Monday, October 28, 2013

My Mom's Pantry Soup



My Mom's Pantry Soup
My mom is an amazing cook.  If it were not for her instruction, guidance and enthusiasm about food I have no doubt that I would never be as creative in the kitchen as I am now.  My earliest memories are of happily watching my mom bake cookies, make bread and chop vegetables.  I thought she was amazing, and of course I still do.  This past weekend she was the gracious host to a family reunion gathering that numbered 22 people.  Like a pro, she (over)fed us all and the whole weekend went as smoothly as we could have ever hoped for.  Early on in the planning she asked me what I thought she should serve to this growing group of cousins, and my first thought was soup.  A large pot of soup.  Well, she took my advice, but used the soup for lunch, and went on to also make an elaborate dinner of pasta, salads, baked chicken and roasted vegetables.

When making her soup, however, she kindly took photos so that I could post her original recipe for what she dubbed "my pantry soup". Most of the ingredients came from her cupboard and you can basically make different versions of this soup depending on what canned and fresh vegetables you have on hand.  It almost tastes like a brothy chili, but not at all spicy, and I even added some of the left over baked organic chicken to it as a leftover dinner and it was amazing.  It is simple to put together, quick to cook and feeds a large crowd of people.  And it is incredible filling, flavorful and full of nutrients.

My Mom’s Pantry Soup
 
ingredients

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 organic carrots, chopped
2 organic celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
4 C. organic vegetable stock
2 (15 ounce) cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel organic corn
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can organic stewed tomatoes
2 T. organic tomato paste
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
 
chopped ingredients

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, carrots and celery, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.  Add the chili powder and the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the vegetable stock, 1 can of beans, corn, and black pepper and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, puree together the tomatoes, the remaining can of beans and the tomato paste; add to the pot along with the fresh parsley.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour or until the carrots are tender. 



black beans

canned corn

black beans, tomatoes and tomato paste

pureed mixture

my mom's soup bowl

my left over soup bowl with organic chicken added
and a scoop of plain Greek yogurt

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