MUFFINS & SLICES

HOLIDAY SPECIALS

SEAFOOD SOUP

4 or 5 slices of fried bacon
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder (amount depends on how many you serve)
Boil 3 large potatoes cut up into cubes

Add the following ingredients:
1 can of kernel corn
1 can of tuna broken up
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 cups of milk

Boil slowly for about 2 hours

GROUND NUT SOUP

In a large pot, fry onion and carrot in the margarine until medium soft. Add all other ingredients, stir constantly. Bring to a boil. When cooked, pour into a blender to puree.

VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

This recipe is for a classic homemade creamy tomato soup that goes perfectly with grilled cheese sandwiches to fuel the entire family with a winterized meal. Try it out on your gang tonight, and refrigerate any leftovers for lunch tomorrow. You can never make too much cream of tomato soup!

(Serves 6)

3 cups canned or fresh Tomatoes
1 Onion, spiked with whole Cloves
Spring of Parsley
3 Tbs. Butter
3 Tbs. All Purpose Flour
3 cups Milk
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Croutons, optional garnish

If using fresh tomatoes, ad one-half cup of water to the tomatoes pieces to yield three cups.
Place the tomatoes in a large saucepan and add the onion spiked with cloves. (Make sure to peel the onion before pressing the cloves into the soft inner layer of the onion.) Add the spring of fresh parsley and simmer the tomatoes for about 15-minutes over moderate heat to soften. Strain the soft tomatoes to remove the skin and seeds. Place the tomato pulp back on the stovetop over moderate heat.
While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the cream sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Blend in the flour and when the mixture is smooth, slowly add the milk, stirring after each added portion. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 5-minutes to cook the flour.
Just prior to serving, combine the cream mixture with the tomato pulp. Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons, if desired.

PHILLY PEPPER POT

Nothing warms the soul in the winter season like a portion of hot, homemade soup. With all due respect to the makers of canned soups, good homemade soups often produce a rich, savory flavor which eludes the can.
A regional specialty from Philadelphia, this recipe makes for a wonderful warm bowl of soup whose seasonings send heat surging throughout your body on a cold winter's day. 

(Serves 6 to 8)

4 Tbs. Butter
1 Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, deseeded and diced
2 Leeks, diced
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
3 Tbs. All-purpose Flour
5 cups Beef or Veal Broth
1/4-lb. cooked Tripe, diced
3 cups Potatoes, diced
Pinch of Black Pepper
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Sweet Marjoram
Pinch of Thyme
1 Tbs. fresh Parsley, chopped
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the diced onion, green pepper, leeks, and celery, and sauté until soft. Add the flour to the sautéing vegetables and blend well.
Gradually add the beef or veal stock to the mixture, stirring after each added portion. Add the tripe and increase the heat a bit to bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the diced potatoes and black pepper, cayenne pepper, sweet marjoram, and thyme.
Add the parsley and salt to the mix. Allow the soup to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Serve warm.

PASTA & BEAN SOUP

Venetians prize a soup made thick by using mashed beans. This recipe is based on the preparations at Venice's Fiaschetteria Toscana and Osteria alla Bomba. A tablespoon of salt may sound like a lot, but it is needed to bring out the beans' flavor.

1 1/3 lb dried cranberry beans
5 qt cold water
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1‚ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1/4 lb sliced pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1‚ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/3 lb ditalini or other short tubular pasta
About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine beans and water in an 8-quart heavy pot and soak, covered, 12 hours.
Add vegetables and 1 tablespoon rosemary to pot and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, set aside 1 heaping cup bean mixture, then reserve 2 cups cooking liquid separately. Force remaining soup through a food mill into a very large bowl.
Cook pancetta in cleaned pot over moderate heat, stirring, until it begins to render its fat. Add remaining ‚ tablespoon rosemary and cook, stirring, 15 seconds. Stir in puréed soup, reserved whole beans, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently and scraping bottom with a wooden spatula to keep soup from sticking to pot (thin with some of reserved bean liquid if necessary). Add pasta and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is cooked, about 12 minutes.
Serve soup drizzled with olive oil.

TIPS :
• This soup is best the day after it's made. Cool it uncovered, before chilling, covered, up to 4 days.
• You can use a blender or food processor instead of a food mill to purée the soup, but pulse briefly. This soup should be textured and thick.
• If you want to make this a vegetarian soup, omit the pancetta and simply reheat the puréed bean mixture with the additional rosemary and other ingredients.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 cups dry Black Beans
3 cups Water
2 Tbs. Garlic, minced
1 large Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 medium Onion, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
3 oz. Smoked Ham, chopped or shredded
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Dash of Tobasco Sauce
4 Tbs. fresh Parsley or Cilantro, chopped

Thoroughly wash the beans and soak in the water overnight. The next day, simmer the beans in the same water in a large soup pot over low heat for one hour.
Add half the garlic and green pepper and all the minced onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the beans. Let the soup simmer for another hour.
Sauté the chopped or shredded ham in warmed olive oil. Add the remaining garlic and green pepper to the ham and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes more.
Add the sautéed mixture to the soup, stirring to blend. Add the salt and pepper with a dash of Tobasco sauce, or to taste. Stir the soup before ladling to serve in individual bowls.
Sprinkle a bit of fresh parsley over the top to complete the service. Be on the lookout for the bay leaf, and make sure to remove it from the soup pot before serving.

HOT & SOUR SOUP SZECHAUN STYLE

4 cups stock
2-3 cloves garlic , minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
5 stalks greeen onions
1/2 cup cooked cubed chihicken or pork
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili flakes
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 pkg cooked Shang Hai Noodle
1 cup bean sprouts

Add onions, garlic, pepper, tomato and meat to stock. Mix cornstarch, sesame oil, chili flakes and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to stock to mixture and stir. Add noodles. Add bean sprouts just before serving or pour hot soup over bean sprouts and serve.