Comments on: Dinner With My Family #6: “Anything” Soup

By: Nicole

Nicole — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:26:36 +0000

Look at that gorgeous tomato and onion.

By: AH

AH — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:23:28 +0000

We discipline 1 simple meal a week to remember those who are hungry & give $ saved to charity. These days most meals are simple but1 intentionally do. Like, share 1 pkg. Of ramen noodles & 4 saltines each & 1 glass of water.

By: dorothy

dorothy — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:21:15 +0000

We call this “Round-up” soup at our house. (It was stone soup when the kids were little) It almost always has a base of EVOO sauteed onions and garlic, and many times a can of organic diced tomatoes and lots of cumin for a more “Southwest” flavor. In fact we make it “Mediterranean style” more beans, garlic and tomato, top with romano and chopped fresh parsley, “Mexican style”- thrown in some diced green chilis,cumin,corn-more tomatoes, black beans (or hominy maybe) and serve with tortilla strips.
The possibilities are endless. And, this soup can be as down home as diner style or dressed up so that you would find it in an upscale restaurant with a fancy name.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:32:50 +0000

I love Anything soup! I also have an unhealthy love of generic bouillon, which makes a great base. However, I have been making a lot of soup variations based off my Moosewood cookbook (very highly recommended for someone trying to make delicious, inexpensive creative vegetarian food with plenty of vegan options) that use just water as a base. It’s interesting to learn new techniques for bringing out flavors. I maintain attachment to the chemical awesomeness of generic bouillon, however.

I also enjoy the very “real” pictures you put on here. Yes, presentation is important, but presenting your kitchen and meals as they are rather than in a dolled up food magazine way is also a legitimate presentation choice. (It also seems much more in line with the philosophy of the Simple Dollar.)

By: LC

LC — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:05:35 +0000

noone in our family will eat leftover vegetables, so I put them in a ziploc bag that I keep in the fridge. When I get enough bags, they go in the soup. I make it in the crockpot so its ready when I get home. I always add sage and basil frozen from my summer garden. I call it “free soup”.

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 11:08:51 +0000

Agree with #2!!! Caramelize the onions and celery, at the last minute add finely diced garlic (garlic burns easily, so add it at the last minutes of the caramelization process), THEN make your soup. The flavor will be much better. Want a thicker soup? Mash a boiled potato and mix it in to the soup.
Also agree that a beef broth would be superior to chemcical powdered faux beef stock / fake bullion. All those chemicals, ugh! We call this “All Good Things Soup”!

By: Joni

Joni — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 09:29:05 +0000

I do this deliberately, not just cleaning out the fridge. Every time I cook a meal, I imagine a little soup gremlin that is very hungry. I take out a spoonful of rice, beans, or a couple of bite size pieces of meat, a bit of leftover onions from whatever recipe I’m cooking, etc. and I pop it in the freezer in ziplock bags or a plastic quart jar in which the soup gremlin lives in. I do this every meal I make and at the end of the month, I add a can of tomato soup, simmer till it’s hot through and through and voila! Surprise soup! A gift from the gremlin. I know this sounds goofy, but I collect fairies and gnomes, so gremlin soup is not exactly that off the wall for me. LOL

By: lurker carl

lurker carl — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:22:12 +0000

We’ve used soups (and casseroles) for years to eat up leftovers and scraps without them tasting or looking like leftovers.

It should have been a no-brainer to spell the ingredients correctly since the labels are easily read in the photographs. And the very first photograph makes the meal look like cracker soup rather than a delectable and wholesome dish. Both as a writer and cook, presentation matters.

By: kat

kat — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:20:31 +0000

My neighbor made mustgo stew on a regular basis. I make a ot of soup, and I use the crock pot, it makes great soups, cooks barley or beans and is ready when I get home.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:37:21 +0000

I find it hard to believe that any doctor would say you can’t have REAL beef broth but manufactured fake beef bouillon is A-okay…

But yea, this is an awesome way to eat, use leftovers, and make a really good meal plus you’ll probably have leftovers!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:19:40 +0000

I have a pot of lentil soup on the stove right now. New recipe, so hope it turns out. I can say it smells wonderful!

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:22:39 +0000

This is a great idea! I would call the ingredients of any boullion “chemicals” rather than “spices” though. I always use homemade beef or chicken broth in my soups, then add real herbs and spices for seasoning.

By: DeeBee

DeeBee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:50:21 +0000

Stone Soup is a wonderful book for kids, and can be turned into a project to volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate soup to a church/activity group, etc.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:47:38 +0000

@#6 – We had the same thing at my house when I was growing up. It was called “leftover” soup at our house. A pound of hamburger and whatever vegetables were leftover from the week along with tomoto juice.

By: rianne

rianne — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:41:03 +0000

Growing up we called this fridge-cleaning soup! It always amazed me that my mother could take anything and make great soup out of it.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:17:02 +0000

I don’t think I’ve ever made the same soup twice ;) Due to food sensitivities, I can’t eat canned soups so I always have something on hand in the freezer. My soups often end up with ancient grains in them — like spelt penne noodles or kamut fettucini.

One thing I like to do is add a little pureed cooked carrot or celery to the broth for added flavour since I can’t use spices.

By: NCN

NCN — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:06:20 +0000

We do something similar, turning a basic chili into a soup… Make chili, w/ tomatoes, beef, and beans – then add corn, potatoes, and onions. Oh, and add enough chili powder to make it very spicy, then a bit of sugar, and it’s awesome.
-NCN

By: shris

shris — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:58:35 +0000

We do this fairly regularly–not just as soup, but as a sort of one-pot mishmash or stove top casserole.

I love being able to take leftovers nobody wants to eat again and incorporate them into something yummy they devour. So it ends up being a midweek sort of meal for us–early in the week or over the weekend is the simple roast chicken/single veggie dish, then in the middle of the week make a multi-ingredient mishmash to make the same old stuff taste different. :)

A lot of these unusual combinations make great fillings for burritos and enchiladas, even if the flavor isn’t chili powder and cumin..

shris

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:53:17 +0000

Great idea, but I can’t help but think that Trent has been pulling his readers’ collective leg with the photos he has used in this series. It looks like a pile of crackers, which is not the best way to advertise the potential flavor of the soup.

By: Priscilla

Priscilla — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:41:52 +0000

Trent, do you make your own stock? I find that that takes a long time, so I usually use bullion. Also, I like quite a bit of spice, so I’d add chili powder, a touch of tabasco, and paprika if I want to go the Mexican flavor route. Or, I use Herbs de Provence or Italian herb seasoning, crushed up, if I want more of a vegetable soup taste. Point is, “Anything Soup ” is a great way to use up those leftovers, and you can put it in the crock pot on low. Coming home after work to your dinner already prepared is worth a little extra time in the morning.