You Asked For It: A quick meal? Try homemade soup

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 9, 2002

It is fall, so it's time to get in the mood to make a pot of soup.

Making soup is a delight, and the reward is lasting. Having containers of homemade soup in the freezer is like having aces in the hole. If time is short and dinner is due, heat the soup, make a tasty salad and warm a loaf of French bread or one of the delicious peasant breads.

See, you are a genius.

Heinz Stevens writes that he has lived in a number of countries; his favorite dish to try in different locales was peanut soup. He was particularly fond of the spicy soup made in Suriname and would like to have a recipe.

Nancy Eggert found two recipes in The Complete International Soup Cookbook. The book notes that "the peanut, called a groundnut in Africa, is used to make many good soups."

African cream of peanut soup is made with ground peanuts and flavored with red pepper. West African chicken-peanut butter soup includes smooth peanut butter and chopped tomatoes among the ingredients and is seasoned with red pepper and curry powder. The soup contains whole pieces of chicken.

When your party is over and the ham has been devoured, don't discard the ham bone. It can be the base of wonderful soup.

We usually think of split pea soup, but Eloise Barta asked for a ham bone-based soup recipe made without peas.

Mary Ann Janssen has just the thing. Her three-bean soup is made with dried navy beans, red beans and garbanzo beans. If you prefer, use only navy beans instead of the three kinds.

Joy Nobles sends her family recipe for corn flake kisses or macaroons, a favorite for 40 or 50 years. The confections are flavored with almond extract and made with cornflakes and shredded coconut. Egg whites hold the ingredients together.

Joy includes two variations that use crisp rice cereal or cake crumbs.

(This writer has discovered that using parchment paper to line cookie sheets (and cake pans) has made for easy removal. Grease pans or not, as recipe suggests.)

For: Heinz Stevens of Largo.

From: Nancy Eggert of Dunedin.

Recipe: African Cream of Peanut Soup and West African Chicken-Peanut Butter Soup, from The Complete International Soup Cookbook by Kay Shaw Nelson.

African Cream of Peanut Soup

• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or butter
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/3 cups ground salted peanuts
• 1 cup light cream

Saute onion in heated oil or butter in a medium-sized saucepan until tender. Add flour and cook slowly, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually add broth, stirring while adding. Add seasonings and cook slowly, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add peanuts and cream and leave on stove long enough to heat through. Serves four.

Recipe: West African Chicken-Peanut Butter Soup from the same cookbook.

West African Chicken-Peanut Butter Soup

• 1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 3 pounds, cut up
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut or salad oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 medium-size tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wash chicken pieces and dry. Saute onion and garlic in heated oil in a large kettle until tender. Add curry powder and red pepper. Cook several seconds. Push aside and add chicken pieces, a few at a time, and saute in drippings until golden. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook slowly, covered, 25 minutes. Combine peanut butter, tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir into soup. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking another 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Serves six to eight.

For: Eloise Barta of Palm Harbor.

From: Mary Ann Janssen of Dunedin.

Recipe: Three Bean Soup, adapted from a recipe found in the January 1989 issue of Southern Living magazine.

Three Bean Soup

• 2 cups dried navy beans
• 1 cup dried red beans
• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans
• Water
• Ham bone
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 or 4 peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 10-3/4-ounce cans chicken broth
• 3-2/3 cups water or 7 cups of homemade chicken broth)
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Rinse dried beans and soak overnight in enough water to cover. Drain. Place in large soup pot. Add ham bone, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, Worcestershire sauce, canned chicken broth and water (or homemade chicken broth). Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 21/2 hours.

Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking 30 minutes or more or until vegetables are tender. Yield: 3 quarts.

Note: If desired, you can use all navy beans instead of the three beans.

For: Helene Simoneau of Ocala.

From: Joy Nobles of St. Petersburg.

Recipe: Corn Flake Macaroons, an old family recipe.

Corn Flake Macaroons

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups corn flakes
• Halved candied cherries or nuts, optional

Beat egg whites until frothy; sprinkle salt over top and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in flavoring. Fold in coconut and corn flakes. Drop by teaspoonful on greased baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Place pan on damp cloth and remove macaroons to a wire rack immediately with spatula or knife.

Makes three dozen.

Variations:

Rice macaroons -- Flavor with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead of almond extract, substitute crisp rice cereal for corn flakes and add 1/2 cup chopped nut meats.

Cake crumb macaroons -- Substitute 2/3 cup cake crumbs for corn flakes. Coconut may be omitted, if desired.

A candied cherry or nut half may be place in the center of each macaroon before baking, if desired, for a special effect.

Recipe requests

Tanya Cochran of Palm Harbor thinks the ginger muffins served at the Beachcomber Restaurant on Clearwater Beach are outstanding. She wonders if there is any chance of getting the recipe.

Does anyone have the recipe for Outback Steak House's dark brown bread? Karen DiCristofalo of Spring Hill would be delighted to have that one or a similar recipe.

- You Asked for It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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