Approximately ten billion bowls of soup are consumed by Americans every year. Dating back as early as 600 B.C., the Greeks sold soup as a fast food on the street, using peas, beans and lentils as main ingredients.

Before there was soup, there was broth, which people used to pour over a piece of bread in a bowl. That bread was known as sop, and from sop came the word soup.

Condensed soup was invented in 1897 by Campbell’s, eliminating the water in canned soup, this lowered the costs for packaging, shipping, and storage. This made it possible to offer a 10-ounce can of Campbell’s condensed soup for a dime, versus more than 30 cents for a typical 32-ounce can of soup.

Here are some soup recipes that are either traditional favorites or ones I just thought were interesting. Enjoy!

ACORN SQUASH & APPLE SOUP

2 med. acorn squash, seeded & halved
3 c. degreased chicken stock or canned
2 tart green apples (2 c. cored,
seeded & chopped)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. unsweetened apple juice
2 tsp. fresh ginger root, peeled &
grated
1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using canned
stock)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
White pepper to taste
Yogurt or sour cream & chives
(garnish)

Cook squash, remove pulp. Combine 1/2 cup stock, apples and onion in heavy medium saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add squash pulp, remaining stock, apple juice, ginger and salt. Cover and simmer until ingredients are very tender, about 20 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender or processor. Strain through sieve into clean saucepan, pressing puree with back of spoon. Reheat soup gently. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with yogurt or sour cream and chives.

ASPARAGUS SOUP

2 lb. asparagus, diagonally sliced
into 1 inch pieces
3 leeks, sliced
4 green onion, sliced
1 red potato, chopped small
3 tbsp. butter
4 c. water
1 beef or chicken bouillon cube
1 c. cream
2 tbsp. tarragon
2 tbsp. basil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Saute vegetables in butter for 5 minutes. Add water and bouillon cube; simmer 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes more. Serve. Serves 4.

CORN AND BOURBON SOUP

2 slices bacon
1 med. onion, chopped
2 shallots
1/3 c. chopped celery
1/3 c. chopped leeks
4 c. corn cut from cob
2 qts. chicken broth
1 med. potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 c. whipping cream or half and half
2-3 tbsp. bourbon
Chives

Cook bacon in large saucepan until lightly browned. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; cook over medium heat 2 minutes. Add corn and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 3 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add cream and cook 2 minutes. Do not boil. Remove and discard bacon. Place half of mixture in container of an electric blender, process until smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture. Pour through strainer into Dutch oven, pressing pulp with back of spoon. Discard pulp. Stir in bourbon. Serve hot or cold. Garnish each serving with chives. Yields 9 1/2 cups.

CREAMY CORN CHOWDER

3 to 4 potatoes, pared
Salt
1/4 c. butter or oleo
1 c. chopped celery
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 tsp. whole basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (13 oz.) cans evaporated milk
Snipped parsley

1. Cook potatoes until fork tender and save water. Dice potatoes to equal 2 cups. 2. In large pan, melt butter, stir in celery and saute until tender. Add drained corn, potatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, basil and pepper. Cover and heat 10 minutes. 3. Add evaporated milk, reserved potato water adding water to make 2 cups total. Heat, but do not boil. 4. Garnish with parsley. Makes 7 to 8 servings.

CURRIED PEANUT SOUP

1 tbsp. peanut oil
1 med. onion, halved, sliced (very
thin)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. curry powder
4 c. chicken stock, broth
1/3 c. rice
3 med. carrots, peeled, julienned
thinly
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
Finely chopped green onions
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and curry powder and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add 4 cups stock and bring to boil. Stir in rice and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, approximately 20 minutes. Puree half of soup in blender or processor with peanut butter. Return puree to saucepan. Stir soup until heated through, thinning more stock if desired, do NOT boil. Mix in sugar. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with green onions and chopped cilantro. Serve: 4.

HONEY DEW – LIME SOUP

1/2 of a med. ripe honeydew melon
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. frozen limeade concentrate
1 (8 oz.) carton vanilla yogurt
Thin slices of prosciutto ham
6 sm. thin slices ripe honeydew melon

Remove seeds from melon half; discard seeds. Scoop melon pulp into a blender or food processor (approximately 2 1/2 cups pulp). Add water and limeade. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Top each serving with a strip of prosciutto tied around a melon slice. Serve with assorted cheeses. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves: 6.

REAL MAINE CHOWDER

3 c. onions, chopped
4 c. potatoes, chopped
Water
2 to 3 c. clams, shucked or 1 lb.
fish, cubed
1/2 lb. salt pork, diced
Salt to taste
1 c. cream
1 c. whole milk

Saute salt pork for 5 minutes or until brown in large heavy saucepan. Take out pieces and drain on paper towels, get rid of all remnants in pot except for about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Saute onions in remaining fat until see-through, add potatoes and saute for 2 minutes or so. Add water enough just to cover potatoes and onions. Bring to boil, lower heat and cook for 20 minutes (or until potatoes almost done). Add fish or clams, bring to boil, lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add milk and cream, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and use salt pork for garnish. Preparation time: 40 minutes. Serves: 4 to 6. NOTE: NEVER boil chowder with milk or cream in it!!

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

3 strips bacon
1 sm. onion, cubed
3 or 4 potatoes
4 c. half and half
2 cans minced clams
1/2 stick butter or margarine
Salt & pepper to taste

Fry and drain bacon and onions. Crumble bacon up. Pare potatoes and cook until tender. Add potatoes to bacon and onion mixture. Add half and half, minced clams and butter. Heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: National Soup Month, Soup Recipes