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Savory Soups

Reading edition

CREOLE BEAN CHOWDER (Yield: 8 Servings)

1 lb. dry red beans 8 cups water 1 cup grated carrots 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 #2 can tomato puree 2 teaspoons sugar 4 whole cloves ½ teaspoon pepper 3 cups water 1 #2 can okra 1 cup finely chopped celery 1 tablespoon salt 4 tablespoons vinegar ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce ½ cup margarine ½ teaspoon chili powder

Wash beans well. Place in large utensil with lid. Cover with the 8 cups water; soak overnight. Cook, covered, until tender (about 3 hours). Drain and save liquid. Then run beans through ricer or Foley mill. Return to liquid and add all other ingredients. Cover and simmer for one hour. If desired, 5 minutes before serving add 3 franks sliced very thin and diagonally. Serve with Parmesan Wafers (see recipe below).

MENU SUGGESTION:

To prepare Parmesan Wafers, mix together ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon garlic salt and just enough soft butter to spread. Cover TOWN HOUSE CRACKERS with a generous amount of this spread and place on a cookie sheet. Broil until bubbly and well browned (about 6 minutes at 350° F.). Serve piping hot. Creole Bean Chowder is so delicious and filling, that it can be used for the main dish of the meal, if complemented by a salad and dessert. Try serving it with creamy cole slaw and delicious Pecan Pie (page 29).

POTATO POTAGE (Yield: 6 Servings)

2 cups diced potato 1 teaspoon salt 1½ cups boiling water 6 strips bacon, cut fine ½ cup chopped onion 1 cup milk or cream ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon paprika

Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Fry bacon until crisp; remove from fat; then saute onion until yellow. If possible, use green onions including tops. Mash potatoes, reserving liquid. Combine potatoes, liquid, onion, bacon, cream and seasoning; let simmer 10 minutes. Serve with SALTINE CRACKERS spread with onion butter, sprinkled with paprika and broiled 5 minutes at 350° F. A salad made of two parts shredded red cabbage and one part shredded carrot, a bit of green pepper and mayonnaise is a perfect accompaniment for POTATO POTAGE. Top it all off with Ginger Spice Cake piled high with Apple Frostie (page 34) and you’ll have a delicious Sunday night supper!

THERE’S A DIFFERENCE IN SOUPS, when they are made with loving care and caressed by the touch of genius. Really good soups demand time for preparation and skill in seasoning. The writer, Thomas Fuller, once said, “Love has its charms, but only soup so well nourishes the young, stokes the fires of manhood and comforts the old.” The recipes given in this chapter are guaranteed to please the entire family. Remember—always serve hot soups very hot and cold soups chilled thoroughly.

Soup and crackers go together like ham and eggs, cream and sugar, salt and pepper, love and marriage—you can’t have one without the other! Crackers to complement rich flavorful soups must be very crisp. We suggest tempting touches be added to crackers and that they be served crisp and crunchy straight from the oven!

VICHYSSOISE—COLD AND QUICK (Yield: 6 servings)

3 medium potatoes ½ cup potato water 1 8-oz. carton sour cream ¾ cup half and half (cream) ⅓ cup chopped chives or green onion ½ teaspoon salt dash Tabasco sauce 1 can beef consomme

Wash, peel and dice potatoes. Cook until tender. Pour off liquid and measure; reserve up to ½ cup. Mash potatoes, combine with potato water, sour cream and cream. Whip until smooth. Add chives, seasoning and consomme; blend well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve in soup bowls or cups, sprinkle with paprika and chopped chives. Serve with TOWN HOUSE CRACKERS spread with anchovy paste and broiled 5 minutes at 350° F. Complement with a salad of sliced avocado and cucumber on endive and Raspberry Parfait Pie (page 30).

PEAS PORRIDGE HOT (Yield: 6 servings)

5 strips of bacon ½ cup chopped onion 2 cans pea soup 1 can boiling water

Fry bacon until very crisp; remove from fat and saute onion until clear. Blend fat and onion into soup. Pour in pan and add boiling water slowly, stirring until smooth. Cook until it bubbles up 2 minutes. Add bacon crumbled into bits. Serve piping hot with TOWN HOUSE CRACKERS topped with Blue cheese and broiled 5 minutes at 350° F.

SOUP’S A MEAL when served with a tasty salad and tempting dessert. A tossed green salad with tomato wedges will complement PEAS PORRIDGE HOT. For the ideal dessert, try Graham Cracker Cake with Pine-Cot topping (page 33).

LOBSTER BISQUE (Yield: 6 servings)

2 cups milk 2 cups light cream ½ can tomato soup 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped lobster meat 4 tablespoons flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon onion salt ½ teaspoon celery salt ½ teaspoon red pepper

Combine and heat milk, cream and soup. Saute shredded lobster meat in butter; add flour; cook until absorbed by lobster. Combine lobster with hot tomato and cream combination; add seasoning. Cook slowly, stirring constantly until thick. Serve with CLUB CRACKERS generously buttered, sprinkled with paprika and toasted 8 minutes in a 350° F. oven. Delicious with avocado slices and grapefruit sections with horse-radish dressing.

SERVING TRICKS. The French excel not only in their cuisine, but in the art of serving. They believe every dish should be a masterpiece—rich in flavor, skillfully seasoned; served with ceremony! They never serve large portions; when you finish, you’ll wish there were a bit more. That is the state of “Perfection”! Never detract from the appeal of food by serving too much.

“Savory Soups” given here are culinary masterpieces—so flavorful—so skillfully seasoned the most discriminating French chef would say, “Oui! Oui!” We suggest they be used as the main dish around which to build a meal, but in small portions are delicious at a dinner. Each of our “Savory Soups” is so delicious you’ll find yourself serving them often once you’ve been tempted with a taste!