simmer about two hours. Add remaining ingredients. Return to a boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer one half hour more. Check for seasonings. Remove bay leaf and soup bones, removing any meat from bones and returning it to pot. Allow to stand a half hour before serving. Serves 8-10.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

1 lb. split peas
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped, including leaves
1 bay leaf
˝ teaspoon pepper
1 meaty hambone or ˝ lb. lean ham, cubed
2 quarts water
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Wash peas carefully, after sorting and checking for hulls or small stones. Place in pot with water and remaining ingredients, minus potatoes. Bring to boil, skim, reduce heat and simmer two hours. Add cubed potatoes. Cook another half hour or until potatoes are tender. Allow to stand one half hour before serving.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 small whole chicken
2 medium onions, quartered
2-3 carrots, washed
2-3 large stalk celery with leaves
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
˝ teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
2-3 low-sodium bouillon cubes
2 to 2˝ quarts water
2 celery ribs sliced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
4-5 ounces dried egg noodles

Place chicken in large stock pot with remaining ingredients through the water. Bring to a boil, skim, reduce heat and simmer for 1˝ hours. Strain broth into a large bowl, discarding all solids except chicken meat. Chill broth and skim fat. Meanwhile, remove meat from bones of chicken and shred. Return broth to pot with sliced celery and carrots. Cook until vegetables are tender; add egg noodles. Season with additional basil and salt, as desired. Simmer until egg noodles are tender; return chicken to pot and heat until warmed through. 10 or more servings.

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