HALLIE EPHRON: When my husband was in graduate school, he used to make something he called STAPLE STEW which involved throwing together whatever he could find kicking around in the kitchen.
Canned tomatoes might get mixed with frozen corn, elbow macaroni, and tuna. It wasn't gourmet but it fed the beast, cost almost nothing, and you didn't have to put on your snowboots to get the ingredients.
When the last thing I feel like is getting in my car and driving to the supermarket (it's 30 degrees out now and getting colder and the world is icing up...) Jerry's Staple Stew springs to mind.
When I'm reluctant to leave the house, I open the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets and find the makings for SOMETHING FROM NOTHING SOUP: a wintery brew of onions, carrots, potatoes, and whatever other vegetable that's at the moment expiring in the fridge or freezer, simmered in soup broth (chicken or beef or vegetable) until the veggies are soft and then zuzhed with an immersion blender... creatively seasoned and topped with something creamy and sprinkled with something herbal.
Serve with bread (thawed from the fridge) and voila, DINNER! With leftovers!
Here's last night's SOMETHING FROM NOTHING SOUP. I'm having leftovers for lunch.
1. Start w basics – Sautee in olive oil in a roomy saucepan: chopped carrot, celery, and onion (and garlic if you like).
2. Add chopped potatoes
3. Cover with soup stock to cover (I use "Better than Boullion" but use canned broth or bouillion cubes, whatever, just pay attention to the amount of salt is in the broth) and simmer til nearly tender.
4. Add: Pick a vegetable (frozen? canned? Perhaps nearing extinction in the fridge)… chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, orange squash, corn, mushrooms…
I added very old but not dead yet frozen corn and some similarly on-their-last-legs frozen peas.
5. Cook til tender and then beat til smooth with an immersion blender.
6. TASTE and add salt and pepper if needed and some other seasoning(s) that suit your fancy. (Hoisin, soy, vinegar, lemon, siracha, chili crisp ...) I added SMOKED PAPRIKA, salt, pepper.
7. Top servings with something creamy. A swirl of heavy cream? A dollop of sour cream or yogurt? Crumbled feta cheese? Blue cheese? Shredded cheddar?
8. For an extra touch, TOP with something green and herb-y. Chopped parsley, scallions, cilantro, chives, basil... whatever you happen to have if you think it will work. Last night I had none of the above
Do you have a favorite dish that you can whip up from what's in the kitchen?
What a clever idea, Hallie! This sounds [and looks] delicious . . . . I'm definitely trying it.
ReplyDeleteAround here, macaroni and cheese is the favorite [and we always have the necessary ingredients in the refrigerator] . . . .
Mac and cheese ... harder than it looks to make a really good one.
DeleteEspecially on a winters day, I used my winter CSA veggies of beets, colorful carrots, Hubbard squash ….cooked chopped veggies w chicken stock . Added the sour cream & cilantro, any other yummy additions mentioned. A meal with crusty French bread & cheese , finish off with your favorite wine. Have over a few neighbors last minute. Bon appetit.
DeleteHALLIE: Yes, I make a similar "Clean Out the Fridge" soup with less than prime veggies + flavour add-ons.
ReplyDeleteA staple pantry soup is pasta e fagioli. Canned tomatoes (which I can now eat again, yay), canned beans, small pasta (ditali), boxed soup stock & water, carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaf (from my balcony garden bay laurel tree brought indoors for the winter), frozen homemade pesto (from the freezer). Adding the rind from a piece of parmesan-reggiano cheese really enhances the flavour.
Right up my alley - love the addition of pesto (from the freezer).
DeleteI think that the bigger the parmesan rind is, the better the soup!
DeleteIn anticipation of yesterday's storm, I made a huge pot of sausage-lentil-kale soup. I put in 2 pieces of parmesan-reggiano rind to the pot. Absolutely delish!
DeleteWe almost always have on hand the makings for a pasta dish and I like to add cut up peppers and onions and add mushrooms to the sauce. I eat most vegetarian but my husband loves his meat so I usually have meatballs in the freezer which I pop in the oven and he add them to his plate of pasta along with lots of parmesan.
