By Tanya Manus

My fellow blogger Lynn is looking for recipes that are delicious, healthy and possibly vegetarian. A stew I enjoyed at a party recently might be just what she’s looking for.

The guest of honor at the party was a vegetarian. The hostess, and all us other guests, were not. So the hostess made Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Stew, based on a recipe from Country Living magazine. Instead of shrimp or chicken stock, as the recipe calls for, substitute vegetable stock. And, instead of mixing shrimp into the stew according to the recipe, the hostess topped individual bowls of stew - except for the guest of honor’s - with five or six jumbo shrimp a few minutes before serving. We all loved it and, paired with some hearty bread, it made a wonderful meal.

Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Stew
4 pounds unpeeled medium shrimp (to make shrimp stock*)
1 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper cored, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
5 cups shrimp stock * or low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
2 tablespoons salt
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 bunch green onions (white and green parts) finely chopped

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking almost constantly, until the roux reaches a light peanut butter color (5 to 10 minutes). Add the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, stock, salt, bay leaves, basil, thyme, black pepper and paprika. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peeled shrimp and scallions. Bring back to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Let the stew stand (off heat) for 15 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.
Makes 8 servings.

*Shrimp Stock
Homemade shrimp stock makes a difference in the flavor, but it can add an hour to the stew’s cooking time.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pot over high heat. Add 1-1/4 pounds shrimp shells and heads, 1 tablespoon each paprika and ground black pepper and stir until the shells crisp up and turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add 1 small, quartered onion, 2 stock celery (cut into 2-inch pieces), 1 small carrot (cut into 1-inch pieces), 4 smashed garlic cloves, 1 rosemary sprig and 8 bay leaves, and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups white wine and bring to a boil. Add 3 quarts water; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low to simmer (skimming foam) for 45 to 60 minutes. Strain and discard solids. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

By Tanya Manus

A friend of mine was telling me how much she’s looking forward to a holiday at home this year with her family and some steaming pots of soup.

She and her husband both have large families who live in the area. Holidays in years past have been spent shuttling themselves and their children to and from grandparents’ houses. This year, however, she, hubby and the children are staying home, and family members will be visiting them instead, dropping in throughout the day.

Smart hostess that she is, my friend is foregoing a formal, sit-down Christmas day meal. Instead, she said, she’ll make a couple of pots of soup and keep them simmering on the stove. Any time guests stop by, there will be warm, homemade French onion and chicken noodle soups for them to enjoy, and my friend will have lots more time to spend with her family and lots less time she’ll have to be in the kitchen.

I love this idea, for a holiday or any wintertime parties. And it brought to mind my favorite recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ve got a wonderful meal. Merry Christmas!

 Fran’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 chicken, about 2-1/2 to 3 lbs., skinned and quartered

3-1/2 quarts water

1 tbsp. salt

1 medium onion

6 whole peppercorns

6 celery ribs, leaves reserved, divided

6 whole carrots, divided

4 cups uncooked egg noodles (and if they’re homemade, even better!)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3 to 4 drops yellow food coloring

Put chicken, water, salt, onion, peppercorns, three ribs of celery, all the celery leaves and three carrots in a soup kettle. Cover and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for two hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat, vegetables and peppercorns from stock. Discard cooked vegetables and peppercorns. Dice remaining celery and carrots; add to stock. Cook until vegetables are tender. Remove chicken from bones and shred. Add meat and bring stock to a boil. Add noodles and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Turn down heat and add parsley. Stir in food coloring. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

It was perfect fall weather at Angostura Reservoir this past Friday, and my husband and I had a truly wonderful time pretending to fish while enjoying a golden afternoon and evening.
I was still in a state of bliss on the drive home Saturday, relaxed and stress-free, when my husband wheeled the van (with the boat swinging behind) into a graveled lot in Hot Springs occupied by an Iowa farmer selling the last of his vegetable harvest.
Before I could stop him, my husband had bought about a dozen and a half ears of corn, several large bell peppers and a sack of some supposedly mild version of jalepenos. Was he under the impression that I couldn’t wait to get home and start cooking??
And on top of it all, I had left at home a large bunch of broccoli, some asparagus that I’d picked up on a good sale and there was still some summer squash hardening up on the kitchen counter.
It was uncalled for, this sudden vegetable bonanza. What was he thinking??
Sunday found me serving grilled chicken with asparagus and corn on the cob for lunch. That got rid of a few ears and a bunch of asparagus. And the husband swore he would take corn to work all week.
That left the broccoli, but I solved that problem with my trusty vegetable cookbook, “Farm Journal’s Best-Ever Vegetable Recipes.”
Here’s the simple soup recipe I found, which used ingredients I had on hand. As for the squash, it’s still there on my counter, harder than ever.

Curried Brocolli Soup
6 slices bacon, diced
1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (1 large bunch)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2-1/2 cups light cream or milk
In 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon until browned. Drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings.
In bacon drippings over meadium heat, cook mushrooms and onion until tender.
Stir bacon, broccoli, chicken broth, curry powder, salt and pepper into mushroom mixture; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 8 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and milk.
Reduce heat to low. Gradually stir milk mixture into soup. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Makes six servings.

I spent this snowy weekend watching basketball and soccer games. Deep down, what I really wanted to be doing was making soup, baking bread and reading a good book.

Here are a couple of great, easy soups that I wish I was eating right now. I came across these two recipes a few years ago when our church was looking for some new soup recipes for Lent. (If you need a big batch, just multiply the ingredients by six to fit in a big roaster.)

Feel free to share your soup recipes. I think it’s going to stay cold outside for a while.

Hearty Tomato Soup

2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2-1/2 cups milk

2 (10-ounce) cans tomato soup

2 (16-ounce) cans tomatoes with basil, onion and garlic

Melt cream cheese with milk; stir in soup. Beat with whisk. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them up. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until hot.

(If you don’t find the tomatoes with the basil, onion and garlic already in them, you can use plain canned tomatoes and add your own seasonings.)

 Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

1 package quick-cooking long grain and wild rice mix

4 cups milk

1 can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted

8 ounces process American cheese, cubed

1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large sauce pan, prepare rice according to package directions. Stir in milk, soup and cheese; mix well. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with bacon. Makes 6-8 servings.