My Commitment to Soup

Soup is such a fun food to fix. Not the canned kind but what is made from scratch - that's what I'm talkin' about, people! Last year I challenged myself to find some good soup recipes. I went to the bookstore. Some in big cookbooks looked interesting but not $75 or even $39.95 interesting and I didn't want all the other recipes. I went to the library. I love the library. I checked out soup cookbooks. My favorite was the soup and break one because it had great photos and lots of ingredients that I could never find here in the midwest.

I did find a few recipes that were do-able and got those developed to meet our taste preferences. But I still wanted more. I lacked the uncomplicated but hearty soups.

Little did I know because little did I think...I have my mom's 1943 cookbook. There are soups - plain, soups - creamy, chowders, broths, and stews. Sure, we had to figure out what a #1 tin can equates to (11 oz.) and I made a couple of small adjustments but WOW. We hit the jackpot!

Tonight we had Tomato Cabbage Soup. Doesn't that sound terrible? Ha! Not so! Before I give you the recipe though, let me tell you that there are menus for every day, all three meals, based on nutritional needs and balanced diets. I know now why I have a "few" too many pounds on my frame. It's been a long time since "sensible eating" was in fashion. This not only makes for good reading, but who knows, there can be side benefits!

So here it is....Tomato Cabbage Soup from The Modern Family Cook Book by Meta Given (that's what it says).

1/4 c butter
1/3 c flour
1 no# 1 tin tomato juice*
1/2 bay leaf
1 slice onion
1 t salt
1 T sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk*
2 1/4 c finely chopped cabbage, cooked
1 c water

I substituted the juice with a 14 oz can of garlic/herb diced tomatoes and use a full can of evaporated milk.

Melt butter and blend in flour (use a wisk); add tomato juice and stir over low heat until mixture boils and thickens. Add bay leaf, onion, salt and sugar to evaporated milk, and heat separately in top of double boiler over hot water. Just before serving, strain out the bay leaf and onion (we left the onion in as we like it) and add cabbage and water. Use water from cooking the cabbage. Slowly stir the tomato mixture into the milk and cabbage. Serve immediately. 5 servings.

I'll be back. I'm not going to follow the menus - gotta admit tripe or raspberries with cottage cheese don't draw my vote. Maybe the berries/cottage cheese, someday.