SOUPS

serves 4

There was something much like this in one of our Italian cookbooks. My mother got the recipe sometime in the 1940’s by word of mouth. It is essentially a French garbure with the addition of tomato.

• smoked sausage, sliced (about ¼ lb.)

• 1 onion, sliced or chopped

• dried or fresh thyme

• 1 lb. can of chopped or crushed tomatoes, without hot pepper or basil

• 1 large or 2 small carrots

• 1 small cabbage

• 1 can navy beans, lima or cannelloni beans in water

• salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste

• ½ teaspoon chopped caraway seed

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Lightly cook sliced smoked sausage (like Andouille or Polish, etc.) in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, remove, then saute 1 chopped onion until soft, along with the caraway seed and ½ teaspoon of powdered or dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh; when the onion is cooked add 1 lb. can of chopped tomatoes with their liquid.

Add 1 can of water or stock, the sausage, one small cabbage – cut into pieces to fit a soup spoon, the garlic and a carrot shredded on a coarse grater.

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cabbage is well softened. Add the drained can of beans. Adjust the seasoning and cook for 20 minutes longer over a lower fire to meld the flavors.

This recipe results in well over a gallon of gumbo.

• 4 quarts of hot chicken stock in a large pot,

• 2 cups of chopped onion

• 1 ½ cups of minced celery,

• 1 cup of chopped green sweet peppers,

• 3 cloves of chopped garlic,

• 3 lbs. of okra, sliced,

• Vegetable oil,

• 2 tablespoons of flour,

• A 16 oz. can of tomatoes, drained

• A small can of tomato sauce

• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon of thyme. Salt and pepper of choice.

Step 1 – the Okra: In a pan large enough for tossing , cook the okra in about ¼ cup of oil, stir often. It will exude slimy liquid, and this is what needs some drying. The okra will soften, but do not brown it. Put it into the stock. Use the same pan for the next step.

Step 2 – the Mirepoix: Saute the onion, celery and green pepper until soft, add the garlic . Scrape this into the stock, and use the same pan for the next step.

Step 3 – the Roux: Make a brown roux with 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of flour. It will stick to the spoon at first, but will become more liquid when it is hot. When it is a light brown and smells nutty, add the tomato and sauce. Stir well and add the thyme and bay. Cook for 5 minutes, then add some stock to dilute. Place it into the stock pot along with the seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Cook at a low simmer for 45 minutes.

Add cooked meats, such as sliced sausage, chicken or whatever – alone or in combination- during the simmering. Add chopped parsley and scallions to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Recipes for other gumbos follow.

There is currently a swinish practice in vogue of dropping a blob of potato salad into a bowl of gumbo. This turns it into swill.

This is the real Gumbo, the one we grew up on - of course.. It always includes 3 or 4 “gumbo crabs”, which are raw crabs minus their top shell and cleared of gills and the soft tissue. They are halved and put into the stock at the beginning of cooking and when the gumbo is done their meat is mush.

It also always includes some diced ham, sausage is really optional. The oyster water is strained and added early on. Shrimp shells and crab shell debris can be simmered in the stock, then strained out – for a rich seafood flavor base. Shrimp, then oysters are added at the end because they require so little cooking. The oysters should be just plumped, not cooked to the tough state.

The following is Mawmaw’s recipe, as recorded by Myrl. She wrote it down as her mother-in-law was preparing it.

• 1 cup cubed ham

• 1 cup sliced smoked sausage, casing removed (optional)

• 1 large onion, minced

• 1 rib celery

• 1 lb. can of tomatoes

• 1 small can of tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp. oil

• 1 lb. okra – thin sliced

• 2 lb. shrimp

• 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp. ground thyme, 2 tbs. chopped parsley, 1 small hot pepper (or Tabasco), Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper

• 2 crabs

• 1 or 2 dozen oysters

• 2 scallions, minced, for garnish

Heat the oil in a casserole, add the onions and celery (minced) cover and cook until soft. Add the okra and cook until no longer slimy. Add can of tomatoes (chop if whole) and the tomato sauce, bay leaves, thyme, ham, parsley, sausage and pepper. Fill the tomato sauce can with water and add it to the pot. Add about 1 ½ cans of strained oyster water and chicken stock combined. Stir well and cover, turn the fire down and simmer for 20 minutes, or so. Add liquid if needed.

Add 2 crab bodies (cleaned) and simmer until the okra begins to disintegrate (about 45 min. to 1 hour). Then add the Worcester sauce and 2 lbs. shelled and deveined shrimp and simmer about 10 minutes, or until just cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper. Oysters can be added in the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. Try to get small ones. (Do not freeze gumbo that contains oysters.)

Serve with rice (optional) and crusty white bread. The servings of soup can be garnished with crabmeat and minced parsley and scallions, or any or all of these. My grandfather would have sprinkled a seeded and minced fresh Tabasco pepper on it.

This is the real thing.. A section of lemon beside each bowl served is also de rigeur.

See Turkey Gumbo.

