Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Five stellar soups to warm your soul
5 stellar soups to warm your soul Super Bowl Sunday’s also National Homemade Soup Day
Got plans for game day? Call an audible and host your own “Soup-er” Bowl.
“There’s nothing better than having that warm, yummy smell of something cooking when it’s cold and snowy,” said food consultant Linda Funk.
Score a culinary touchdown with curried corn and pepper chowder or mascarpone mushroom soup.
“What’s so beautiful about that – no surprise to anybody – is the mascarpone adds that creaminess to it and just makes it delicious,” she described.
Another winner: Cuban black soybean soup.
“It’s one of my favorite soups. I just love making it, and it’s easy,” Funk said. “Soybeans are packed with heart-healthy protein.”
For Super Bowl LII, “bird is the word,” so serve superfans some chicken tortilla soup.
“It’s quick for people to do at home,” explained executive chef Brenda Kieffer of Kieffer’s Appliances in Lansdale, who cooks “a lot of soups, especially when it’s cold out.”
Finally, don’t pass on her beef barley soup. It’s worth the extra point.
“Everybody loved it,” she said. “It’s really a meal in a bowl. That’s what I like about it and soup in general.”
Chef Brenda’s Beef Barley Soup INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound beef stew meat 1 pound meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones) 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 large onion, chopped ¼ cup pearl barley 4 cups water 2 (14 ½-ounce) cans beef broth 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels 2 small bay leaves 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 ½ cups frozen peas 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add stew meat and bones; sauté until beef is dark brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer beef and bones to plate. Add celery, onion and barley to pot. Sauté until onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups water, beef broth, tomatoes with juices, corn, bay leaves and garlic powder. Return beef and bones to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour.