Mom was in Europe during WWII. Her family moved, hid, and struggled. Some family members survived, while others were killed. They all scrambled for food.

She told us once (or twice, or 9 times) about a day her family (7 members still together at that time) came across a single rotten potato. They were all hungry. The best way to stretch that potato was to make soup. Water from the river, the rotten potato, and her Dad’s leather boot for flavour.

Soup is that easy and that inexpensive. If you can boil water, you can make soup.

Growing up, there was always soup: at our house, at all of the Aunt’s (I don’t think I have ever seen my Aunt Vala when there wasn’t soup on the stove). Soup is traditionally made from things you normally throw away: bones, drippings, vegetable peels, fish heads. Our family never threw food away – a trait left over from the war.

I still save money by using scraps. I still make soup. Hearty, comforting, hot or cold, soup is easy, cheap and delicious.

HOW TO MAKE SOUP: add flavour to water and simmer for an hour or more.

Pretty easy, isn’t it?

You may be wondering what flavour to add. The answer is easy: Anything. Everything. Whatever you have on hand.

• BONES have wonderful flavour (that’s why dogs love them). Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish. Bones have delicious flavour that would otherwise be thrown in the trash (such a tremendous waste).
• FISH HEADS AND TAILS are full of flavour.
• VEGETABLES have wonderful flavour. Especially root vegetables (the part of the vegetable that grows underground). Carrots, onions, potatoes, and celery are some examples. Since it is the flavour you are after, you can use the parts of the vegetable you would normally throw away: peelings, seeds, tips, and tops.
• SEASONING adds flavour. Salt, pepper, herbs and spices can all add flavour to soup.

If you strain this, and serve it right away, you have soup. If you reserve it for later, you have stock. Stock can be frozen or refrigerated and used as a base for gravy, sauce… and soup!

When you make soup, if you replace the water with stock, your soup will be better. It will have a more developed flavour.

For even better soup, add FAT. Drippings, the fatty part of meat you would normally throw away, or even butter. Fat adds tremendous flavour and more complexity to soup.

Let’s recap:

SOUP: Add flavour to water and simmer for an hour or more and serve.

BETTER SOUP: Add flavour to stock and simmer for an hour or more and serve.

EVEN BETTER SOUP: Add flavour to stock, add some fat and simmer for an hour or more and serve.

That’s it. That’s soup. Go crazy, use things in the refrigerator that won’t be eaten, use scraps, add creatively. Add meat (ground, cubed, or scraps) or fish, add vegetables, and let simmer a while longer for a hearty soup with texture. Puree the cooked vegetable and add cream. You can’t really go wrong. The savings are wonderful since you’re using things you would normally throw away and a pot of soup can easily be 8-10 servings.

OTHER INGREDIENTS can include: bouillon, mushrooms, beans, lentils, cream, sour cream, noodles, rice, leeks, peppers, cheese, tomatoes, beets, clams, lobster, bacon, water chestnuts. The list is endless.

You can read about the Split Pea and Ham Soup I made last week and, in a few days, I’ll be making Turkey Noodle Soup with those bones. One of the best things about Thanksgiving!