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soups, stews, and other one-pot meals

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buckwheat stew minestrone potato cheese soup chicken corn chowder chicken and dumplings

beef stew Betty Crocker scratch dumplings Bisquick dumplings gumbo leek and potato soup chili

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buckwheat stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 cups water
1 carrot, shredded
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 tablespoon Spike (premixed seasoning)
1 teaspoon pepper
some salt
1/2 cup buckwheat

Heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and brown. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until the buckwheat is tender and the soup has thickened somewhat.

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minestrone

optional--leftover meat, meaty bones, chicken, whatever
3 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup frozen or canned corn
1/2 cup frozen or canned green beans
1 tomato fresh or canned, chopped
1 can kidney beans
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
leftover pasta
some spices (oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)

Brown garlic and onions in the olive oil. Add solid stuff (except for the pasta) and spices. Add enough water to cover. Add canned soups. Cook until the carrots are done. Add the pasta last. If the soup tastes too strong, add some water.

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potato cheese soup

1 medium potato
water
pinch rosemary
salt to taste
grated cheese

Wash and slice the potato. Place slices in pot and just barely cover with water. Add rosemary. Bring to boil, cook until potatoes are soft, add more water if necessary to keep potatoes barely covered. Mash potatoes in the water until the consistency is smooth. Add salt to taste. Serve in a bowl with top sprinkled with cheese.

Note: This makes enough soup for one person but it is very easy to double.

Ideas: This soup is very good with leftovers in it. Make the soup and then add things like cooked and cut up chicken, bacon, lamb, other meats, broccoli, carrots, celery, peas, corn, green beans, asparagus--well, really anything. It's good.

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chicken corn chowder

1/2 onion, chopped
1 chicken breast, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 can corn
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon cilantro
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon cilantro

Mix them up. Simmer over medium heat until the chicken is cooked. Very tasty served with tortilla chips.

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chicken and dumplings

1 chicken breast, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 pack/cube veggie bullion

Put it all in a pot. Cover the ingredients with water plus about 4 inches. Simmer until the chicken is cooked (about 10 minutes). Make dumplings (see facing page).

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beef stew

1 piece of beef (your choice--cheap cuts work well in this format)
1 stick celery, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 pack/cube veggie bullion
1 teaspoon rubbed sage

Put it all in a pot. Cover the ingredients with water plus about 4 inches. Simmer until the beef is cooked (about 10 minutes). Make dumplings (see below page).

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Betty Crocker scratch dumplings
(otherwise known as the hard way)

3 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

Cut butter into dry ingredients until evenly distributed. Add milk, stir until blended. Drop spoonfuls into boiling stew. Cook 10 minutes uncovered. Cover--cook another 10 minutes.

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Bisquick dumplings
(otherwise known as the easy way)

Bisquick
water
Put the Bisquick in the bowl. Add enough water so that the batter sticks together and pulls away from sides but is not too wet. Drop spoonfuls into boiling stew. Cook 10 minutes uncovered. Cover--cook another 10 minutes.

I'm not giving measurements here because I vary the amount according to how many people I'm feeding. Usually I'll use 1/4 cup Bisquick per person and enough water to make the batter pull together.

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gumbo
(mama's style)

2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups water
1 cup sliced okra
1/2 green bell pepper
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 large can V-8 juice
1 cup rice
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)

The proportions are whatever suit you. I've given what I use above.

Put the olive oil in your soup pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the flour and burn it (called making a roux). When the flour is brown but not black, add the water. In another pot start the rice cooking. In the soup pot add the okra, bell pepper, celery, onion, and tomato. Cook over medium-low heat. When the veggies are tender, add the V-8 juice and the rice, which should be cooked by now. Let the gumbo simmer until it thickens. Add the shrimp, if you are adding shrimp. Cook for five more minutes and serve.

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leek and potato soup
(or serve it cold and it's vichyssoise)

1 leek, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
scallions
salt
pepper

Brown leeks, onion, and garlic. Add diced potatoes. Cover with water. Boil 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Pour off about half of the water. Mash potatoes in pot. Add milk, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 10 minutes. Serve with scallions as garnish.

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chili
(sin o con carne)

Brown 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey, drain (or skip for veggie chili).
Now add:
1 chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 bell pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder or 2 chopped fingerhot chilies
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
some salt, if needed
4 cans cooked red kidney beans

Put it all in a pot and simmer until it is the correct consistency. Stir it every now and then. This makes about 6 bowls of chili. It keeps and reheats very well (especially if you make it vegetarian). It also freezes well. I'll put bowls full into ziploc baggies and freeze. Then I'll reheat it at work in the microwave for lunch later in the week.