In Search of SOUP Recipe

[ElijahsGrtGranddaughter]

I am in search of an easy period style soup for a group of about 15 soldiers. Any help would be apprecaited.

A gentleman in our camp prepared his own soup one night with what looked like spring onions, pork/ham hock and rice, but I didn't get what else was in it. It looked and smelt wonderful!!!

Kind Regards,

~Kerri :)

[Charles Weathers]

The great thing about a period soup is that anything goes! Find the foods that were available in your area and during that season. Pick the ones that sound good and combine. Seasoning is VERY important. If you only have a few foods available the seasonings can make all the difference.

Pork works great, rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, turnips, corn on the cob, black-eyed peas, carrots, beans, and hominy were all available. Herbs were garlic, rosemary, coriander, basil, and bay leaves. Cheat a little with bullion cubes for the broth or boil a cooked hock for a few minutes.

These are just examples, I'm sure you can find more. Good Luck!


If you want a soupy drink try this popular one brought from Spain...
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon plain cocoa powder
Tabasco to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the ingredients and heat them.


Make Hoecakes to dip in the soup.
Ingredients:
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon melted fat (or vegetable oil)

Mix together the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Add the fat (or oil), and stir in just enough water to make a soft dough - not a batter. It needs to have a firmer consistency than batter. Once the dough has been prepared, drop by spoonfuls onto a hot, greased griddle to make small cakes. When they begin to turn brown, turn them over on the griddle to brown on the other side. When both sides are brown, remove from the griddle. Serve them hot with molasses, butter, jam, syrup, or preserves.

There is another, older recipe for hoecakes that is worthy of your consideration.
Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon lard
1 pint cornmeal
1 teaspoon soda
5 ounces boiling water

Sift one teaspoon of soda into a pint of meal and work in one-half tablespoon of lard into the mixture. Add five ounces of boiling water and stir well. Bake on a hot, greased griddle until brown, and then turn it over to bake on the other side until brown.

[Jim Mayo]

Get a stew pot, hang it over the fire and fill half way with water.
Lightly bown some cut beef, throw it in the pot. Chicken will also do.
Cut up some potatoes, carrots and celery, throw them in the pot.
Slice an onion, throw it in the pot.
Look around and see if anything edible is left unattended around camp. Usually someone has some rice. If it is, throw it in the pot.
Salt and pepper as required.
Add more water if needed to reach near top of pot.
Slow boil with lid on until potatoes or rice are done. Check occasionally and add water as necessary.

After about an hour or two it should be ready and will taste wonderful.

It is really hard to mess up any stew or soup cooked over an open fire.

While the stew is cooking, make up some corn meal and fix some pones to eat with the stew.

[3rdUSRedleg]

Fry at the same time, onions and salt pork and or: bacon, ham, or any other type of meat that produces grease. Then add water, rice, and or potatoes...
sugar and or spices if it was issued to you.

If you have anything else laying around from issuance or yearly
foraged veggies throw it in.

Towards the end break up hardtack and throw it in for thickening.

[buryme@evergreen]

nothing smells or tastes better then soup cooking over an open fire. i actually make these in my fireplace on cold winter days. dried beans and peas were used alot. here are recipes for both

bean soup

2 lbs dried navy or great northern beans
1 lb diced carrots
2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
1 cup rice
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tbsp dried parsley
1 lb bacon chopped or 1 ham bone
3 cups chopped tomatoes or 1 can tomato puree 28 oz
1 gal or more water
salt and pepper to taste

put 1 gal of water along with everything else in a large kettle as the beans will expand to 4 times their size. once it comes to a boil let it cook for at least 1 and 1/2 hours the longer the better. if the soup started to get too thick add more water. you can add other veggies corn, green bell pepper anything your heart desires or if you want to cheat frozen mixed veggies. this should serve 15 people because i just checked my bag of beans and it says serves 25.


pea soup

2 lbs dried split peas
1 lb diced carrots
2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
3 lbs diced potatoes (you dont have to peel them if you dont want to)
1 lb chopped bacon or 1 ham bone
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dried
1 and 1/2 gal water
salt and pepper to taste

put everything in a pot and just let it cook for and hour or more.


in both recipes i dont fry the bacon i just put it in raw it gives the soup a different flavor then when its fried

i hope these help

[Ephraim_Zook]

Hello, Kerri,

Go to this site: http://rejmyzie.googlepages.com/thesubsistencedepartment and click on "Sanderson's Camp Fires and Camp Cooking.pdf". It will bring up a small period cooking manual for soldiers. There are soup recipes on pp 5 through 7 (actually spills over to the top of page 8 ). Sorry that I can't post the recipes as text for you. I scanned the original manual and created PDFs. Pages 8 and 9 are out of order. One of these days I'll fix it.

Don't get much more period / authentic than that. We use these recipes regularly. Note that you have a whole lot of flexibility as far as vegetables are concerned.

regards

[Ephraim_Zook]

Don't you love it when someone poses a question, others answer, do research for the questioner, spend time typing out requested info, etc, and the original poster doesn't acknowledge the efforts of the others?

There oughtta be a rule...

[Gwen In LA]

Just saw the PDF, thank you Mr. Zook. It's printing as I write this.

Might be preparing some of the recipes at Moorpark (farb fest next month).

[ElijahsGrtGranddaughter]

Don't you love it when someone poses a question, others answer, do research for the questioner, spend time typing out requested info, etc, and the original poster doesn't acknowledge the efforts of the others?

There oughtta be a rule...

My sincerest apologies for not responding sooner, but I have only just regained use of my computer.

I do appreciate the help very much!!

~Kerri

[Ephraim_Zook]

Kerri,

I'm sorry for the snide comment. I've been kind of grumpy lately. Glad to help.

Ron

[ElijahsGrtGranddaughter]

Kerri,

I'm sorry for the snide comment. I've been kind of grumpy lately. Glad to help.

Ron

No apologies necessary! :) I fully understand. ;)

Kind Regards,

~Kerri

[VRCordsgt]

Im not sure if this is period or not, but I have made it at several events with none left and a fight for the kettle!

I make a corn chowder. Corn was available as was salt pork or bacon, a few onions to prevent scurvy and a few potatoes. To make the chowder I diced up some strips of bacon and browned them and then added the onion and diced potatos and allowed them to cook and then added two cans each of whole kernal and creamed corn to the pot. Add water to thin a bit depending on how thick you like your chowder Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

[ElijahsGrtGranddaughter]

Im not sure if this is period or not, but I have made it at several events with none left and a fight for the kettle!

I make a corn chowder. Corn was available as was salt pork or bacon, a few onions to prevent scurvy and a few potatoes. To make the chowder I diced up some strips of bacon and browned them and then added the onion and diced potatos and allowed them to cook and then added two cans each of whole kernal and creamed corn to the pot. Add water to thin a bit depending on how thick you like your chowder Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

That sounds wonderful! I'll have to try it out at my next event. :D

~Kerri

[sigman]

Some of our best meals have been throw whatever you have in the pot and stew it up!

Andy Siganuk, 12th NJ, Co. K

[Memphis]

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/browse.html

This Feeding of America collection of period and non-CW era cookbooks is highly recommended.