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This is not any particular kind of soup. This is just Soup- basically, a meat and vegetable dish in a tasty broth, with things like noodles, rice, dumplings, etc. optional. Change it out, use what you have and/or what you like.

Start with a rich broth. This can be the broth from a pot roast or corned beef boiled dinner (but with the corned beef, dilute well if it’s too salty!), or a purpose-made stock from poultry bones and carcasses, or one made from a nice ham bone.

Stock- make the day before
If you’re making the stock, take the bones from a poultry roast- after stripping the meat from it and reserving it for the soup- and break them up. Roast them at 400F for an hour or so, along with coarsely cut celery, onions, and carrots, and a couple of cloves of garlic. Stir every 20 min or so. Go longer if you have to- you want a deep brown caramelization.

Put bones and roasted veg into a large pot. Add seasonings if you like- a bay leaf or 2 and some peppercorns are good. Deglaze roasting pan with a half cup-1 cup of wine- white usually- until you have dissolved all the fond and boiled off the alcohol. Add to pot with veg and bones. Add water to cover, and simmer for hours- at least 2-4, and more is not a problem. Strain stock and discard bones and played-out veg.

Ham is different. Take a meaty ham bone and simmer, with bay leaf and peppercorns, until the connective tissues have melted. Remove, cool, and pull meat off bones. Discard bones and chop up meat.

If your stock has a LOT of fat, refrigerate it overnight, or put it on the porch in the winter, then pull off most of the hardened fat. You really do want to leave some fat- it helps both the flavor and the “fillingness” a LOT.

Soup

Now it’s time to craft the soup. I always include onions, carrots, and potatoes (usually gold or red). More celery is possible. Sweet potatoes break down and thicken and enrich the broth- I especially like them in our annual goose soup. Turnips and/or parsnips are great in most soups. Ham-based ones, to my mind, require legumes- split peas are easy, and beans are good. The trick here is sequencing. If you are adding dried beans, add them first and let them get mostly cooked before adding anything else. If you are adding brown rice, add it with the tougher veg- carrots and celery. Basically, move from the stuff that takes more cooking to the stuff that requires less. Potatoes are in the middle, and turnips and parsnips toward the end. The chopped meat is added right before serving the first day.

(Ham soup, for us, usually has beans or split peas, carrots, celery if we have it, onions, and potatoes; corned beef has carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips; goose has sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, maybe parsnips; etc.)

If you are wanting noodles, I strongly suggest cooking them separately and adding them to the bowls right before serving. If dumplings, cook in the pot but remove and reheat them separately- else the whole thing becomes a porridge. Tasty, but not great-looking.

You can always add more water to soup, for texture or quantity.

If you are not happy with your soup, think about what’s missing. For several years I was not pleased with mine because I thoroughly de-fatted it, which is a Bad Idea; even if you forswear fat, leave a tablespoon or 2 for a batch of soup. It may also need salt. I often add a pinch of salt to the veg before roasting them, and that suffices- but we tend to eat pretty low-salt, and you might want more, especially with poultry soup rather than ham or corned beef.

This generally makes at least 6-8 servings. Lots of good veg, “bone broth”, and very frugal. And delicious!

Green Turkey Enchilada Casserole, based on a Cook’s Country recipe
6-8 servings

Notes:
This is not spicy-hot at all, although I am sure one could make it so!

The original recipe calls for 16 oz of green enchilada sauce; we’ve made it with as much as 28. It all depends on the size cans or jars you have åavailable. Better to err on the side of more rather than less, so 16 oz is a minimum.

It’d probably be fine with red enchilada sauce, too.

We think this is best with dark meat turkey.

It would probably be ideal to spray-oil both sides of the tortillas and brown them…but it works fine without doing that and is so much easier! That would add some nice toasty flavors, though.

1 T oil or fat
1-2 onions, thinly sliced or chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 T taco seasoning (we use bold Penzey’s, but whatever)
2 cups leftover cooked turkey, pref dark, cut into bite-sized pieces, or a bit smaller.
0.5-1 cup frozen corn, thawed (Trader Joe’s Roasted is excellent!)

20-28 oz bought green enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas

2 cups/ 8 oz pepperjack cheese, -or mix of jack and hot cheddar, shredded

0.5 cup sour cream

0.33 cups chopped cilantro, optional

Heat fat in a large skillet. start onions cooking- they need to be soft, and only slightly browned (if that). A small pinch of salt helps them break down. Cook until tender and maybe golden brown, at least 8 min. Meanwhile:

Mix sour cream with 0.5 cups enchilada sauce.

Heat oven to 325F. Spray-oil a 9x13-inch pan. Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the pan (around 0.5-0.75 cups). Layer in 6 tortillas, in a 2x3 matrix, overlapping OK. Spray lightly with spray oil.

