On Soup

My love affair with soups began at Houston's on St. Charles...tortilla soup every Thursday. Yum. Or maybe it was the corn and crab bisque at Vincent's. Yum-my. That one's in a bread bowl! And I can't leave out the smoky gumbo at Dick and Jenny's. De-lic-ious.

I generally have a cup of soup, no matter what it is, each time we eat out, and sometimes it's even my entree. I love the creamy, fattening varieties, potato and chowder being high on the list, but I really love all kinds of soups.

I make soup each time we have a turkey or a chicken. Just can't bare the thought of tossing that carcass without boiling those bones. And with that generally follows tossing a bunch of stuff into the stock: leftover poultry, a can of corn, some tomatoes, chopped parsley, a can of beans, some rice, and anything that just so happens to be available in the pantry, refrigerator, or garden. No planning when making a pot of soup, with the exception of a gumbo (which I'm thinking we'll have for Mardi Gras as the early date bodes well for chilly, gumbo eating, weather).

I made a pot today with my newest, most favorite ingredient: barley. It's high in fiber and much better for you than rice, noodles, or potatoes. High fiber was my mission, but I omitted the beans because I'm serving it to picky Charlie for supper, with a grilled cheese sandwich. There's enough to freeze half and enjoy during the next cold snap.


As the pot was simmering, I have been poking around the net looking at actual soup recipes. Lentil soup may have to be next and then potato leek. But that would involve some advance planning on my part. We'll see how it goes. I'm open to any tested and approved soup recipes if anyone's got any!