If a Jewish meal is to have any importance, then Soup is on the menu. It may be hot or cold, thick or thin, but it is always present. Thin Soups are made for first courses. Thick ones are served with Bread and Butter as the main dish for Lunch in cold weather. Almost everyone has a childhood memory of coming from school on a Winter afternoon, and being told to sit at the kitchen table for a bowl of Soup to remove the chill. Mama would just give you the Soup with Bread and Butter, so as not to spoil your dinner, but if you went to Bubbe's house, you also had Cookies afterward.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 medium Onion, minced
2/3 cup diced Celery
1 large Potato, peeled and diced
1 Apple, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon Mock Chicken Bouillon Powder
2 Bay Leaves
1 tablespoon Curry Powder or 2 teaspoons Thyme
3 cups boiling Water
1 pound fresh, tinned, or thawed Vegetables, chopped (suggestions below)
1 cup Cream, Nondairy Creamer, or Sour Cream
1/2 cup Dry Sherry

Method

Melt the Butter in a large saucepan. Add the Onion and Celery, and cook over a medium heat until the Onion is translucent. Add all the other ingredients, except the vegetables, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Add the Vegetables, replace the cover, and cook until tender. Place 2 cups of the Soup at a time in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth, or use a hand blender in the pot. Stir in the Cream and Sherry. Serve hot or cold.

Vegetable Suggestions

Fresh or thawed Peas, and 1 tablespoon Mint Jelly
Tinned Pumpkin, and one teaspoon Cinnamon
Fresh or thawed chopped Broccoli, and 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Fresh or thawed Banana Squash
Fresh or thawed Spinach
Fresh or tinned Yams, and 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
Tinned Pimientos or Roasted Red Peppers
Mild Green Chilies
Fresh or thawed Carrots
Fresh or thawed Lima Beans
Fresh or thawed Cauliflower, and 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
Fresh Mushrooms
Fresh Cilantro
Tinned Beets (not pickled), use Sour Cream

Copyright 2009 Eddy Robey