www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Food - Recipes SOUPS

first of all a thin one

Grab a big pan which will hold a lot of onions and tomatoes [ big enough to hold about 4 pints of liquid ]

Peel and chop several red onions - fry them off in a little bit of Vegetable oil till transparentish [ can't tell you how many I use - it's all done by what I see in the pan ]

Chop 1kg of tomatoes into 4 [ fresh ones are soooooo much nicer than tinned ] and throw them in with the onions. Add a few extra if you think you need it

Now add some good veggie stock - you do not cover the veggies in the pan with the stock - use enough to stop it sticking to the pan as it all softens and cooks down.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently till the tomatoes are 'done '

Whizz through a food processor and then season with whatever herbs and salt and pepper you have to hand .

You can add other veggies to this as well - but I usually leave this as tomato and onion and eat a couple of thick slices of nice tasty bread with it

Sounds good!

Anyone have any good potato soup recipes?

Shin,

Welcome to the forum! And, thanks for a very good question, to which I hope we'll see some answers - I haven't had potato soup in years!

Many years,

Neil

Why, yes, I do! I invented this recipe years ago ...

• 8-10 fist-size or larger potatoes, peeled
• 1 bunch green onions, greens finely chopped, whites sliced into disks
• 4-5 celery stalks, finely diced

• 3 TBSP margarine
• 1-1/2 tsp tarragon
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt

• 5 cups vegetable broth or bouillon
  (if using bouillon, omit salt above)

Cut half of the potatoes into bite-size chunks, half into quarters or eighths for fast boiling and easy mashing.

In the bottom of a large soup pot, saute the celery and the white of the onions in the margarine. Add seasonings. Add broth, potato chunks, and green of onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft (but not mushy), about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the quartered potatoes in a separate pot. When they are ready for mashing, pour most of the boiling water into another container. Mash the potatoes, adding back enough of the cooking water to obtain a smooth consistency. (Outside of fasting periods, milk may be used instead the cooking water, and butter can replace the margarine.) Mash and whip the potatoes until they reach the consistency you would want for serving as a side dish.

Fold the whipped potatoes into the soup, to thicken the broth and give the soup some body, and serve while piping hot.

Tarragon! Now that's different! Sounds interesting! Thanks! I've been looking for a recipe to try.

Thanks for the welcome Neil!

I asked a friend about potato soup today and he recommended adding leeks to the potato soup.

I looked at another recipe before I got this one and it had kielbasa added to the potato soup! :L

In my experience, both leeks and scallions make great substitutes for onions in soups or elsewhere. I find they add more distinctive flavor. I think I can also vote in favor of the kielbasa in non-Fast seasons

Many years,

Neil

Absolutely add kielbasa outside the Fast! And leeks are a good choice, as well, but I was going for common ingredients -- things I always have in the house.

LOL, Alicia,

What one always has in the house is, in my case, dictated in large part by my 8 year old - the Veggie Queen (her joy in supermarket shopping is strolling the produce aisle).

One must have onions, leeks, and scallions, 'just like the different church domes', says she who classfies those by size "scallion domes, ... aren't big enough to be onion domes". ('leek domes' fall between the other two in size; she's never happier than when she spots a temple that sports all 3 sizes).

Many years,

Neil

If you like potato soup with a creamy taste use a good non-dairy creamer.

While my husband was on dialysis, he could not have dairy products because of the phosphorus.. He really wasn't suppose to have many potatoes either. So I figured out to use the non-dairy creamers. At least I was deleting part of the problem.

You have to experiment by taste, depending on the volume. If you get use to using it, it works for anything that calls for milk, like a pancake mix. If you use the given amount of water, then figure the amount till it tastes like a creamy milk to you.

I use to drive my husband nuts cause I didn't follow recipes. Oh, well, he survived 42 years of my cooking.

I've put leeks and celery on my shopping list!

I have no clue what or how in the way of non-dairy creamer one might use.

Couple of observations -

As to Alicia's addition of celery ... I'm a celery fan, but do keep in mind that celery adds a remarkably strong taste (remarkably so for a veggie that doesn't have a lot of nutritional value). It's not particularly noticeable in stews where the gravy overcomes it, but is much more noticeable in soups. A little can go a long way - you may want to experiment as to how much you want to add.

A note of caution to anyone who has never eaten celery, ... it is - somewhat surprisingly - highly allergenic to some folks - with reactions akin to those caused by peanuts, including anaphylaxis. Persons from a Central European heritage, including some of the East European border states, are known to be the most susceptible in this regard and celery as an ingredient must be clearly labeled in those regions, much as peanuts as an ingredient are here in the US.

As to Rose's non-dairy creamer ... this comment is off the subject of potato soup but applies to mashed potatoes (and is something to consider for non-fasting seasons). Mashed potatoes are a big favorite with my two young ones (and I make pretty good ones, if I say so myself). Last year, after promising mashed potatoes, I realized that I had no sour cream in the house - and I usually use some in the making. I did have labne - which is a Middle Eastern yougurt based cheese that's popular as a base for dip (substituted for sour cream), as well as eaten on its own with pita bread and in other forms. I added the labne, which is not so bland as sour cream, and it was an instant hit. It's readily available in any Middle East or Greek market, in containers about the size of those in which sour cream is sold.

Many years,

Neil

I always love a creamy potato soup. It was very late when I posted that so may not have been making sence. Sorry!

The soup was a hit! Complimented!

I followed the recipe, with the addition of a bit of olive oil for body, carrots from the broth, and fresh rosemary I needed to use up. The leeks made it gentler than onions which was different.

A little parsley on top and I was told it was full of 'subtle flavors'.

I used to have dishes with tarragon all the time but this was a blast from the past since it's been forever.

Thank you!