We love soup -- and always have. Some of our friends claim that they didn’t begin to like soup or appreciate its versatility until they became adults. Until then, to them soup meant canned cream of tomato soup or chicken noodle soup when they were feverish with a cold, or their mom’s vegetable soup where they’d fill up quickly on the crackers and bread, leaving most of the soup untouched.
We were more fortunate as our moms frequently made wonder soup from scratch so that by the time we were cooking for ourselves, we were well versed in the techniques of making stock, the basis of a wonderful soup. (We have great chicken stock, beef stock, fish stock, and vegetable stock recipes in our earlier work, The Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook, available in the Book Store here on the site or in most libraries. Nowadays we make stock when we’ve planned a day at home doing other chores, or we purchase low-sodium, fat-free professional stock (Redi-Base) from the ‘healthy food’ section of our new Diabetic Supply Store. We can also buy cans or cartons of fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth at the supermarket. Beef and vegetable varieties are also made, but harder to find. Avoid using stocks that are high in sodium and fat.
Since our soups are nourishing, satisfying, and economical, we’re building a complete meal around the soup. Served in smaller quantities, these same soup recipes could become a bridge to the main event.
Our first soup meal features a rich-tasting combination of vegetables and canned clams, making it an easy and economical soup for those land-locked cooks who can’t get fresh clams at affordable prices. With the chowder, we’re suggesting a salad made with fresh spinach tossed with a poppy seed dressing and a few sliced strawberries. Pears roasted with almonds and sweet spices end the meal.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
One of our favorite soups to make in the winter is chili, especially when the children are home for a visit. A big pot of chili will easily feed the hungriest crowd from a youngster to older adults. Our version is mildly spicy, using a good quality chili powder bought at the supermarket. When we can, we buy spices from a chile vendor in Dallas or over the Internet that hand grinds the chiles from all over the world, some so searing hot that a mere quarter teaspoon is sufficient for a large pot. If your family is not used to spicy food, try using half of the chili powder and other spices called for in our recipe. Taste after the chili’s been cooking for at least 10 minutes, then add more to taste. We’re serving our chili with a great version of Texas Toast. Nobody will want a salad with chili, but they will appreciate the crunch of raw vegetables to help absorb the heat. Of course, where we live, one doesn’t eat chili without some pickled okra. Dessert is a refreshing ‘sandwich’ made from fresh pineapple and blueberries.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
Our third meal is Asian in flavor -- a gingery, spiced broth filled with Asian vegetables and shredded chicken with a portion of hot cooked rice added to each bowl just before serving. Since the soup’s a complete meal, we only need dessert. In this case, we suggest a warm pear and raspberry pudding that fills the kitchen with wonderful smells while it’s baking.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
Our last soup is Winter Vegetable Soup, a special recipe that I developed several years ago for a casual restaurant that was opening in Connecticut, featuring the same menu of burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and desserts for both lunch and dinner. Every time the chef would offer this soup as the ‘soup of the day’ (especially when it was bitter cold and snowy outside), he’d run out of soup well before the dinner crowd. Since he posted the menu outside, people passing in the pedestrian mall would see it being offered and come inside to buy a serving or more to take home for their evening meal. His recipe made 150 servings; ours serves six. With the soup we suggest slices of Bruschetta (the Italian noonday snack that’s now so popular here in the States) made with the lovely low-fat feta cheese that we can now get at most supermarkets. Dessert is parfaits, made with creamy vanilla pudding and kiwifruit.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
