Soup's On! Homemade soup with a little assistance

Despite the record high temperatures here in Maine, winter is always a time for warm, comfort foods.  After an afternoon of shoveling there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot soup.  At our house we jokingly call the winter months "soup season" because we find it on the dinner table more often than not.  Often times, people are intimated by soup, but in reality it is one of the simpler things to make.  Most recipes just call for throwing everything into a pot and letting it simmer!

If you are one of those people intrigued, but intimated by creating soup recipe from scratch, then a soup mix is the perfect balance.  Soup mixes typically provide all the spices, dried beans, grains and vegetables needed, requiring you to only add the stock (which can be purchased at any grocery store), protein if desired and a few other ingredients found in your pantry.

A few of our favorite mixes include;

• Farmers' Market Vegetable (shown above) - great for everyone!  This soup can also be made with added protein such as chicken or turkey to please the meat eaters in your family.
• New England Chicken Stew  - one of the staff favorites here at Stonewall Kitchen.
• New England Clam Chowder - or chowda' depending on where you are from!
• Hearty Beef Barley Stew - filled with barley, lentils, vegetables and spices, this soup mix can also be vegetarian friendly by simply leaving out the meat.
• Italian Wedding Soup - the perfect marriage of ingredients.
• Potato Leek Soup - with the simple addition of broth and cream, you can have dinner created in 20 minutes.
• French Onion Soup - an all time favorite.

If you are looking to try out a soup recipe from scratch, this is a great, simple recipe that everyone can enjoy!

Homemade French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 large sweet onions, sliced thin
• 5 Tbsp. Stonewall Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 cups (or 3 - 14oz cans) beef broth
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
• 1 loaf French bread, cut into 1" slices, toasted
• 4-6 oz Gruyere, Swiss or provolone cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, warm oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
2. Add onion and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
3. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. Cook for 35-45 minutes until onions are a deep, golden brown.
5. Add Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
6. Ladle soup into 4 heatproof bowls.  Top with toasted bread slices and grated cheese.
7. Broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned.
8. Garnish, if desired, with fresh chives, parsley or thyme.

For more soup recipes, please visit our recipe page.