Samhain Publishing

What says comfort food to you? Usually it’s something your mother made—your very favorite dish—when you were a child. One of my favorite comfort foods from childhood is roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy. But now that I’m a grownup, I have another comfort food: homemade vegetable soup.

Now would I eat my mother’s homemade vegetable soup when I was a kid? No way. However, at some point a few years ago, I developed my own recipe. Right away, I have to say I’m not a big veggie fan, but I do love lots of spice and flavor. My veggies tend toward the starchy side. You can add whatever you like; the main idea is to add flavor and the following recipe has plenty of that.

Marie-Nicole’s Vegetable Soup Recipe:
1 large can of tomato juice

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes

3-4 medium Idaho potatoes, scrub them, no need to peel, quarter or cut smaller if you like.

Baby carrots—cut small ½ inch slices—might pay to cook them first then add them, if you don’t want them to crunch.

1 medium onion, sliced or chopped; also some bell pepper will add a nice flavor too.

From the frozen food section, I add some corn, a few lima beans, sometimes, some Italian style green beans. This is the most creative part—use whatever veggies you happen to like.

Spices: I don’t have a fresh herb garden, so I use dried. My measurements are for dried spices. Fresh takes less I think.

Oregano 1 tsp—pour into palm and rub to crush and release more flavor.

Basil ½ tsp—ditto

Thyme ½ tsp.

2 Bay Leaves—remove before serving.

Black Pepper to taste

Worchestershire Sauce—the more the merrier—I tend to use too much to suit my mother. Probably ¼ cup is the most you should use. LOL

Combine in a large soup pot and cook for one hour minimum. Just make sure the potatoes and carrots are done. Serve with hot crusty French bread. Now that’s real comfort.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Marie-Nicole Ryan