My name ought to be a blast from the past... how is everyone?

C

carianna-in-wa

Well-known member
I don't cook nearly as extravagently as I used to... but I still like to get in the kitchen. I've been in a rut though. Since I went back to school and started teaching, I find myself with a lack of ideas at dinner time.

What I've found myself craving lately is soups. The kicker is, though, that I really need them to be freezable. (So I can freeze in small portions and take to work.) Along with sharing how you're doing, does anyone have a terrific freezable soup to point me at?

Carianna in WA smileys/smile.gif

 
Hi There, There a a lot of excellent soups in Tried and True. I just looked through the listings

you should be able to find a nice selection of soups to try that are freezeable. Many of the vegetable and meat/poultry soups wil work very well, as will the stews.

 
((Carianna!)) Great to see you! I have often thought of your wedding catering event. The

appetizers were such an inspiration for me. Glad you are doing well. I love the crock pot for soups / chili for weeknight meals that can have leftovers for lunch.

Please check in often. Great to hear from you!

Best,

Barb

 
So can you freeze soups that have kale in them?

I've been eating lots of kale lately - usually sauteed and tossed into pasta, but I'd like to try some in a bean and sausage-y kind of soup. Do you think the kale would survive the freezing process?

 
HI Carianna! I think the kale would survive freezing just fine--better than the beans,

in fact. It would be a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sausage.

I find whole beans get a weird texture when frozen, but if you've had better luck, go for it.

 
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

VEGETARIAN TORTILLA SOUP

(Note: I increased the spices significantly, and it made a big difference. Also, I added a can of corn, unsalted).

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray (I used extra virgin olive oil)
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used more)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used a lot more)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I omitted it)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used a lot more)
3/4 teaspoon chili powder (I used a lot more)
4 cups canned vegetable broth (I used low sodium chicken broth)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used canned)
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained (I used a lot more)
2/3 cup chopped zucchini (I used more)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili

DIRECTIONS:

Spray large nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil spray. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. (I saute them in extra virgin olive oil). Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add broth and 2 tablespoons cilantro; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeño to soup. Cover; simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. (I cook until it's crisp/tender). Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro. (I also top with some grated extra sharp cheddar).

Serves 4.

From Bon Appétit

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/4421

 
Yellow Pepper Soup

YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

(Note: The last time I made this, I added lots of smoked paprika. I also left part of the soup chunky).

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, chopped (I used 1 large)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used 9 large cloves, crushed)
2 teaspoons olive oil (I used 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil)
1 1/2 lbs yellow peppers (chopped) (I used 1 large yellow pepper and 1 large red pepper)
3/4 lb potatoes, cut into chunks (I used 1 medium potato, about 10 oz)
3 cups unsalted chicken stock (I used 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth)
1 tablespoon salt, *less if using salted chicken broth (I used less, of course)
1 chipotle pepper (canned) (I used a 4 oz can of mild green chilies and several shakes of some Cajun hot pepper sauce)
parmesan cheese (for garnish) (I used Parmigiano Reggiano)
extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook (sweat) onion, celery, carrot and garlic in olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes).
2. Bring stock to a boil.
3. Add peppers, potatoes, salt, chipotle to boiling stock.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
5. Puree in food processor or use an immersion blender. (I used a regular blender).
6. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parmesan and EV olive oil.

4 servings

http://www.food.com/recipe/yellow-pepper-soup-22104

 
Pea soups, lentil and my favorite borscht with meat freeze very well. All hearty if you add sausage

or ham bone or ham hocks to the pea and lentil soups.

 
Gumbo - from my to-try list:

GUMBO

From the poster: "This is originally a shrimp gumbo recipe, but it's gumbo, so you can add whatever turns you on. I always eat it with more than just a few dashes of Tabasco."

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup sliced scallions
6 cloves minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
2 lbs any combo of sausage or shrimp or chicken (etc.)

In a large stockpot combine oil and flour and cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes or until it turns very dark brown, almost between brown and black. You will have to stir almost constantly. This is called the roux.
Add onions, parsley, celery, bell peppers, scallions and garlic and cook about 10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring regularly.
Add broth, salt, and creole seasoning.
From the poster: "(If you like you may also add a 10 oz package of frozen okra at this point, but I despise the stuff). "
Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add your chosen combination of meat at this point and simmer an additional 10 minutes (if using whole pieces of crab like claws, or blue crab halves cook a little longer to ensure they're cooked all the way.).
Ladle over steamed white rice.

8 servings

posted by Kevin Young - Recipezaar

http://www.food.com/recipe/gumbo-32042

 
Borscht

Roast about 12 oz beets until tender, cool a bit, peel and cut into chunks.

Dredge a pound of chuck, cut into bite sized pieces, in flour and s&p. Brown in batches in Le Creuset type pot and then add 4.5 C beef stock, one 28 oz cam of tomatoes and simmer for 30 min. Don't boil.

Stir in 2 C shredded cabbage (I use Savoy)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots sliced or cut in chunks
1.5 teasp tomato paste
Simmer 30 min, partially covered

Stir in:
Beets
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t fresh lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic
s&p to taste
simmer 15 min

serve with sour cream and dill and black bread and butter.

Much better the next day, freezes well

This is, I think, from the original Joy of Cooking. It makes a lot. Obviously, adjust seasoning to your taste and simmer longer if you think the meat needs to be more tender.

 
Wow, this sounds so simple and so good. Would you ever substitute pork shoulder for the beef?

 
I put kale in all sorts of soups these days to boost their nutritional density & freeze

I haven't had problems with any of them - Portugese kale soup, lentil soup with kale, peasant soup with kale, etc. Plus I cook down all sorts of greens - individually as well as all sorts of combinations and freeze them in smaller servings since I am the only one that eats just greens. Greens freeze extremely well.

 
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