Friday, September 8, 2017

Stone Soup Is An Old Family Favorite


Do you remember the children's story, Stone Soup



It was one of my favorite stories when I was a kid. 

It is about some hungry travelers who come to a village with only a soup pot and some stones. 

They fill the pot with water and the stones and make a fire. 

As passer byers looked into the pot, they ask the travelers what they are making. 



The travelers entic the villagers with tales of an extraordinarily delicious stone soup that they would be willing to share if only they had the right ingredient. 

The travelers tell the first person that the soup would be perfect if only he had some carrots. 





And then they repeat the story to the next passer byers saying if only he had some celery, and then to the next neighbor if only he had some parsley , and to the next neighbor if only he had a potato or an onion.


Each person gives the clever travelers the "one ingredient" that is missing to make this mysterious stone soup. The characters continue collecting ingredients from all the neighbors until they have enough to make a flavorful big pot of stone soup to eat.


The travelers only contribution to this soup was the pot and the stones.


Although I didn't use any stones, this recipe reminds me of the stone soup story.

I did not go shopping for any ingredients, and I did not have a recipe to follow. I simply used what vegetables I could find lurking in my fridge.


Easy, Frugal, and Healthy

 I found one potato, a large carrot, some fresh green flat parsley, some red peppers, some cabbage, onions, zucchini, garlic and fresh sage to make this vegan and naturally gluten free soup. To give it a little more depth, I added a can of cooked beans.



Since I only used whatever I had, I was surprised that the soup was very tasty. It turned out be an pleasing vegetable soup that was quick and easy.


Don't Forget to Add This
My favorite addition to the soup was a half uneaten jar of sauerkraut that was lingering in the fridge. I remembered that my mother used to make a sweet and sour soup using sauerkraut. Sounds a little strange, but it added some interesting flavor. If you like sauerkraut, make sure to add it to your bowl. If not, add fresh lemon juice.




It's Now Officially Soup Weather 
As far as I'm concerned once the temperatures get into the fifties like it is today, it is now officially soup weather!

Have you begun to make soup yet? Do you make soup in the summer? What are you making? 

Author: Judee Algazi
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8 

Ingredients: 
1 or 2 medium potatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup of parsley, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 medium to large zucchini diced
5 leaves of sage
3 cups of cabbage, chopped ( green or purple)
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
8 cups of water
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 and half cups of cooked beans ( white or kidney)
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
Sauerkraut to add to each bowl ( 1/4 cup for each bowl)
or a squeeze of lemon juice in each bowl
2 teaspoons of olive oil or olive oil spray

Directions: 

Sautee the onion and garlic in some olive oil spray or a little olive oil. When translucent, add the carrots, red pepper, red cabbage, potato, and zucchini. Mix well and then add the water and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then simmer about 30 minutes covered until vegetables are soft. Add a drop of lemon juice to each bowl.

My Notes: 
1. If you have leftover soup and the liquid is absorbed the next day, add more broth and reheat.



This recipe will be shared Sunday on Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen where you can link up soup, salad, or sammie recipes...

Also will be shared on Friday on Weekend Cooking open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. 

20 comments:

  1. Looks so comforting and tasty...perfect for the rainy weather we have over here.

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  2. Somewhere I learned another great soup ingredient: chopped stems from parsley, cilantro, or a similar herb. I love the way you can use what otherwise would be wasted to add flavor.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  3. I loved that story too! I agree, a little sour/acid can really spark a soup. And hurray for soup weather.

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    1. I hadn't thought about it in years, but when I was thinking I could use some of this or that , it reminded me of the story

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  4. I love soup and the best I've ever tasted was one I made from this and that found in the fridge and pantry.

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  5. Never thought to add lemon juice -- good tip! Enjoyed this post; was fun remembering the classic story. :)

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    1. Jama,
      We add lemon juice to everything! My husband is a lemon fanatic

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  6. I call it fridge soup. Need to make some today! Cheers

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  7. Carole,
    It is beginning to be soup weather. A great way to use up everything in the fridge.

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  8. Your soup looks amazing, I especially love the photo of the vegetables.

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  9. I loved that story growing up! ;-) I think most of my favorite soups are made up of tossing together dribs and drabs of things from my fridge and pantry. Your soup looks delicious. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays this week.

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    1. Deb,
      I hardly ever use a recipe. I get my inspiration at the supermarket or farm stand and then go home and make a soup- That's why I started my blog- I could never remember how I made my recipes because they were all spontaneous.Now , I go back and check my blog.

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  10. I like soups. This one looks yummy.

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  11. This was a most delightful post! You drew me through memories of reading this to my littles now grown biggles! I loved it!

    I am a soup and stew year round gal. I'm not absolutely sure if this is gluten free, but it's a frugal favorite. Oniony Root Soup is a recipe I made up. http://harvestlanecottage.blogspot.com/2013/04/oniony-root-soup.html

    God bless!
    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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  12. We love a stone soup and your recipe looks great. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday,we are so happy to have you join us. Have a wonderful week and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

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    Replies
    1. I didn't realize how popular stone soup is! thanks for stopping by and commenting

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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