Warming the heart with winter soups

So, my first step is to take inventory of what needs cooking. In my freezer, I found the leftover beef rib bones I had saved from Christmas dinner. And sitting in the back of my refrigerator, I found a beautiful and meaty smoked ham hock given to us by a good friend over the holidays. My search was further rewarded by a supply of wan-looking celery, limp carrots, wilted mushrooms, some potatoes ready to sprout eyes and several pounds of onions. So I knew I had the beginnings of two great soups that I’ve been dying to make — beef with mushrooms and ham with vegetables.

Soup is one of those dishes for which I rarely use a recipe because it invites spontaneity — so much depends on what I need to use up. Since I had meaty beef prime rib bones, I knew it was worth the effort to make broth from scratch. Although store-bought broth is an acceptable substitution, there’s really nothing like homemade.

When making broth, I usually like to begin by sautéing a chopped mixture of onions, celery and carrots, known as mirepoix. That step helps to bring out their richness and concentrate their flavor. Then I added those roasted beef bones and scraps from my freezer, plus a host of herbs and spices. Before long, I had a flavorful stock bubbling away on my stovetop. Several hours later, I strained and discarded all the solids. My broth was now ready for the unique ingredients to transform it from broth to soup.   

Beef barley soup seems to cry out for onions, and lots of them. I had a lot, so I peeled, sliced and caramelized them the day before. That way, I didn’t have to fuss too much in the kitchen at any one time. On soup day, in addition to the caramelized onions, I added a pound of sautéed mushrooms deglazed with cognac. I had about 4 cups of diced leftover rib roast meat, and so I added that, too. I finished with the beef stock, red wine and 6 cups of cooked pearl barley. Several hours later, soup was served, garnished with some chopped fresh parsley. Hearty, aromatic, rich and satisfying.

As for the ham soup, smoked ham hocks are particularly chock-full of flavor before you even start. And while ham bones typically marry well with beans, I sometimes like to use a quick-cooking legume, such as lentils or split peas, for a quicker and less complicated soup. In today’s recipe, I added parboiled potatoes and Hungarian paprika to the simmering ham hock and lentils to make my soup taste more Eastern European. But I could have just as easily thrown in a cup of chopped green chile and some corn or dried chicos if I wanted to shift the flavor in a Southwestern direction. Remember, substitutions are OK. No matter what ingredient fusion you apply, your soup will warm your heart, as well as your insides.

So whether you’re up for trying the recipes in this article or prefer turning to a favorite old family recipe, throw caution to the wind and incorporate all those “need to eat” contents in your refrigerator. Believe me, you won’t regret making a big pot of delectable winter soup. And don’t be surprised if you decide to invite a few people over for dinner. After all, you’ll have plenty of comforting soup to share.

Enjoy!

LENTIL and POTATO SOUP with HAM HOCK

1 meaty ham hock

12 ounces small green or black lentils, rinsed

1 small onion, peeled and halved, root intact

2 large bay leaves

2 whole cloves

8 cups water

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with their liquid

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons paprika

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 pound gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2” cubes

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. When sizzling, add the chopped onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme and paprika. Sauté for 5-10 minutes over medium heat, until softened and glistening. Add the diced tomatoes, the lentils and the ham hock to the pot. Add the 8 cups of water.

Attach a bay leaf to each half of the small onion using a whole clove. Add to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 2 hours.

In the meantime, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and the potatoes, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain and cool.

After 2 hours, check the soup. Are the lentils tender, or do they need more time? You may need to cook them up to an hour longer. They should be al dente, but not hard.

Remove the bay leaves and cloves. Smash the onion halves with a wooden spoon. Remove the bone from the pot and cool. When cool, remove any meat from the bone and return it to the pot.

Add the white wine and vinegar and return to the boil. When boiling, add the cooled cooked potatoes, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes more. The potatoes should be tender but not quite falling apart.

Serve as is, or garnished with fresh parsley, slices of warm crusty bread and a green salad. Makes 8 servings.

BEEF, MUSHROOM AND BARLEY SOUP

3 pounds onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced end to end

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 quarts rich beef stock (preferably homemade — see recipe*)

1 pound mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons cognac

1 cup red wine or port wine

4 cups diced leftover cooked beef, such as sirloin or roast

6 cups cooked pearl barley

1 branch fresh rosemary

1 branch fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Chopped parsley

Place the onions, butter and oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven. Slowly cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions become translucent and wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the salt, and continue to cook over medium-low to low heat, stirring often, until the onions are brown and caramelized, about an hour or more. May be made a day ahead. Caramelized onions will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Cook the barley according to the package directions, but just until al dente. It will cook more in the soup. You should end up with 6 cups of cooked barley.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup kettle. Sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil over medium-low heat until they begin to give up some of their liquid. Turn heat to low, and continue stirring until most of the liquid is gone, then add the cognac and stir to deglaze the pan. Remove mushrooms from heat. May be made a day ahead.

Place cooked beef into a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, and stir to combine. Add the onions and mushrooms, and stir until heated and glistening. Add the red wine or port, the beef stock and the cooked barley. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings. Bring back to a boil and cook uncovered until the soup is somewhat reduced and thickened. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Makes 8-10 generous servings. Serve with crusty bread and a salad.

*HOMEMADE BEEF STOCK

(Note: You can use the following recipe to make chicken stock, too. Simply substitute chicken bones and scraps for the beef)

2 pounds meaty leftover cooked beef bones and meat scraps

1 cup roughly-chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2-3 branches parsley

2 bay leaves

1 branch fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 branch fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

14 cups water

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large kettle, such as a stock pot. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 3-4 hours. Allow to cool. Strain and discard all the solids. If you wish to further remove fat, refrigerate overnight, then skim off fat. Makes 3 quarts.

For more recipes, check at Lucy's Kitchen at youtube.com/@LucysKitchenShow.