Monday, October 27, 2008

A rare Cookbook Junkie soup recipe
--Busy Day Luncheon Soup



Busy Day Luncheon Soup
The Complete Everyday Cookbook Copyright 1971

1 pound ground beef
2 ¼ cups tomato juice
1 ½ cups diced potato
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup uncooked rice
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
5 cups water

Crumble ground beef and place with remaining ingredients in a large kettle. Cover and simmer one hour. Serve with toast.

Makes 8 servings.
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My son has started to show an interest in soup so expect to see more of it here. I haven't made much soup the past few years. I think that's because I used to make a huge batch of it and then get sick of eating the same soup over and over. I'm going to try to make more manageable batches from now on.

While I enjoyed the flavor of this soup (after adding a bit more salt), the texture was sort of dog-foodish since the meat wasn't browned first. It didn't help that I was having computer troubles and while I was on the phone with tech support, the soup got a bit overcooked. Also, I added too much rice so it came out as more of a stew.

My son liked it though (he didn't eat the potatoes). My husband ate two huge bowls. There wasn't much left over.

I would probably make this again for a quick meal but I would probably brown the beef first and stick to the amount of rice called for in the recipe.

Gotta run. My son is getting his flu shot today which is a huge production since he once tested positive to being allergic to eggs. The allergist is doing a skin prick test so we may be one step closer to being able to make more egg-intensive dishes once again. I've been avoiding quiches, custards and things like that.


Question of the Day: When was the last time you ate soup? What kind of soup was it?

5 comments:

M Smith said...

Yesterday! I had black bean soup. We make soup quite a bit and we will freeze whatever is leftover. (As long as it doesn't have noodles. They don't freeze so well. They get mushy when reheated.)

One of my favorite soups is from Cooking Light. It is a chicken and wild rice soup. One main ingredient is (I kid you not) a box of Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice. But really, it is a so good. Quick too!

We also love Pho, Mexican tortilla soup, Mexican wedding soup, clam chowder etc. We really eat a lot of it once the weather gets cold. Good crock-pot fodder!

Anonymous said...

If it counts, tomorrow, I'm making Chicken and Wild Rice soup from Everyday Food. I use boxed rice as well but without the seasoning. The rest of the ingredients add enough flavor. Chili freezes really well...last time I put mine in a ziploc (yeah, sort of messy when thawed) but tasted just as good as the 1st night.

Unknown said...

Ha! Today but it was low sodium homestyle chicken noodle by campbells! However, this Friday, my team is on call and the intern is bringing gumbo!

Speattle said...

Just on a whim I googled this recipe. I have owned this book since 1979 when it was given to me as a wedding gift.

I believe this is the only recipe I've ever used from it. I certainly don't add that salt...that is an enormous amount for the the amount of soup. I also use v-8 juice instead of just regular tomato, and instead of rice I use orzo or lentils (I don't like rice.)

I just made this yesterday and cooked it in my crock pot instead of the stove top. Turned out well.

I've made this soup with my own small tweaks above for decades in my regular repertoire of menu ideas and normally it is a dinner item instead of lunch item around my house.

Speattle said...

Oh yeah... I always brown and drain the beef first. Not a fan of the fat being in the soup broth.

Instead of water, yesterday I made this with Trader Joe Low Sodium veggie broth. Gives nice flavor.

Again... I never add the salt to this soup.