Thursday 12 January 2012

Soup's On! Use Up Those Leftovers!

A New Year brings to us many Inspirations, Thoughts and Ideas...

Through my many readings, I have found that soup was an absolute Staple during the "Great Depression".  A huge kettle or pot was hung over the fire and provided whatever nutrition could be acquired during those dark and uncertain times.  It provided some relief to continuous rumbling bellies.

Soup was easy because it was made with whatever little food was on hand and could be stretched with water.  I have read that the actual recipe for true "Depression Soup" consisted of one part Ketchup to two parts water.  This is true, but so hard to believe how people actually survived.

Many people could not afford meat and therefore foraged for weeds such as dandelions, milkweed and cattails.  My grandmother who was born in 1916 will not eat anything containing Apples to this day, claiming that she ate too many during those hard times. 

My latest Idea has been inspired through the empathy that I feel for those suffering hard times.  We do a tremendous amount of cooking and baking in our household and leftovers are a given.  We also boil meat bones and freeze the broth for later use.

***We now have a plan that is being implemented for the cold winter months that will keep us nourished while using up those leftovers once and for all:
  • On Sunday evenings, I soak either beans, peas or lentils in water.  I also take a container of broth out of our deep freeze for thawing.
  • I get up early on Monday mornings (because we have a smart meter and the price gets scary at 7:00 a.m.), I simmer the beans, peas or lentils for 1 hour.
  • I get out the crock pot and pour in the broth along with the simmered beans, peas or lentils.
  • I then throw in a chopped onion, fresh garlic, carrots and celery while including dried herbs and seasoning that were preserved from our summer garden.
  • Let this simmer on low heat throughout the day.
  • As the week progresses, add your daily leftovers to the "soup". 
  • We eat the soup for Dinner each day with fresh baked bread or rolls.

Each day changes the flavour of the soup.  If I boil vegetables (broccoli is a good one), I save the water and add it to the soup for more broth.  Dump in those leftover potatoes, rice, pasta, tomatoes and anything else you can think of.  You may prefer to add salt and pepper to taste.

I bake bread or buns nearly every day, so we always have a wonderful accompaniment to our meals!
The result is a Hearty, Healthy and Happy Meal...dinner is always ready and is so much better for you than those Take-Out chains!

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