"SATURDAY" SOUP

    

Stock photo

Grammy D’s Saturday

“Clear-out-the-Fridge” Soup

Almost every Saturday during my young(-er) years, more often than not my Grammy D (paternal grandmother) would go into the refrigerator and haul out everything leftover from the preceding Monday through Friday.

She would do the “sniff test” (“When in doubt, throw it out!”) on what was at hand, and then proceed to make the most unbelievably delicious – and satisfying - soup for Saturday’s lunch. Okay, sometimes it would actually become a casserole.

Still, the concept is the same, and one of the first and most profound things about Lidia Bastianich that resonated with me is that we never waste food, never throw it away unless it has gone bad. These were lessons of necessity learned by the Great Depression/World War II generation(s) that so many would do well to heed today.

So here, for the sake of illustration, is what Grammy D might have done with these leftovers for Saturday lunch…

Ingredients

Leftovers:

2 – 1/4 lb. Hamburgers

2 c. Cooked broccoli

1 c. Cheddar cheese sauce

1 c. Cooked carrots

+/- 1 c. Mashed potatoes

From the Pantry:

+/- 4 c. Beef or vegetable stock

1 c. Milk or Hood’s Country Creamer™

1 medium Onion, chopped

a dash Frank’s Original Hot Sauce®

+/- 2tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

+/- 1/4 c. Grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese(s)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Garlic powder

Old Bay™ Seasoning

Directions

• In a stock pot (or Dutch oven), bring the stock to a rapid simmer over medium flame.

• While waiting for the stock to heat, chop up the hamburgers and onion.

• Stir the milk (or creamer) into the heated stock.

• Stir or whisk in the cheese sauce until combined, then reduce to barely a simmer.

• Add the Frank’s®, some garlic powder and some Old Bay™, and stir.

• Add the onion, cover, and cook about 10-15 minutes, until the onion starts becoming translucent.

• Crumble in the mashed potatoes.

• Add the hamburger, broccoli and carrots, and stir well.

• Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes to heat through the meat and vegetables.

• Taste and adjust the seasoning, as necessary.

• Swirl the olive oil over the top, then top with some grated cheese.

• Serve piping hot with some bread, crackers, etc.

That’s it. Get the gist of it? Good! You’ll be amazed at what you come up with, and at how creative you can get!

 

 

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