Food And Nutrition: Cream Of ‘Any’ Vegetable Soup
By MARY ANN LIENHART CROSS
County Extension Director, Extension Educator Health and Human Sciences, Purdue Extension Elkhart County
GOSHEN — Spring has been long in arriving. The cold of spring has a different feel than the cold of winter, I have often been told it is the dampness, but the bottom line is if you are outside the cold gets to your bones. I know many of us are already grilling but the cold temperatures tell me it is still a good time to make soup.
I am usually more of a beef or chicken vegetable soup maker but I know many of you like creamed soup. A basic cream soup will work with a variety of vegetables. So you can use this basic creamy base to make soup from whatever vegetable is in season or what you have in the refrigerator or freezer.
When you begin this recipe set out a quart of milk so it warms to room temperature. Then begin with 1/4 cup of butter and melt it in a large pot, then add 1 medium onion that is thinly chopped or a bunch of green onions and sauté until tender. If you have some celery in the refrigerator you can also chop and sauté it. If the center of the celery with the leaves is still there make sure to finely chop them and add to the pot. For some seasoning add one crumbled bouillon cube, some soup base or a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
For the thickening add 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour, if you happen to have powdered milk add 2 tablespoons of it, if you don’t you can still make the soup with milk; the powdered milk just makes it a little thicker. Stir in the flour and dry milk if you have it and cook until bubbly. Next add the room temperature milk. The soup will taste richer if you use whole milk but you can use whatever you have. Gradually add the quart of room temperature milk, stirring occasionally until the soup thickens. Make sure to have your burner on a low to medium setting.
Now for the vegetables of your choice, I prefer to cook them separately and then just add them hot to the creamed soup mixture. Some of the vegetable choices could be asparagus, broccoli, carrots, corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, and spinach. I would cook these vegetables in the microwave as this is about the only way I cook vegetables, but the stove top would also work. The important factor is that you don’t overcook them.
Some of the amounts you might consider would be 1 pound of asparagus or broccoli, 8 to 10 carrots, 2 cups of frozen or canned corn, a medium head of cauliflower, 1 pound of mushrooms, and 2 bunches of spinach. Once you have added the cooked vegetables of your choice, heat just until the vegetables and creamed mixture is blended. For a richer soup and creamier flavor you can also add 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice. Serve the soup with the garnish of your choice with a nice piece of whole grain bread and a salad of dark greens like spring mix.