ReplyDeleteMe too on the pasta dishes. I keep a package of frozen italian sausages taht I've separated so I can thaw them separately. One adds quite a bit of flavor to a sauce.
DeleteThat sounds yummy, Hallie. I made Italian Wedding Soup the other night. We had frozen meatballs, chicken stock, and spinach. I always have onions, garlic, pasta, and beans in the pantry, and the fridge yielded pesto plus (oldish) celery and carrots. Fresh rosemary from the pot I am overwintering in the front hall. Bingo, dinner. (Recipe will be on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen on Jan 26!)
ReplyDeleteEdith, we are having the last of the Italian Wedding Soup for lunch today. My problem is that although there is a recipe, I quite regularly add/subtract as the fridge provides. One thing that is always in soups is celeriac leaves in the broth - we grow lots in the summer and the leaves are prolific, so I cut them off and just freeze them in a baggie, and then pop them in anything to add flavour to the broth. Like the bay leaf, they come out before serving. It adds a lovely umami flavouring. This last rendition was particularly tasty - even he who harrumphs commented on it!
DeleteMmm. Italian wedding soup - Nikki Bonani made it one night before a New England Crime Bake and it was a revelation... a family recipe. So good. (Lucy was there!)
DeleteHallie, I made chicken soup last weekend, using absolutely every about to expire vegetable in the fridge. All cooked in a stock made from soup base. When it was just right I tossed in some frozen pierogies, a couple handfuls of noodles and then, for good measure, matzo balls. OMG it was fabulous! Wish you lived closer. We could have initiated a soup exchange!
ReplyDeletethat sounds good...mmmm
DeleteHa ha, that sounds like a wonderfully yummy carb overload!
DeleteCracking up at the pierogies, noodles, and matzo balls!
DeleteThat's hilarious!
DeleteI've been making soup like this for years, although I don't blend it. Having said that, I just now ordered an immersion blender because I love the idea!
ReplyDeleteOne of my other favorite "clean out the kitchen" dishes is a frittata. I'll throw whatever veggies are on the verge of going bad into a bit oven-safe skillet and saute with onion, garlic, whatever. Beat some eggs and pour over the cooking veggies. Once the eggs are set, I top with whatever cheese is handy and pop it in the oven until the eggs are cooked through.
You'll love the immersion blender. So much easier drag out before and to clean after than a blender. You can blend something hot and not worry about it exploding and scalding you. YES on frittata. I like it with a good salty cheese lie fetah.
DeleteI love that sort of thing! We don't always blend it, but I might try it. I feel like the key is you do have to make sure to season it well as you go. I have had a few attempts that were edible, but bland.
ReplyDeleteI second Annette's idea of a frittata, but I also like a grain bowl for using leftovers.
Bob's Red Mill website has a really neat recipe that just gives your proportions and suggestions. This much of a protein, this much of a leafy green, this much grain, then odds and ends of vegetables (or fruit! I love apples in my salad), garnishes etc. You *do* have to have some sort of leafy green (it can be something more sturdy like kale or chard), but we're frequently guilty of overbuying greens (even in the winter) and needing to use them quickly. I could go into great detail (I love my grain bowls), but it's the kind of thing where it's better to look over the recipe/suggestions and get ideas for yourself of what works for your palate and your pantry. If I have time, I might fancy it up with homemade salad dressing for myself. My husband tends to just slather his in ranch dressing. . .
Of course, the disadvantage of this in the winter is it's not hardy and warm. We do usually serve it with rolls. But it's fairly healthy and the grains and protein ensure you still feel very full. The advantages are - you can customize it for each person (if you feel like catering to their needs ;-)) , use lots of leftovers if you want (one chicken breast from last night, the last sad 5 carrots in a bag of baby carrots, etc) and make most of it or all of it well in advance as long as you don't stir it up or put dressing on it. I often like to add fancy extras like sunflower seeds, nuts, a soft cheese, or dried fruit, depending on what we've got.
Summer equivalent: one of the versions of Gazpacho! No cooking required.
DeleteOh, I love gazpacho too!
