Stone Soup

Stone Soup
Several smallish stones, preferably something like quartz that won't break apart and doesn't have a lot of nooks and crannies for dirt to hide.

4 medium potatoes, diced

2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced

1 small can whole tomatoes, chopped

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

Other vegetables can be included

5 tsp bouillon granules
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt, more or less to taste
pepper, to taste

First, prepare the stones by washing them, then putting them into a pot of water and bringing to a boil. Repeat 3-4 times, or until no more grit or 'dirt' taste makes its way into the water. Let stones cool.

Combine all seasonings in a bowl.

Each guest gets one or more vegetables, and one guest gets the bowl of spices.

Explain to the guests that you are going to make a pot of delicious stone soup.

Put stones in pot with 6 cups of fresh water, and bring to a boil. Taste the soup, and pretend it's delicious...but...it really could use a little seasoning - ask the guest with the bowl of seasonings if he or she will share.

Repeat this process with each guest, starting with whatever will take the longest to cook (the potatoes in this case), and finishing with whatever will get done quickest (the cabbage).

Taste, add more salt if desired, and serve.

Serve with a stone in each bowl, but of course remove the stones before attempting to eat the soup.

Since apparently our next president is going to be a socialist, we decided to begin indoctrinating the children in as soon as possible, and this lesson in sharing...I mean 'redistributing the wealth' seemed perfect.

Ok, not really, this was the plan all along. The soup turned out surprisingly good, and the kids had a lot of fun, even if the 'lesson' didn't quite sink in: "Daddy took all my potatoes!"



Kid Ratings:

Christopher Robin
Collin
Isaac	X "A hundred"
Annette	X "Ten"

Hey sweet potato...

Sweet Potato Soup

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour

1 shallot, diced
salt
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
(More or less to taste)

4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups chopped sweet potatoes - about 2 large

cinnamon stick

1 1/2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs maple syrup
grated fresh nutmeg

Make a light roux with the butter and flour. Add the shallot, and a pinch of salt, and cook until softened. Add minced chile, vegetable broth, sweet potatoes, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Remove cinnamon stick, cool slightly, and blend thoroughly. Return to pot, and 1/2 and 1/2 and reheat. Stir in brown sugar, maple syrup, and garnish with nutmeg.

I made this one up, it was pretty good. A little spicy for the kids, though, even though I tried to limit the amount of chile pepper I put in. Annette was at Dancing Class, so she missed it.

Christopher Robin
Collin
Isaac

Corny Corn

Rosemary Corn Soup
allrecipes.com serves 8

2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
7 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn, divided
6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 cup half-and-half cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, saute onions, carrots and celery in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Add 3-1/2 cups corn, broth, rosemary, garlic and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool; process in batches in a blender or food processor until pureed. Return to the pan. In a small skillet, saute red pepper in remaining butter until tender. add to corn mixture. Stir in cream and remaining corn; heat through, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Robin was very skeptical of a corn chowder, but he ended up liking it. It was ok to me, but don't think I'll be making it again. We had Robin's very yummy buttermilk biscuits with it.

Kid Ratings:

Christopher Robin
Collin
Isaac	X "Six and a half"
Annette	X Ten

Hot hot hot!

Hot-and-Sour Soup
Epicurious

5 oz boneless pork loin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips (2/3 cup)
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
4 small Chinese dried black mushrooms
12 small dried tree ear mushrooms
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 dried lily buds (sometimes called golden needles)
1/2 cup canned sliced bamboo shoots, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-wide strips (from an 8-oz can)
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 to 4 oz firm tofu (about a quarter of a block), rinsed and drained, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens
2 tablespoons fresh whole cilantro leaves

Toss pork with dark soy sauce in a bowl until pork is well coated.

Soak black and tree ear mushrooms in 3 cups boiling-hot water in another bowl (water should cover mushrooms), turning over black mushrooms occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes. (Tree ears will expand significantly.) Cut out and discard stems from black mushrooms, then squeeze excess liquid from caps into bowl and thinly slice caps. Remove tree ears from bowl, reserving liquid, and trim off any hard nubs. If large, cut tree ears into bite-size pieces. Stir together 1/4 cup mushroom-soaking liquid (discard remainder) with cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, soak lily buds in about 1 cup warm water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain. Trim off tough tips of lily buds. Cut lily buds in half crosswise, then tear each half lengthwise into 2 or 3 shreds.

Cover bamboo shoots with cold water by 2 inches in a small saucepan, then bring just to a boil (to remove bitterness) and drain in a sieve.

Stir together vinegars, light soy sauce, sugar, and salt in another small bowl.

Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Pour peanut oil down side of wok, then swirl oil, tilting wok to coat sides. Add pork and stir-fry until meat just changes color, about 1 minute, then add black mushrooms, tree ears, lily buds, and bamboo shoots and stir-fry 1 minute.

Add broth and bring to a boil, then add tofu. Return to a boil and add vinegar mixture. Stir cornstarch mixture, then add to broth and return to a boil, stirring. (Liquid will thicken.) Reduce heat to moderate and simmer 1 minute.

Beat eggs with a fork and add a few drops of sesame oil. Add eggs to soup in a thin stream, stirring slowly in one direction with a spoon. Stir in white pepper, then drizzle in remaining sesame oil and divide among 6 to 8 bowls. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro before serving.

Wow. This was good. Really good. I didn't use the 'fancy' mushrooms, because none of the kids would have eaten them anyway, and Joni is 'out' for the evening...I just used plain 'ole white mushrooms. The picture below is actually of my second bowl, because the first bowl of soup just vanished.

The kids hated it. Well, except Isaac who thought it was 'ok'. Too 'weird' tasting. Who cares what they think, though...this soup was good.

Christopher Robin
Collin
Isaac	X "Nineteen"
Annette

Tomato Soup
Michael Chiarello

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

Joni didn't like this one, but I did. The kids were split 50/50 too.

Christopher Robin
Collin
Isaac	X "A hundred twelve"
Annette	"Zero"