Mercer County Library Blog: The Comforting Joy Of Homemade Soup

Press release from the Mercer County Library Blog:

February 04, 2022

Soup can be quite easy to prepare. It’s often a one pot affair. While you only need a saucepan, it also suits an Instant Pot or slow cooker well. Soup features in nearly all cuisines, so regardless of what you usually eat at home, you can find many recipes. On the flip-side, if you or your family like to try new-to-you ethnic foods, look for soup from different cuisines. It can be a wonderful change of pace. And if you’re recovering from an expensive December, soups usually are a very inexpensive option to feed yourself or your family.

Personally, in winter I eat soup nearly every day. I’ve been cooking for a long time and with that experience, I have a good sense of what goes into a soup and when to add it. So, I often prepare soups from scratch.

I start with leftovers: a chicken, ham bone, beans or a rice dish as the main ingredient. I add water & cook slowly at a low temperature in a saucepan on the stove or in a slow cooker until the items are soft and tender.

I add vegetables and spices that feel appropriate for the main ingredient (If I’m not sure what to add, I’ll browse a cookbook for a recipe similar to what I’m making.). The veggies can be fresh, frozen, canned or leftovers. Carrots & onions are a good bet and they can be added when you add the water. Hearty greens can be added early, too. Cut everything up in bite-sized pieces.

More delicate vegetables like sweet peppers or tomatoes can be added after the main ingredient is cooked until soft. Tender greens, like spinach, are best to add when the soup is nearly done.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with bread or rice.

Sounds complicated? Start with canned broth (and maybe beans). Add chopped meat or a quick-cooking grain, like lentils. Cook until tender and add a bag of frozen vegetables (whatever kind that you like). Heat through and season with salt & pepper. Voilà, you have soup!

You can find recipes and inspiration in the Mercer County Library System catalog. Have your pick of cookbooks featuring soup recipes:

Nourish Soups: Hearty Soups with a Healthy Twist by Rebecca Woods

The Soup Club Cookbook: Feed Your Friends, Feed Your Family, Feed Yourself by Courtney Allison

An Exaltation of Soups: The Soul-Satisfying Story of Soup, As Told in More Than 100 Recipes by Patricia Solley

The Soup Book: 200 Recipes Season by Season by Sophie Grigson and Any Slack

A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes by Paulette Mitchell

Healthy and Delicious Instant Pot: Inspired Meals with a World of Flavor by America’s Test Kitchen

Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals by Lukas Volger

Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas and Annika Huett

The Chicken Soup Manifesto: Recipes from Around the World by Jenn Louis

The Whole World Loves Chicken Soup: Recipes and Lore to Comfort Body and Soul by Mimi Sheraton

Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir-Fries, Soups, and More by Hsiao-Ching Chou and Clare Barboza

Zuppe: Soups from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome, the Rome Sustainable Food Project

Japanese Soups: 66 Nourishing Broths, Stews and Hotpots by Keiko Iwasaki

The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favorite Soup and Noodles by Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen

World's Best Bowl Food: Where to Find It and How to Make It by Lonely Planet Global

Also available are e-cookbooks for checkout at hoopla and elibrarynj

Ahh, the simple pleasure of enjoying a hot bowl of soup in the wintertime!

-Kim Luke, Hightstown Branch

This press release was produced by the Mercer County Library Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.