DeleteYour soup sounds great, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteI always make my own stock. While the onions, carrots, celery are softening, I have another pot of water simmering with the peels and tops of all the veggies plus the ends and peels from the bag in the freezer where I collect veggies for making broth. When it's time to add the cups of water or broth to the simmering vegetables, I just strain my homemade broth into the pot. This way I know exactly what is in my soup.
For the last three years I've made bone broth from turkey and roasted venison bones, plus veggies. It's so rich and flavorful. At first i froze it in pints, but the last time I made any I froze it in silicone ice cube trays, in two tablespoon quantities. Popped the cubes out and they are in silicone bags in the freezer. Much easier to use.
DeleteMmmm bone broth. I've made it as a base for onion soup (Julia Child Recipe) and it really makes a difference, much to my chagrin since it's a lot more work. I do save shrimp shells and make a shrimp broth (boil with mixture of carrots, onions, herbs...) for chowders since my supermarket stopped carrying fish or shrimp broth.
DeleteBeautiful soup of the evening! Grace mentioned cheese rinds. You could definitely add some to your soup for the creamy bit, Hallie. Right now my cheese drawer has Gruyere and Parmesano rinds ready to go into a pot.
ReplyDeleteLast week i made a big pot of venison chili, from my mom's pantry "recipe": she used ground burger , a big can of kidney beans, canned tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and one of tomato paste, plus fill each empty can with water and dump it in. Add a heaping serving spoon of generic chili powder to the meat while it's browning. A diced onion is also good, but not how my mom made it. If it's too watery i add a handful of small pasta after the soup has boiled. This time i used three kinds of chili, and added a can of black beans. Serve with shredded cheese, avocado if any is around, crackers, bread, sour cream, whatever.
Steve, as usual, said it was the best i ever made. Cracks me up.
Can you tell I turned off Autocorrect on my phone? It no longer automatically changes "i" to "I".
DeleteYou inspired me to add canned beans etc to my supermarket shopping list. Wondering whatyou mean by "three kinds of chili"
DeleteThe generic chili powder, ancho chili, and chipotle. The combination makes for a deeper flavor, I think.
DeleteCold cereal. I never claimed to be a gournmet cook.
ReplyDeleteHappy to have you here anyway, Jerry.
DeleteI try to keep ingredients for chili and chicken & dumplings (which turns out to be more of a creamy chicken soup for me) on hand throughout winter.
ReplyDeleteAdmission: I've never made a dumpling. Failed miserably at gnocchi, too.
DeleteHallie, if you use Bisquick it's a no-fail project.
DeleteWe cheat and use pieces of those refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits. LOL
DeleteNever tried to make gnocchi. DeLallo is good enough for me. :)
Hallie, if you're open to giving gnocchi another try, I swear by this recipe AND I use instant mashed potatoes to make it! (I make the gnocchi, not the pesto).
Deletehttps://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2011/02/08/its-easy-being-green-gnocchi-with-pesto
I buy Trader Joe's:-)
DeleteI make bisquick dumplings. Never fail.
DeleteOur kids went to a French school in Ontario, where I sometimes helped with school lunches (hot dogs on Fridays – they were still allowed then).
ReplyDeleteI suggested that we make Stone Soup, which was met with a stunned look from all the teachers/mothers. Apparently, they (French kids) had not read the fairy tale as kids. Anyway, we set about making it. I supplied the large pot and the chicken – we raised them at the time. Every child was sent home with a note (probably found at the bottom of the school bag) with a suggestion only, that the child bring a vegetable to put in the stone soup. Even if you did not bring a vegetable, you could still have the soup. We piled together all that we received, cooked it up, and served it for lunch. It was a hit! We cleaned up a big rock, and placed it next to the soup pot and pretended that that was what we started with…
Unfortunately that experiment was never tried again, but for a few minutes everyone was fed with a hot meal, and no discrimination.
Today, if you listen to weather forecast, we are all going to d-i-e (again). Snow or rain or both or wind, and the power might go off. Ho-hum, this is getting repetitive. Just in case, I will boil some eggs, so we will not starve… made from nothing soup could not be reheated.
Margo, I love the stone soup story! What a fun idea to do with kids.
