Conference turris::cooks

    This will be from memory, but soup is soup.  I make it real, no
    meat at all.
    
    STOCK
    
    Take any limp, tired veggies you have and any fresh ones that you need.
    I usually use a lot of carrots, onions, and mushrooms and a rib or two
    of celery, and maybe 4 or 5 potatoes.  (Leave the skins on the
    potatoes.) To this I frequently add lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash
    or tomatoes.  Don't use cabbage or broccoli, they tend to
    overpower the stock. You can also save the water from other vegetable 
    cookings and add it to this.  
    
    Cut the veggies into 2 inch pieces.  Put them in a pot and cover them
    with water, about an inch over the veggies.  Add some salt and a
    bay leaf and bring to a boil.  Simmer for an hour or until the
    vegetables are limp.  
    
    Let it cool.  Remove the vegetables and strain the stock.
    Taste the stock.  If you like the taste, use it.  If you don't, either
    start over or try to recook the stock with other vegetables added
    to make it taste better.
    
    SOUP
    
    3 or 4 Carrots                 1 or 2 ribs of celery
    1 lg. onion                    Garlic clove
    Mushrooms                      String Beans (Green/yellow/or mixture)
    1 tsp. basil                   1 tsp. dill
    1 tsp. salt                    Pepper to taste (I use fresh ground)
    Peas                           Corn
    Potatoes                       Tomatoes
    Zucchini                       Chick Peas
    Kidney Beans                   Parsley
    Lima Bean
    
    And anything else you want to add! 
    
    Put your stock in a large stock pot.  Take the carrots, onion, celery,
    and garlic and saute it in some olive oil and butter in a frying
    pan.  Cook them till transparent.  Then add to the stock along with
    the potatoes (cut into cubes but with the skin on).  Add the spices.
    If you want to add a 28 oz. (or so) can of tomatoes you can do that
    now.  If you are using fresh beans, then add them now too.   If you 
    are using fresh mushrooms, saute them while the stock is simmering.
    
    Simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender.  Then add the other
    vegetables.  I tend to use canned corn, kidney beans, and chick
    peas.   I think everything else tastes much better if you use the
    fresh vegetables.  If that is inconvenient, then add the canned
    or frozen vegetables about ten or fifteen minutes before you plan
    on eating. (If you use frozen or canned peas, don't add
    them until about 5 minutes until you serve them.)
    
    This soup freezes well, not quite as tasty as it is when fresh,
    but it is still good.
    
    I make this a lot in the winter.  It is pretty good if you are on
    a diet.  Only a few of the vegetables are fattening, and you can
    leave them out.
    
    If you want to add pasta to this, you can cook that up separately
    and add it to the soup at the table.  It gets too mushy if you add
    it to the pot.
    
    If I've forgotten anything, I'll be back!  This is an adaptation
    of soup from Mollie Katzen's The_Enchanted_Broccoli_Forest.  
    
    Enjoy!
    
    
     
    
    
    Cool and taste.  If you like the taste, use it.  If you don't you
    can try again.  (You can try it with the stock and add the vegetables
    that you think are missing.)

    I checked my book at home and noticed that I missed the following:
    
    Add 1 tsp. marjoram and 1 tsp. thyme to the spices.
    
    Add 1 cup white wine to the soup, about 10 to 15 minutes before
    eating.
    
    Also, make sure that you have enough liquid.  If you don't have
    enough stock, you can just add water.  It does dilute the broth
    a little.  But who wants to make more stock at that point?
    
    Good luck.
    
    Judy

    One of the best variations I've eaten had spinach in it.  The
    only problem was that the cook used WHOLE spinach, which was
    a bit too long and tangly - I would chop it.  Frozen is fine
    for this purpose - fresh is too much bother in my book unless
    you're eating it raw.
    
    _louise

    This is from "Bakery Lane Soup Bowl", never a failure. The secret
    in any soup is homemade stock. Don't use the can or cubes. For this
    recipe use Prosciutto ham if you can, about half as much.
    
    If there is anything better on a cold winter evening, let me know.
    