Note: The point of okra is to serve as a thickener, as well as imparting a mild flavor. One has to cook gumbo in its various combinations before settling on the favorite flavor. A true Orleanian will break open the crabs and suck the meat out after eating the gumbo. The sausage can be cooked whole and served as an entree.

There are all kinds of vegetable soups. We usually had the kind with beef in it, and made quite thick with potato and pasta. Corn on the cob is often used. It can be made using the following recipe, just cook it longer and add anything like veggies, meats and rice or pasta..

Rich beef stock, (see next recipe).

Vegetables, diced to bite size. The most suitable are carrot, potato, turnip, rutabaga, celery, broccoli stems, firm squash, cabbage and zucchini. Peeled, seeded and chopped tomato and chopped greens. My mother usually added some dried baby limas (soaked and cooked ahead).

Herbs for seasoning, tied into a bouquet garni, or, if dried, placed in a fine- meshed teaball. These include thyme, parsley and bayleaves. Rosemary can be used, but in minute amounts – it can overpower. Use a teaspoon of cracked peppercorns, but have them in the teaball. Other herbs possible are basil, oregano or marjoram, all in small amounts to your taste.

The cooking is simple. Chop and cook onions and leek in a little oil and water, until the water evaporates and the onion is softened, add some minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the stock , the herb bouquet and salt. Bring it to a boil. Immediately turn it down to a simmer and let it cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Add the root vegetables and broccoli stems first, then 10 minutes later add the celery and broccoli then 5 minutes later add the squash. Add a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until they are done to your taste. It should be a rather clear soup. Dress it up with chopped parsley. The times are guesswork. Taste the veggies to judge the need for more cooking.

• 5 lbs. of beef bones, joint and marrow bones plus neck bones with meat on them.

• 4 lbs. of chicken or turkey neck and back bones.

• 6 quarts of water, or enough to cover the bones by about 1“

• 3 large onions, peeled and halved. Insert 4 cloves into one onion half.

• 3 leeks, cleaned

• 1 tablespoon of thyme leaves and 2 or 3 bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons of peppercorns, cracked.

• 1 tomato, chopped

• several sprigs of parsley

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

Cut one of the onions in half and blacken the flat side of the onion in the empty pot. This will lend a nice amber color to the stock. Do not add salt.

Put all the bones in a baking pan (or pans) and roast in a 375° oven for about 2 hours,turning a few times, until well browned. There will be considerable fat in the pan - if you do not use it here, strain and save for frying.

Place them into a large boiler pot with water to cover and turn the fire to high. When it reaches a boil, a grey scum should form. Turn the fire down and skim off the scum. Simmer for 1 hour, skimming off any fat or scum that rises to the surface. The simmer should just move the liquid, and not bubble up. Add water if it reduces below the tops of the bones.

Add the vegetables and continue to simmer for at least 4 hours, never allowing it to come to a rolling boil. Strain through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth in a colander. Use a large ladle, it will help keep the broth clear.

Save the bones and reboil, to make a cloudy but useful stock.

Store some stock in small containers to use in making sauces. Never put salt in a stockpot – it will concentrate and make brine. If there is enough meat, save it for boiled beef salad, or dice it and add to soup.

If you want to make Pho, add a few “petals” from star anise. The best place to buy the anise and the bones is at a Vietnamese grocery.

Try mixing the beef fat with olive oil and making French fries with it.

See Chicken Stock in the Chicken section for a recipe.

This is an easy recipe to remember…Simmer the following (except the cream} until tender – about 40 minutes. Do not boil, or the flavor will be distorted:

• 3 cups of peeled and sliced boiling potatoes.

• 3 cups of chopped leeks, white part only

• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped

• 6 cups (1 ½ qt.) chicken or meat stock, or just water.

• Salt, 1 ½ teaspoons.

• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Puree in small batches in a blender or food processor. Be sure to strain it through a fine sieve. This will take some pushing through with a rubber spatula, since it is very thick. This step is important because it is what makes the smooth, unctuous texture. Stir in cream, taste for seasoning, chill and serve.

Be certain to cut open and wash the leeks, they always have some sand in them. To use the green tops, see Leeks

This can be made without the cream, of course. It is then “Potato and Leek Soup” and eaten hot. Then is best if it is lumpy and not smoothly pureed. Some grated Swiss cheese is good in it.

To make watercress soup, make the above recipe for potato and leek soup, add a bunch of watercress near the end of cooking and puree it all, then you have watercress soup. Add cream or milk to finish it, as above. Save some small sprigs to use as garnish. Serve cold.

This one is Edwardian grandeur. We always served it in our super de luxe Ginori demi-tasse cups. This is one dish where the presentation is as important as the content. It is the kind of thing that should be served to gentlemen in white ties and ladies wearing aigrettes in their hair.

We used canned green turtle soup, but now the turtle police would come in and spray the room with their Uzis for such an offense.

Heat, gently, 1 cup of clear turtle consomme and ½ teaspoon of curry powder. Stir in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Put into demitasse cups and float a teaspoon of warm cream on each. Top with a few eggs of caviar. Not difficult, but impressive and delicious. Sip, don’t spoon.

The following recipe tells you how to make the turtle consomme.