Add garlic and taco seasoning to onion skillet when the onions are ready, and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped turkey, thawed corn, and remaining enchilada sauce, however much it is.

Layer half of the turkey mixture on the tortillas. Sprinkle with around half the cheese. Layer on 6 more tortillas, lightly spray them, and add remaining turkey mixture and most of the rest of the cheese.

Bake until starting to brown around the edges- at least 10 min, and maybe 20. Spread sour cream/sauce mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and/or mixture is bubbling, at least 10 min.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 min before cutting.

Reheats very well, esp in microwave!

This is from Cook's Illustrated old "poultry" cookbook. It makes an excellent gravy base.

Brown Goose Stock

3 tablespoons goose fat, removed from cavity and chopped
Goose neck and wing tips, and arguably flats, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (this is hard), patted dry
Goose gizzards and heart (reserve liver), patted dry

1 med or 2 sm onions, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 med carrot, washed and chopped coarsely
1 celery rib, chopped coarsely

2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups full-bodied red wine, not tannin-y

0.5 cup chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium commercial
6 large fresh parsley stems
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
0.5 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat the goose fat in large saucepan over med heat until it renders leaving small browned bits.

Heat fat until it starts to smoke (turn on exhaust fan), then add the goose pieces as above. Saute, stirring often, until the goose is a deep mahogany color. recipe says 10 min; more like 20-30.

Add onions, carrots, celery. Add pinch of salt. cook, stirring often, till veg browns around the edges, 10-20+ min.

Add sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until it caramelizes and begins to smoke. IMMEDIATELY pour in wine and stir to deglaze.

Add stock, parsley, bay, peppercorns, and thyme.

Bring to a bare simmer and turn down heat. Simmer partially covered at least 2 hours, adding water if solids are exposed.

Strain and discard solids, except for giblets. Chill and remove fat cap, saving fat for cooking potatoes.

In the Twin Cities, MN, julekaga was to be had EVERYWHERE. Here in MA- never see it...so I had to make my own. After 35 years or so, this is what we do. (I still miss poppyseed kolaches; maybe this year...)


Julekaga

Makes 3 loaves

6.25 cups flour + 2 tablespoons flour
0.25 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons sugar
1.5 tsp salt
0.75-1.5 tsp cardamon
3 Tablespoons shortening, oil, or butter

3 pkg OR 3 scant tablespoons instant yeast

1 cup warm water
1 cup milk

3 eggs: 1 yolk reserved for glaze, the rest beaten

0.5 cup currants
0.75 cup raisins
0.75 cup fruitcake mix

1 Tablespoon cold water (glaze)

3 candied cherries

Mix flour, sugar, salt, cardamon, yeast, and shortening/oil/butter.

Mix milk, eggs (except for reserved yolk), and water. Add to flour mix and knead 3-5 min.

Toss fruits with flour. Knead into dough until dispersed.

Put in greased bowl, Turn over to grease the top. Let rise until doubled.

When doubled, deflate. Divide into thirds. Form 3 loaves. put on parchment or silpat to rise, covered.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix reserved yolk with 1 Tablespoon water. Paint loaves with this glaze. Indent the center top slightly; add cherry, glaze top.

Bake for 20min. remove, re-glaze, return to oven rotated 180 degrees. Cook 10+ more minutes, until golden.

Once out of oven, paint again with glaze if there’s any left.

Cool, slice and enjoy!

Notes: In the Twin Cities julekaga is generally glazed with a powdered sugar/water icing, but that makes it harder to toast. It’s great toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar! so I do not do the sugar glaze. If stale, it makes great French toast and/or bread pudding!

The main difference with this compared to other Northern European fruited sweet breads is the use of cardamon.

This is a favorite, from an issue of Bon Appetit at least 20 years ago. It had an article on various chess pies, of which the most renowned is pecan pie...but there are others!

The filling in this one is pure candy, and it'd be great in a chocolate wafer crust, or maybe with a layer of ganache under the peanut butter filling, if the lilies need gilding.

I am typing it in, because we came close to losing it once. Horrors! Also, it is well worth sharing!

Tidewater Peanut Pie

1 partially baked 9-inch pie shell

0.75 cups creamy peanut butter (we use natural, with or without salt)
0.5 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
0.33 (one third) cup light corn syrup
0.33 (one third) cup milk or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt, optional- don't if you used salted PB

Preheat oven to 325F.

Melt peanut butter and butter in a heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and (optional) salt in a large bowl and mix well. Blend in peanut butter mixture. Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake until filling is puffed, about 1 hour and 20 min. Filling will still be quite soft.

Let pie cool to room temp before cutting and serving.

Even someone notorious for loathing vegetables gobbled this down!

