Get bowled over with winter soup
It was a convergence of the soups recently, when two community organizations and a neighborhood group sent me information about their culinary events.
On Feb. 10, Ash Wednesday — that’s tomorrow, it’s the day for two Empty Bowl Luncheons in the metro-east. We can all help raise money to feed the hungry by raising our spoons: At two events in O’Fallon and Collinsville, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can buy a bowl of soup and the proceeds benefit local food pantries. Cost at both is $10.
At the O’Fallon Empty Bowl at the Katy Cavins Community Center, you will get a bowl of soup, water and bread served up by a wide variety of restaurants, local clubs and groups. Plus, you’ll go home with a hand-painted bowl designed by the O’Fallon Woman’s Club and other local groups.
It is a meager meal to help us remember those that are hungry, said Kathy Dice, one of the organizers. All the proceeds from the O’Fallon event will support the O’Fallon/ Shiloh Food Pantry.
Collinsville’s Empty Bowl Luncheon has gotten to be a soup-er event and will be at the Gateway Center for the first time. Besides soup choices from about 35 donors, Derrick Keith of WIL-FM will be the master of ceremonies. There also will be entertainment by the Collinsville High School Show Choir and Jazz Band, a raffle for a gift basket worth $400, a 50-50 and a silent auction. You can also bring canned goods to help stock the Collinsville Food Pantry, which will benefit from the day’s event.
This is the sixth year for the O’Fallon Empty Bowl and the fourth year for the Collinsville event. The events are organized by the O’Fallon Woman’s Club and the Collinsville Woman’s Club, with generous donations by dozens of metro-east sponsors that help defray the costs involved in putting these fundraisers together. Spend your lunch money tomorrow philanthropically.
Also, thanks to the O’Fallon Woman’s Club for sending recipes to use here from the group’s cookbook.
Cheesy Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 1/4 cup)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 1/2 cups milk
10 slices American cheese, broken into pieces
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 mini bread loaves, preferably sourdough
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, for garnish (optional)
Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes, or until tender; cool completely. Scoop out potatoes from skin so that they are a pulp-like consistency. They should be like chunks, not mashed.
Meanwhile, make the bread bowls. Carve out a circle from the center of each loaf, angling the knife so that you produce a cone shape. Carefully remove top from bread. Carve out additional room in the center of the loaf, if desired.
In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add 6 cups milk, reserving the last 1/2 cup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for another minute. Whisk in cheeses and remaining milk, a little at a time. Remove from heat and stir in potatoes.
Ladle soup into each bread bowl. Garnish with scallions, bacon, and additional Cheddar cheese. Serve with bread toppers.
Adapted from Taste of Home
Tomato Hamburger Soup
1 can (46 ounces) V8 juice
2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Macaroni pasta, uncooked
In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Tips: Vary the flavor of the soup each time you make it by using different blends of frozen mixed vegetables.Also, add uncooked macaroni pasta the last 45 minutes, if desired.
Makes 12 servings (3 quarts) or 1 cup each (minus pasta) with 125 calories, 5 grams fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 12 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams protein.
Adapted from “Taste of Home Ground Beef Cookbook”
Chicken, Mushroom, Smoked Gouda Soup
This recipe is from Kathleen Cosand of the O’Fallon Woman’s Club.
1 pound cooked chicken meat
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 stick butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound smoked Gouda cheese, shredded or diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Sauté onions, garlic and celery in butter. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and cream.
Cook to a medium consistency. Add Gouda, melt down or blend with a blending stick, if needed. Stir in
chicken and sautéed mushrooms. Simmer for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste (i.e. Greek seasoning).
Simmer 10 minutes more. Serves 8.
Zucchini Soup Italian Style
This recipe is from Debbie Yaeger of the O’Fallon Woman’s Club.
1 pound Italian sausage, hot
2 cups chopped celery
8 small zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 cup chopped onion
8-10 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
4-5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
In a large kettle over medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking into chunks. Pour off fat, add celery and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add everything but the peppers and cheese, scraping the kettle bottom to dissolve caramelized sausage bits. Cover, lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Add peppers and cook 10 more minutes. To serve: Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle a teaspoon of cheese onto each.
Taco Soup
This recipe is from Kathy Dice of the O’Fallon Woman’s Club.
1 pound ground beef or sausage
1 chopped onion
1 package dry ranch-style dressing mix
1 package dry taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
2 (14-ounce) cans dice tomatoes with green chilies
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans
1 (15-ounce) can cream style corn
Brown beef with onions in a medium-size soup pot. Drain excess grease.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes before serving.
Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
This recipe is from culinary instructor Shirley Frost.
3 pounds fresh tomatoes, cut in half, seeded and coated with olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup. onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 cup fresh basil
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup buttermilk, use “non-fat, very important”
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast tomatoes for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the skins begin to darken and blister. Let tomatoes cool. Remove the skins, chop: reserve the pulp and all the juices.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until soft, but not brown, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in buttermilk.
Garnish the soup with toasted walnuts.
Note: To seed tomatoes: slice tomato in half horizontally. Gently squeeze the halves to force out seeds. Use fingers or spoon (grapefruit spoon works well) to clean out remaining seeds.
This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 3:02 AM with the headline "Get bowled over with winter soup."