    
     1/2 pound great northern beans	    1 Clove garlic, crushed
     Water				    1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
     1/4 cup olive oil			    1 tbls Basil leaves
     1/4 cup butter			    1/2 teas Oregano
     1 - 1/4 cups chopped carrots	    1/2 pound diced cooked ham
     2 - 1/2 cups chopped celery	    1/2 italian green beans
     1 pound (1 can) tomates		    1 pound zucchini sliced
     4 quarts beef or chicken stock	    1/2 cup elbow macaroni
     2 cups diced potatoes		    2 cups shredded cabbage
     1 - 1/2 tbls salt			    Grated parmesan cheese

     Wash and soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain and cook in water
    to cover until not quite tender. Drain and set aside.

    Heat oil and butter in saucepan. Add carrot, celery, and onion; Saute
    5 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to boil. Break up tomatoes and
    simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

    Combine stock and potatoes in the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook
    until potatoes are tender. Add the sauted vegatables, the beans,
    seasonings, ham and italian green beans. Bring to a boil and simmer 20
    minutes. Add zucchini, macaroni and cabbage. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve
    garnished with grated parmesan cheese.

    Does anyone have a recipe for Minestrone or Italian Wedding Soup?
    It's a broth-type soup with spinach.  I used to work in an Italian
    restaurant that billed it as Minestrone, but every Minestrone I've
    had since then has been more like a thick vegetable soup with noodles.
    Then I remembered they called it wedding soup.  I can't tell you
    what other flavors it had, because that was in the days before I
    realized I liked spinach and never tasted it!  And now I want to
    make up for lost time!
    
    Thanks for any suggestions - this may be one of those to ad lib
    on!
    
    Terry

    The closest thing I can think of to what you're requesting is Escarole
    soup.  Escarole soup is made by all my old Italian aunts and
    grandmother and I have even made it myself.  This is how it's made:
    
    Boil 1 whole chicken in a soup-size kettle with chopped onions, carrots,
    celery, and season with salt, pepper, Bell's seasoning, garlic powder.
    
    Then, after the chicken is cooked, remove it, bone it, and return
    the pieces to the kettle. 
    
    In one separate pan, cook about 1/2 box of Prince Acini de Pepi
    macaroni.  Rinse, drain, then add to the kettle.
    
    In another pan, cook 1 washed and chopped head of escarole.  If
    you aren't familiar with this, it looks much like spinach but is
    a little more bitter. It's found is most stores (Victory Mkts for
    sure).  When cooked, also drain and add this to the pot.
    
    Then, in a small bowl, beat one egg and add romano cheese (about
    1/4-1/2 cup).  Pour this into the soup and stir.  
    
    Let the whole thing simmer for another 1/2 hour or so then serve.
    
    Also, if you want, you can make some tiny meatballs and throw
    those in to cook.  I haven't done this yet because I find the above
    recipe hearty enough.
    
    Mangia
    
    
                                                        

    I'm very familiar with the soup you mention.  I'm from Lawrence,
    MA and an Italian family and it was always served at weddings and
    billed as Minestrone.  
    
    Boil one chicken.  Add carrots, small Italian soup pasta or rice,
    tiny meatballs that are cooked in the soup (not fried beforehand)
    boil up eggs separately and add sliced hardboiled eggs to the soup,
    chicken pieces, escarole or chopped frozen spinach.  And when
    served, sprinkle with Italian grated cheese.  
    
    We only used salt and pepper as seasonings.  
    
    This is how I was taught to make it; good for the winter months
    with fresh Italian bread!!
    
    Rosemary
    

    Terry, I've always cooked the meatballs in the soup - but just
    spoke to the expert - my mother - and she parboils them in boiling
    water to remove most of the grease.  The meatballs are very plain,
    just salt and pepper and maybe a little grated cheese, not at all
    like the meatballs she makes with her tomato sauce.  Growing up,
    this was always Minestrone soup to us, never had the other type.
    
    Her regular meatballs, by the way, have the following ingredients:
    
    Uneeda unsalted crackers soaked in water, then squeeze most of the
    water out
    Fresh Italian parsley
    Fresh Garlic
    Italian grated cheese (she grates it herself)
    Eggs
    Salt, pepper
    
    Any more info, let me know.
    
    Rosemary