Potato Soup

Ingredients

10-12 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small chopped onion
3 scallions chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, scallion, carrot, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender; lightly mash/ use immersion blender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir into potato mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted.

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

1 peck of tomatoes chopped (blanch first, remove seeds and chop in food processor)

8 onions chopped (can use food processor)

5 stalks of celery (can use food processor)

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup (or less) of salt

1/2 pound butter

1 cup cornstarch with water just to dilute (pour this in slowly)

Boil tomatoes, onion and celery for 1 hour.

Pour mixture through a strainer. (not absolutely necessary)

Add sugar, salt, butter and cornstarch.

Mix, bring to a boil and seal in jars.

Recipe from Gayle Elsberry

Carrot-Tomato Soup

Carrot-Tomato Soup

Ingredients
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled* and sliced in half with stems removed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
(optional) fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with most of the olive oil (reserving 2 TBSP or so), and the salt and pepper. If you'd like a little more flavor, I sometimes add a fresh sprig or two of oregano or thyme atop the tomatoes. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.

Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so). When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot (removing the sprigs of herbs), along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so).

Puree the soup. (I don't have an immersion blender, so my regular blender works just fine, doing it in batches.)

Stop here and see below if you'd like to freeze some of the soup for later!**

Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and heavy cream.

Enjoy!

Notes:

*To peel the tomatoes, heat a sauce pan full of water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes in for a minute. Remove and let cool. The skins will peel off easily after that.

**Because I love the basil and cream to be fresh when I serve this, at this point, I try to estimate how much I'll use for dinner now and how much I'd like to freeze for later. Usually, with this recipe, I freeze a one quart mason jar, filling it to within an inch from the top to allow for expansion room when it freezes. It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner size for us, especially when served with some crusty bread and sharp cheddar cheese for sandwich dipping!

Recipe from Soule Mama's blog. Thank you!

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 40 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
3 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, recipe follows

1 quart Roasted Winter Vegetables, recipe follows

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of chicken stock. In 2 batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pour the soup back into the pot and season, to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it's the consistency you like.

Roasted Winter Vegetables: 1 pound carrots, peeled 1 pound parsnips, peeled 1 large sweet potato, peeled 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded 3 tablespoons good olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

I altered this a bit. I used whatever veggies I had on hand and added organic butternut squash soup in addition to the stock so it didn't taste too chickeny. Worked great. Could have used more liquid than I did (though of course I didn't measure)

Harvest Vegetable Soup

3 cups tomatoes chopped
2 cups carrots sliced
2 cups zucchini
1 cups green beans
1 large onion
1/8 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 bay leaf
½ tsp thyme and marjoram (optional)
3 cups water

Combine all (except peas) in crockpot.
Cook on low heat for 5-7 hours. Add peas and cook 1-2 hours more.
Remove cover 15 min before serving (remove bay leaf)