DeleteMARGO: Ottawa also got nowhere close to the forecasted amount of snow in the 2 storms. We ended up with 8 cm of snow followed by 4 mm of freezing rain/ice pellets turning into rain now. The third snowstorm coming for us Friday/Saturday is the biggest one yet with forecasts of 25-30 cm of snow. But I do have to defend my former employer, Environment Canada's Met Service. These were tricky, messy storms to forecast with temperatures hovering at 0C. A slight change in either temperature or storm track can result in a much different amount/type of precipitation received on the ground.
DeleteStill waiting for a 30 cm snow base for the multi-use trails to re-open. And we need 45-60 cm to go snowshoeing.
Margo - Stone soup! What fun!! We had a pretty ferocious storm here near Boston. Rain and wind all night long. Now gorgeous blue sky and 50 degrees! GET OUT FOR A WALK!
DeleteMargo, one of my kids--which one lost in the fog of time--had to take a vegetable to school for Stone Soup. The kids loved it.
DeleteFrom Celia: Margo, so great to know someone else knew Stone Soup and used it. I would read stone soup at our Library story hour. I remember it as a French fable. Sometime later when our church took part in the Midnight Run, a NY program where we made soup and sandwiches and then bused down to NYC and went around the various homeless sites offering food and also undertaking small errands for the folk we met there such as finding shoes in a particular size. Later more was added in the form of health care items. It was a great program and I hope it's still going on.
DeleteI would like to thank you people in the 'Boston States' for accepting the worst of this storm. I see it even dumped stuff in Florida. The rest of Canada is taking what is left, and then it is supposed to turn to rain. We live right on the coast, so even 15 km away can get bombarded with snow, and we will get rain. We will get the wind...
DeleteIf however, the storm comes off the Atlantic and heads westward, we are in the path. I just get tired of all the weather people making a mountain out of what usually is a molehill. Wimps - but you don't know whether to believe them when something really is coming along.
Going for a walk - next door to get a flower pot. Think I will anticipate spring and plant some trees - this is my new project for this year.
Margo, I was thinking of Stone Soup this morning when Hallie described cleaning out the fridge and cabinet into the soup pot. The story really resonated with me when I was a child and the fact that teachers and staff used the story as a basis for making children feel included in creating a meal was just great.
DeleteI've been trying new soups here because sometimes it seems that I just make the same ones over and over.
As for the weather, we were really nervous about the big rain storm coming after the snow but we lucked out. Whew.
This sounds great. I've never done this as soup, but I certainly will now. I have been doing it for years as the currently popular "bowl" though. Some leftover pasta or rice? (Or I could cook some quickly) Those veggies when I cooked too much? Ooh, a little broiled salmon from the other night? ( Or chicken or...) Cheese is sometimes nice to add. Dump them in a bowl, warm a little if winter or leave cool if summer, and add whatever seasoning and dressing I have or want - peanut, ranch or creamy mustard goes well, and oil based is fine too. A meal in a minute...and cleans out the fridge a bit too. Secret; it works as "fried rice" too. Scramble an egg or two. Add rice and seasoning ( like soy or chili) and cook until the rice sizzles. Add everything else. Time: maybe 2 minutes!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
DeleteMy mother called it “refrigerator stew”. Best meals ever in the dark of winter. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteRefrigerator stew: perfect.
DeleteTip for commenters to whom Blogger says “not published”. Copy your comment. Refresh the page. Paste the copied Comment. And publish. Voila! At least it’s worked the last 2 days. Eye roll emoji here. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteApplause!
DeleteBow with my fingers crossed. Elisabeth
DeleteFrom Celia: I agree Elisabeth, Blogger is nasty and doesn't play well with others. I have tried many times to get myself on to the Blogger community but have decided that their issue is with Apple, so no go. I have also cleared out my history when this happens. Sometimes I think Blogger is just B***y minded. But one gain, thinking of what Hallie always says about keep everything. I opened a folder called JRW2022 etc. and whenever I comment and it's part of my history/story the copies comment is pasted there too for an aide memoir, or something, or nothing.