Green Bean Succotash
(from Cook's Country)

Serves 4

Green beans replace traditional lima beans in this easy succotash. If you don't have fresh thyme, finish with 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or basil.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off, beans cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to boil.

2. Add beans, cover, lower heat, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add corn, cover, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is heated through and beans are very tender, 3 to 7 minutes. Remove lid; simmer briskly to further reduce cream if necessary.

3. Stir in thyme and lemon juice and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Notes: we used basil. We made it a couple of days ahead and nuked it before serving, and it was gobbled up by even someone who hates vegetables on principle. :) Easy and good!

Rhubarb Crisp

(This is a family recipe that is good for both dessert and breakfast. I prefer it fairly rhubarb-heavy. The bisquick gives it a nice buttermilk tang, but flour would also work,)

2-4+ cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar
pinch salt
0.5 tsp cinnamon
3-4 Tablespoons bisquick

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup bisquick

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put chopped rhubarb into greased 9x13 pan.

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, and 3-4T bisquick together; sprinkle over the rhubarb.

Mix the butter and brown sugar. Add oatmeal and bisquick and mix well. Spread over rhubarb.

Bake for approx 1 hour, until browned and the juices are caramelized.

This is from Cook's Illustrated, and is a more authentic soda bread than the scone-like ones with white flour, currants, and often caraway seeds. This one is not especially sweet.

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Authentic Irish soda bread has a tender, dense crumb and a rough-textured, thick crust—definitely a departure from the more common Americanized soda bread, which is closer to a supersized scone. We wanted to try our hand at the authentic version of this bread, which relies on a simple ingredient list of flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
0.5 cup cake flour
1.5 cups whole-wheat flour
0.5 cup toasted wheat germ
1.5 teaspoons cream of tartar
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups low-fat buttermilk*
1 tablespoon melted butter, optional

If you do not have a cast iron pan the bread can be baked on a baking sheet although the crust won’t be quite as crunchy. Soda bread is best eaten on the day it is baked but does keep well
covered and stored at room temperature for a couple of days after which time it will become dry.

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and adjust a rack to the center position. Place the flours, wheat germ, cream of tartar, soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingers until it is completely incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Work the liquid into the flour mixture using a fork until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead briefly until the loose flour is just moistened. The dough will be sticky and you may add a small amount of flour as you knead. The dough will still be scrappy and uneven.

2. Form the dough into a round about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and place in a cast iron skillet. Score a deep cross on top of the loaf and place in the heated oven. Bake until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with a tablespoon of melted butter if desired. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

* I have used clabbered raw milk, and whey from making ricotta, to good effect instead of the buttermilk. It is important that the dairy provide some acid. Yogurt would also probably work, as it does in many recipes that call for buttermilk. These all change the flavor somewhat, but not all that much.

Chili Mac recipe


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1-2 poblano chilies, chopped*
1-2 jalapeno chilies, chopped*
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound 90-percent lean ground beef
2 cups water
1(15-ounce) can tomato sauce, or diced
8 ounces (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni **
1(8-ounce) package shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 cups)***
1 cup frozen corn****
2tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and chopped peppers, and stir until softened. Add chili powder, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef and cook, breaking apart the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the water and tomato sauce, then add the pasta. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, 9 to 12 minutes.

3. Off the heat, stir in 1 cup of the cheese, corn, chiles, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over top, cover, and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

*For milder, remove the seeds and ribs; leaving them in increases the heat.

**We like using a whole-grain macaroni in this, because the texture is not a problem in this dish.

*** I default to cheddar, maybe with some jack or pepperjack.
**** Trader joe's frozen roasted corn is WONDERFUL in this!

Fruit-Nut Poultry Stuffing

This is another Traditional Family Recipe I got out of the newspaper. It was originally a stuffing for turkey for Rosh Hashanah, but it works wonderfully in fatty birds like goose and duck, since it has nothing really absorbent to soak up the fat.

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped

0.5 cup orange juice
0.5 cup sugar
1.5 cup cranberries

12 prunes, chopped
6-8 dried apricots, chopped
1 cup raisins or currants
3 med or 2 large apples, diced (I use Granny Smiths, and do not peel)
1.5 cups slivered or sliced almonds, or other nuts
2 lg eggs, beaten

0.5 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cinnamon
0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
0,125 teaspoon ground ginger (more is OK)
salt, pepper to taste

Melt butter (or goose fat). salute the onions and celery until tender. Set aside in large bowl.

In same pan, mix juice and sugar. Bring to boil. Add cranberries and boil. Lower heat and cook until the skins pop, usually 10 min or so. Add dried fruit, mix, remove from heat, and add to veg. Cool to room temp.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Stuff bird and bake.