This is not a difficult recipe. There are turtles all over the place and they all have a similar flavor when cooked. We use mostly Snapping Turtles, and as far as I know, any variety will do. Sea turtles are now off limits, to my sorrow. Remember to NOT put salt in the stock. The liquid reduces in cooking.

Simmer two pounds of turtle meat in 1 gallon of water, or diluted beef stock, seasoned with 2 bay leaves, 2 chopped ribs of celery, 3 chopped onions, 2 chopped carrots, 6 cloves, parsley sprigs, a couple of sprigs of thyme or its equivalent, 1 garlic clove. This will provide the basic stock for the soup. Simmer, do not boil, for at least 2 hours – or until the meat is tender. Turtle meat is really tough and a long, slow cooking is needed to make it tender.

Strain through a fine sieve. Pick out and reserve the meat and discard the bones and vegetables. Cut the meat into ½ inch cubes. If necessary, add chicken or beef stock to make 3 quarts. (This is the stock to use in making the consomme for Lady Curzon soup. Boil it down by about half.)

To make the soup, do a roux of ¾ cup of flour and ½ cup of butter. When it is a light brown (noisette), add ½ cup of minced scallions and cook quickly. Next add 1 can (16oz.) of tomato puree and simmer 5 minutes on low. Add 1/3 cup of minced ham, the diced turtle meat, the turtle stock and ½ cup of Sherry. Simmer very slowly for 2 hours, uncovered. When done, add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, a pinch of Cayenne pepper, scant ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 minutes.

Serve with garnishes in small bowls on a tray: chopped hard boiled egg, lemon slices and minced parsley. Put the Sherry in a cruet to pass around so that each person can add a little to his soup.

Try to get Camellia brand, their peas and beans really are better than most others. Soak one pound of dried peas for an hour or so, rinse in clear water, strain and put into 2 quarts of water or diluted chicken stock, adding a minced onion, a peeled and minced carrot and in a tea ball, some fresh thyme, bay leaf and parsley, a cracked clove of garlic and a couple of mint leaves. Also put in a ham bone, or smoked pork neck bones or pickled pork or ham. Bring to boiling and immediately turn the fire down to a simmer. Stir frequently and cook for at least an hour, until the peas are soft and breaking down. They will be gritty if under-cooked.

Take out the meat and teaball, then puree the peas in a blender or processor. Chop the meat to use for garnish. Put the puree through a very fine sieve to make it smooth and creamy. Measure out the amount to be used and add whipping cream to about the equivalent of ¼ of it. Mix well, along with a little white pepper or Tabasco. Taste for salt. Reheat and serve with a crusty bread, or fry a slice of crusty bread in butter - to put into each bowl (This is the real crouton).

Before WWII we often had this, or other soup, for the evening meal. Lunches in those days were large, and the evening meal was something easily digested before bedtime.

One can make a red bean, Lima, navy or black bean soup from this recipe and the cream is optional. Put more garlic in these soups and be sure to strain them through a fine sieve.

This is similar to the Chinese egg-drop soup. They both depend on a rich, well-seasoned stock. This one is traditionally beef stock and the Chinese use chicken stock.

I don’t remember how we started to make it, but CC liked it – as did we all. It can be made with the stock of your preference, just so long as it is a savory and rich one. It provides the flavor. You may want to kick it up with a little Worcestershire sauce.

• About 1 quart of stock

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons semolina

• two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese – both heaping

• a small pinch of nutmeg

• a pinch of black pepper, salt

Beat the eggs with the semolina, cheese, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add some cool stock to dilute it. Bring the remaining stock to boiling, turn down the fire to a lively simmer, pour the semolina mixture into the stock and stir with a whisk. The egg mixture should cling to the grains of the semolina and cook onto them, then float in the soup. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring. Taste for salt. Serve hot, over a fried crouton of French type bread (optional).

This is M.F.K. Fisher's “gaspacho” recipe, modified to make use of 20th century technology. It makes about 1 quart of soup. Gazpacho can be a meal in itself when accompanied by bread, or serve as a first course. A summer dinner on the porch with gazpacho, grilled chicken, and some cheap vinho verde is a good approximation of Heaven. The addition of chopped pickle was my mother's idea.

Ingredients:

• 1 small glass olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 large garlic clove

• 1 generous mixed handful of chives, chervil, parsley, basil, marjoram — any or all, but fresh. I always include mint and dill. Cilantro may be a little too assertive.

• Salt and pepper

• Dash of Tabasco or a squirt of Sriracha (I prefer Tabasco with this, but it's not important)

• 1 cucumber, peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise, with the seeds removed

• 1 mild onion, cut lengthwise in quarters

• 1 red or green bell pepper

• Half a cup of breadcrumbs

• 2 large peeled and seeded tomatoes, cut in quarters

• Optional: 1 sweet or dill pickle

Instructions:

Put it all in the blender and puree. More specifically:

Put the oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, hot sauce, salt and pepper in the blender and blend about 5 seconds. Add the cucumber, onion, breadcrumbs, and peppers and blend some more. Then the tomatoes and pickle, blend again. Chill in the refrigerator about 1/2 hour.