DeleteCelia, Blogger just follows its own rules that it makes up as it goes along…we must sneak around those “rules”. And for me, Blogger didn’t play well with my HP/Microsoft operating system either. Stay warm and cozy. Elisabeth
DeleteCelia, good idea about saving comments you make on the blog. I like that.
DeleteI love soups. Mine are very similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteIf I’m not in the mood to cook one or if I have not much time, I’ll make a simple omelette. In a skillet, I fry leftover or a little old vegetables ( one or more: broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, etc…), I add a beaten egg and sometimes a bit of cheese. It’s done and delicious.
Danielle
Love omelettes! Add cheddar or fetah and sprinkle with fresh herbs and it's a gourmet treat.
DeleteSounds delicious, Hallie! I love soups in winter. I keep the fixings on hand for chili, but the easiest is potato soup. Chop last of potatoes from the bag, cover with water. Add a pat or two of butter, salt, pepper. Cook until potatoes are soft (I like to keep them in chunks, but an immersion blender would work too). Ladle into bowl, top with left over chopped bacon, chives from the freezer, a dollop of sour cream if available, some shredded cheese. Works for me for lunch or dinner.
ReplyDeleteAnd this particular anonymous is Flora....
DeleteFrom Celia: Great soup Hallie, I love no recipe meals. In fact of what I cook for us are no recipe or leftover heaven or time to scrounge meals. Having thrown away more bunches of parsley etc, and cursed myself for not being thrifty enough I now bring the fresh herbs home and use my food processor to reduce them better than I can with a knife, then into a freezer pot, label!!, and freeze. Then the little dears are ready for soups, pasta, omelettes wherever ones taste buds go.
DeleteI do taht but then I forget to LABEL! And it's truly pot luck when I thaw it.
DeleteThat's what my something-from-nothing soup really is: potato soup WITH whatever you happen to have around.
DeleteSounds delicious! It is freezing here in the SF Bay Area. We have similar things in the refrigerator as you do for the makings of SOUP. No dairy, though we have dairy free sour cream. We have leeks, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, celery, carrots, among many more vegetables. We have chicken broth and vegetable broth.
ReplyDeleteDiana
It all works! And I'm guessing there's some version of tofu that would work instead of dairy.
DeleteWe live on homemade soups all winter, Hallie. This week it was curried parsnip and leek and potato. So comforting although our freezing weather isn’t like your freezing weather!
ReplyDeleteCurried parsnip... I can almost smell it.
DeleteRefrigerator pizza. I combine old, withered tomatoes with pizza sauce and pile everything from the "greens" drawer on the counter, chop it up, and sprinkle it on a pizza crust. Add grated cheese and kalamata olives and it's Friday night pizza.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds fanTAStic!
DeleteI just posted one of mine today. I love soups and I do the same thing with whatever veggies may be lingering in the fridge. Whipping cream added in is a must! Thank you for your tips.
ReplyDeleteAnd the cream is pretty, swirled in at the end and sprinkled with fresh green somethings.
DeletePat D: I must be severely lacking in imagination because most leftovers in the fridge get eaten as they were originally cooked. No soup. If I have leftover meat and some tortillas I can at least come up with tacos.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I keep a few packages of frozen vegetables. Peas. Corn. Green beans...
DeleteOh, this sounds amazing. I'd never think to immersion blender it. Hmm. Yum.
ReplyDeleteMy quick fix is Hank's fast and foolproof pasta. See what vegetables you have. If zucc or yellow squash: chop, broil on OO, keep warm. If broccoli or broccolini or spinach, chop and wait.
Start pasta. (penne is good.)
Meanwhile, combine two tablespoons olive oil, a clove of chopped garlic ( or that stuff in a tube which really works) about 1/4 c breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a microwave bowl. Heat briefly so flavors infuse the oil.
When pasta is about a minute from done, drop in the chopped broccoli. The brocc will cook in the pasta water with the pasta.
A minute later, drain the pasta/ broc put the whole thing back into the hot pan. Dump in the breadcrumb mixture, and add a bunch of grated parmesan.
(IF you broiled the veg, add those AFTER draining the pasta.)
