December was extremely mild this year in Saskatchewan and on Christmas Day we had virtually no snow.
A light snow is falling as I sit down to write this column, and my thoughts turn to the warmth and comfort of a hot bowl of soup.
Our local coffee shop serves a limited but unique menu of one soup, salad and sandwich each day, along with a variety of coffee, tea and soda.
One day, out of curiosity, I tried their dill pickle soup and discovered a fantastic flavour combination. I went searching for a recipe and discovered that this soup has a Polish history.
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Like many soups, it was originally made using the limited ingredients that were available: potatoes, onions and carrots. The addition of the dill pickles makes for a flavourful soup. When I served it to my daughter-in-law, Lydia, she also quite enjoyed the flavour.
Dill pickle soup
3 tbsp.    butter or margarine    45mL
1 c.    onion, chopped    250 mL
1/2 c.    celery, diced    125 mL
1/2 c.    carrots, diced    125 mL
1 c.    potatoes, diced    250 mL
4 c.    vegetable or chicken broth    900 mL
2/3 c.    dill pickles, chopped or shredded    150 mL
1/4 c. dill pickle juice    60 mL (Add more if you want a stronger dill pickle flavor)
1/4 c.    flour    60 mL
2 c.    milk    500 mL
1/4 c.    fresh dill    60 mL
or
2 tbsp. dried dill    30 mL
dash of pepper
In a large pot, melt butter or margarine, add the onion and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring often until the onions are transparent. Add the carrots, potatoes, and broth. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add dill pickles and juice.
Mix the flour into the milk and add several tablespoons of the hot soup to the milk to warm the milk. Slowly add the milk and flour mixture to the soup. Reheat until just steaming. Do not boil.
Season with fresh or dried dill, and pepper. Serve hot.
This soup can be frozen, but an option is to add the milk just before serving and then gently heat, being careful not to boil the milk. Serves six.
Adapted from Prairie Pooches & Friends Favourite Recipes, Cando, Sask., 2011, Pickle Soup, by Wendy Heintz.
Updated grilled cheese
I love grilled cheese sandwiches with dill pickles, so it seems natural to pair this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.
For an updated version, lightly coat naan bread with olive oil, add slices of your favourite cheese and grill using a counter top grill.
Beef barley soup
This recipe is adapted from my daughter-in-law Leanne’s recipe.
1/2 lb.    round steak    250 g
1 tbsp.    oil    15 mL
1 Â Â Â onion, cut into large chunks that are easy to remove
2Â 900 mL cartons beef broth 1,800 mL
1 10 fl. oz. beef consomme    284 mL
4 Â Â Â large carrots, sliced
2 stalks    celery, sliced (optional)
1 small   parsnip, sliced (optional)
1 c.    pot barley    250 mL
Chop meat into small pieces, about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch (.5 cm x .5 cm) and brown in the oil. Add the onion chunks and cook and stir with the meat, until soft and translucent. Add broth, consomme, carrots, celery and parsnips.
Rinse the barley in a strainer under running water and add to the pot. Stir and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables and barley are cooked.
If onions bother you, remove the large pieces of onions prior to serving. If the barley has soaked up too much of the broth, add water. Serves eight.
Yam and corn chowder
This soup recipe caught my attention when I was looking for the dill pickle soup recipe. It has a wonderful sweet yam flavour.
2 tbsp.    butter    30 mL
1 large    onion, peeled and chopped
1 large    yam, peeled and cut into chunks
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
4 c.    chicken broth    900 mL
1 c. Â Â Â frozen corn kernels 250 mL
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Stir and cook until the onions are clear. Do not brown. Add yams and cook for a few minutes. Add the salt and pepper to draw out the moisture and flavour.
Add the broth, cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, replace pot cover and cook until the yams are soft, or when a knife will easily slide through the yam chunks. Use a hand blender to pureé or cool soup and pureé in a blender. Reheat and serve. Serves six.
Adapted from www.recipezaar.com.
Clam chowder
I developed a love for clam chowder on a family trip to Disneyland. We were waiting for the light show one chilly evening and bought bread bowls of hot clam chowder to warm us up.
6 strips   bacon, chopped
1 c.    onion, minced    250 mL
1 c.    celery, diced    250 mL
2 c.    potatoes, cubed    500 mL
1 c.    carrots, diced    250 mL
3-5 oz. cans baby clams for chowders and sauces    142 g
water, to cover vegetables
3/4 c.    butter    175 mL
3/4 c.    flour    175 mL
4 c.    half-and-half cream or 2% milk   1 L
2 tbsp.    red wine vinegar    30 mL
1 1/2 tsp.    salt    7 mL
ground back pepper to taste
Cook bacon in a large pot until crisp, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon from pan, reserving one tbsp. (15 mL) of drippings in pan. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add onion and celery to drippings in pan, cook on medium heat until onions are transparent. Add potatoes and carrots.
Drain juice from clams over the vegetables, add water to cover and cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and broth. Heat through but do not boil. Stir in clams and bacon pieces just before serving. The clams get tough if they cook too much. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Serve in a large bun hollowed out to make a bread bowl.
Using a lower fat milk works just as well but does not give as rich a taste.
Adapted from allrecipes.com/
recipe. Serves eight.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
