8/22/2009

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Tonight I made homemade vegetable soup, a variation of a recipe from my mother's family recipe arsenal. While hers included juicy chunks of round cut beef, mine is vegetarian and chock full of veggies. A large pot costs roughly ten New York dollars. You could probably do it for 7 or 8 suburban dollars. Great for family feasts or for a week's worth of dinners for single folk, it's wonderfully supplemented by sourdough toast, but honestly, what isn't?! My father always made cheese toast in our oven toaster to accompany this one-pot wonder. Give it a try.


Homemade Vegetable Soup (vegetarian version)

1 bunch of celery, chopped
1 package of whole carrots, chopped
3-4 medium golden potatoes, skin on, chopped
1 package of frozen peas (about 2 cups)
1 28-ounce can of whole roma tomatoes
1 46-once can of tomato juice
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
olive oil
2 cups of water
1 large stock pot with lid

Once you've chopped all of the vegetables, heat a couple splashes of olive oil in your stock pot, and saute the onions until soft. Add carrots and celery. Stir the vegetables so they are all coated with a bit of the olive oil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, place your chopped potatoes in a microwavable container, and microwave on high for 8 minutes. Add the potatoes & canned tomatoes to the pot. With a spatula, chop the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Add the entire can of tomato juice, the water, the package of peas; give it a stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes, longer depending on how soft you like your vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with caution. It will be hot!

Tonight, I enjoyed my soup with a glass of water with a fresh slice of lime. This, I think, is the ultimate cheap summer luxury.

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