This is so fast and so easy--its just all about the timing since the breadcrumb mixture should be hot and how do you know if the pasta is a minute away from done? But this ALWAYS works..
To serve, top with chopped fresh parsley if you have it, and offer more cheese and pepper.
SO yummy.
Now, I could really get into this dish, Hank, as I love pasta.
DeleteIt is SO easy, and astonishingly delicious.
DeleteSounds like making it is performance art!
DeleteHA! Lots of juggling, true. But once you make it once, it is so easy. And so flexible.
DeleteBreadcrumbs like panko, Hank, or fresh bread crumbs? I'm always trying to used up the last slices of good bakery sourdough.
DeleteI did this soup night before last and will continue to enjoy it for days. Mostly cauliflower and some chestnuts, with a bit of veggie hash tossed in for good measure--and a generous jot of Creole seasoning.
ReplyDeleteCauliflower and chestnuts - Brilliant!! Wondering how you prepped the chestnuts. Were they fresh?
DeleteThese are so amazing for using up my over ambitious farmers’ market purchases! Learning I can just put wilted lettuce into a soup? Soft carrots? I leave mine vegetarian, freeze it, and use it as a guilt-free snack.
ReplyDeleteFarmer's market produce is so seductive. we were in a food coop for awhile and I confess I never got the hang of kale.
DeleteI get in so much trouble at the farmer's market and then have to work all week to figure out how to use the produce.
DeleteAnd if you have not used all those 'things' in the fridge - in this house I feed them to the chickens. No guilt!
ReplyDeleteI assume they're not fussy like cats.
DeleteI've mentioned before that in my misspent youth I signed on as a cook on a boat to see the Caribbean. It was a working boat and I couldn't cook. The sailors taught me. By the time my three month tour ended, I could make a meal out of anything - much like this soup. It's a skill I hold to this day.
ReplyDeleteGuessing you became well acquainted with fish. And there's a wonderful squash we had in the Caribbean.
DeleteHallie your soup looks delicious, but I know if I tried it, it would all taste like cement paste.
ReplyDeleteNow there's an image... Ick.
DeleteThat sounds like what my sister calls "gottago" soup. If it's been in there a tad too long, it's gotta go. It's a great way to get rid of the last of the leftovers on a cold winter day. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteClever! And you can freeze it to give it a few extra legs.
DeleteI also love using Souper Cubes for freezing/storing single servings of soup when I make a batch. It's been a great way for me to enjoy a pot of soup but not feel like it's all I am allowed to eat for 3 days until it's gone.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous cold weather buster, Hallie. I love it. I was watching a woman on Insta make something similar out of canned beans, chopped tomatoes, garlic, and some other veggies (squash and peppers, I think) but her mission was to get people to eat more beans. Naturally, I thought of our Lucy and her secret bean club.
ReplyDeleteBeans will save the world, Jenn!
DeleteYour soup sounds delicious, Hallie, and is going on my "what on earth to make for dinner" list! I concocted a frugal one last night. I had a rotisserie chicken carcass in the freezer, plus some other chicken bones and the shredded meat from the leftover half of the r. chicken. Simmered bones all day to make stock, then (after straining) added cooked wild rice (first time making in the rice cooker!), lots of chopped celery and carrots, and the shredded chicken. Good, but I thought it needed a bit of extra zip from something... Maybe a drizzle of cream when serving?
ReplyDeleteYum! I was craving soup and had mushrooms on hand. I through together the ingredients without a recipe with other things I had…carrots, celery, onions, garlic, Japanese sweet potatoes 🍠, then added thyme, some ginger and bay leaf, salt and pepper. At the end I added about 3/4 cup half and half. It turned out sooooooo good. Served with some Trader Joe’s onion foccacia. I’ve made many throw together flops that we ate for “sustenance” but this one was a keeper. My guy suggested a day later that I should write down what I did because he liked it very much too. Now my throw together soup has a quality expectation….LOL! I’ve written it down and memorialized it here so hopefully I can duplicate it again.
ReplyDeleteI tried to post a pic here but I’m not tech savvy enough to figure out how
ReplyDelete