Soups, Stews, & Sauces















MMMMMM Soup! Nothing is hearty enough to warm up a body in the cold winter months, yet is a light enough meal to eat even during the hottest summer days. Welcoming, comforting, and calming. Meat and vegetable stews were served at Inns during the middle ages with homemade bread and often chunks of cheese. Yummy! These stews were made with care and patience. Yet even today in our "civilized" times, cans line our grocery stores containing sodium, preservatives, and  chemicals so that our fast-paced lives can enjoy these heat and serve "soups" in a hurry. What do I say about that? MAKE YOUR OWN! If you don't have time to sit and stir a pot all day, get a crock pot! Put all the ingredients in the crock in the morning before work, plug it in, put the lid on, and POOF dinner is ready when you get home!

Hot and Sour Soup
4 dried black mushrooms
1 T cornstarch
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 lb cooked pork, shredded
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, minced
2 tofu cakes
1 T white wine or sherry
2 T white vinegar
2  t soy sauce
1/2 t Chineese hot oil
1/4 green onion, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 t  sesame oil

In one cup warm water, soak mushrooms for about 20 minutes. Drain, set liquid aside, and slice.   Mix cornstarch into 1/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil, mushroom liquid and chicken broth. Add the bamboo, pork, and mushroom strips, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut   tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add to soup and simmer for another 3 minutes.  To the soup, stir in wine, vinegar, soy sauce and hot oil, then add cornstarch.  Slowly, add  beaten egg to the soup, remove from heat, sprinkle with green onion and stir in sesame oil.

Perfect Minestrone
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions thinly sliced
6 cu[s low - sodium chicken broth
16oz can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut
10oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
10oz pkg frozen green beans thawed
10 pkg frozen spinach thawed
15oz can kidney beans drained
1 cup uncooked pasta, any style
1/2 cup red wine
Toppings: Parmesan, pesto, chopped green onions

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook the onions 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes, then let it cook over a low flame for 30 minutes. Add mixed vegetables, green beans, spinach, beans, pasta and wine, and cook for 2 minutes; turn off heat and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes (heat will cook pasta). Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan, pesto, and chopped green onion. Add more water if needed.

Clam Chowder
51 oz (3 lb 3oz can) clams, drained
5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped (reserve grease for cooking onion)
1 large onion, diced and sauted in bacon grease
2 quarts 1/2 & 1/2
salt, pepper, and season to taste

Combine all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on medium for at least 3 hours.

Country Sausage Gravy (large quantity)
5 lb chub Jimmy Dean Ground Breakfast Sausage
105 oz. can Chef-mate Country Sausage Gravy

Cook sausage in large soup pot. When well cooked, pour gravy into pot too. Stir well and heat all the way through over medium heat. Spoon over homemade buttermilk biscuits, chicken fried steak, fried potatoes, or many other foods! YUMMY!!!

Mushroom Sausage Gravy
1 lb chub Jimmy Dean Ground Breakfast Sausage
2 large family size cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 large soup can milk

Cook sausage in large skillet. When cooked well, add soup and milk. Heat well over medium heat and then serve over biscuits, steak, or potatoes.