Soups of the Mid-Atlantic group.

The nights are getting cooler, there is a hint of fall in the air. Nothing warms the spirits like a hearth bowl of home made soup, that has been simmering on the stove. Time to share everyone!!!

This is one of my favorites, a few years I bought a pie pumpkin just to try this soup, the seeds naturally went into the compost pile and I have been harvesting this pumpkin for several years from seeds that have made it to the compost pile and grew the next spring, this year was a crop failure so, I have to buy another pumpkin.
Well, here is the recipe.

Hearty Pumpkin Chowder

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
4 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks or (butternut squash), prepared the same way
2 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced peeled potato
1 1/2 cups lima beans, frozen
1 cup corn kernel
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup ham, chunks bite sized
4 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Sauté onion, celery, pumpkin, ginger and garlic in butter 5 minutes over medium heat.
Stir in broth, potatoes, lima beans, corn and bell pepper.
Boil then cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Add ham.
Whisk milk, flour, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
Stir milk mixture into pot and bring to boil.
Stir a few minutes until thickened.

Enjoy!

This is a very simple, very quick soup that my mother used to make for lunch a lot. A friend who spent a lot of time in France told me it's something she also saw in French households in the countryside.

Peel and slice four or five potatoes (You can also use canned, sliced potatoes. Don't drain the liquid and just adjust the amount of water you add.)

Place the potatoes in a pan with several slices of bacon, I usually use three or four. Add a very generous sprinkling of black pepper, a dash of salt. If you're one of those people who saves bacon grease, you can use a tablespoon or so of that in place of the bacon.

Cover with water, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes. That's it.

I've also made this with some parsley and garlic added. I actually prefer the simple one with just pepper myself.

Both sound good!
Can I use pork roast broth in place of chicken in a soup? My kids don't like gravy so I save the broth for...I dunno.
I have chicken broth from baking a couple chickens, same thing no need for gravy.. We like chicken noodle soup and its extra good with some Penzey's soup base.

Norwegian Seafood Chowder

Dice onions, carrots, celery & potatoes - sauté lightly
Add 1++ quart of chicken/veggie broth
Cook until veggies are tender, add spices - S&P, parsley, dash nutmeg, garlic - to taste
Dice different kinds of fish and seafood, (shrimp, cod, haddock, halibut etc), about 2 lbs
Add 2 cups of cream or 1/2 & 1/2 - bring to light boil - add seafood/fish and lightly cook until fish/seafood is done (no more than 5 minutes) - add 1 cup sour cream - stir lightly and you are done....(you can add all kinds of veggies and seafood - the more, the better!)

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread ^_^

God appetitt!

Edited to add this link - if you like a certain dish from a restaurant, you might just be able to find it here! http://www.copykat.com/


This message was edited Sep 18, 2008 3:13 PM

Hart: You don't saute the bacon first, or dice it?

You can use either cooked or raw bacon. Raw is better because it has more fat. You're basically just boiling the fat out of it. I forgot to mention, take the bacon out before you serve it. It gets limp and not very appetizing. For that reason, don't cut it up. It's easier to fish out in whole slices.

This is not the low fat version. LOL

Sally, I have gotten so much grief my whole life for not liking cheese. It's unamerican, so I've been told. But not liking GRAVY????!!! I'm shocked. Where did you go wrong? LOL

Sally, I would think you could substitute the broths, or even combine them, might change the flavor just a bit but nothing so it would not taste good. I would think pork broth with a soup with ham or bacon in it would be fine. Chicken broth for a no meat or chicken soup.
You can even save the water you boil veggies in for a vegetable broth.

no gravy--so sad LOL probably because I was too lazy to make it for so many years, except Thanksgiving. Maybe their cardiologists will thank me many years from now.
thanks ladyg- bet you're right.

Here is a really stick to the ribs soup, like to serve this with a homemade wheat or rye bread.

Beef Barley Soup

2 lbs stew beef, cubed
5 cups water
1 - 16 oz can tomatoes, cut up
1 large onion
1 tablespoon instant beef bouillon
2 teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoons dried basil
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup celery
¾ cup chopped green pepper
2/3 cup quick cooking barley (I use regular barley) just simmer longer

Brown meat, drain off fat. Add water, and ingredients up to the basil simmer covered 1 ½ hour.

Add vegetables and barley , simmer 45 minutes or longer till barley is cooked.

Oh, I love soups! They just smell so wonderful! Here's one that's become a favorite. I think it may have Cooking Light origins of some sort:

Great Northern Bean Soup

I cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves of garlic, minced
7 oz (at least! I like more) turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2 in pieces
2 cans of fat free chicken broth
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cans of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 small bag of fresh baby spinach leaves

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray over med heat. Add the carrots, onion, garlic and kielbasa. Saute about 8 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the broth, the Italian seasoning, the black pepper and the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approx 10 minutes. Take out approx 2 cups of the soup and process until smooth in a blender or food processor. Add that back into the soup in the pan. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Add some spinach to each bowl, stirring until it wilts a bit.

(If you think you'll eat it all up, go ahead and add all the spinach. We usually have enough to have again...and I don't like the spinach to sit in it....that's just me, though).

Hope you like it!

I'll have to try your soup, Gone. I like the kielbasa in it, that should add some real flavor...Yum yum!