Stoneless Stone Soup Recipes

STONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine the first eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. , Stir in the chicken, beans and barley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Add tomatoes; heat through. Serve with croutons and cheese.

GRANDMA'S STONE SOUP STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch with a lid oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat generously on all sides with salt and pepper and, working in batches if necessary, add to the pan. Sear the meat until it is well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Use tongs to help rotate the pieces of meat and remove them to a plate as they are seared. Set meat aside.
• Add the onions and peppers to the same Dutch oven and cook until the vegetables start to become tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, the onions and peppers have softened completely and most of the moisture has evaporated, another 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, paprika and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Return the seared meat to the pot along with the root vegetables and sliced salami; stir well. Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to high to bring the stew to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and red-wine vinegar, and continue cooking until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and the cauliflower is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with toasted rustic bread brushed with olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

STONELESS STONE SOUP

Steps:

• Highly recommend using a West Bend slow cooker with removable aluminum pan. If not, a large cooking pot will do.
• Coarsely dice onion. Trim excess fat off of meat, and cut into 1/2" cubes. Toss meat with flour. Melt Crisco in slow cooker pan (or large pot) on top of stove (MED/HIGH), add meat (with flour) and diced onions. Fry until brown. Mix together salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle on meat and fry on MED/HIGH heat for about 2 minutes.
• Place pan back on slow cooker base and set to power level 4 (MED/HIGH). Add beef broth, cover, and cook for 1-1/2 hours. If you do not have a crock-pot, cover large pot tightly, and slow simmer.
• 15 minutes before the first 1-1/2 hour cooking stage is completed, peel and cut potatoes and carrots into 1/2" cubes or wedges. Cut hard end off of tomatoes, wash out seeds, and cut into 1/2" pieces (reserve juice in cans). Core cabbage and rough chop about 1/8 head, for 4-OZ.
• Add to pot potatoes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, corn, sugar, and tomato juice from cans. Stir, cover, and cook for an additional 2 hours, stir every 1/2-hour (3-1/2 hour's total cooking time). If using a pot on stove, bring to boil and slow simmer for 2 hours.
• Cool for 30 minutes, stir and serve.
• Even better if stored in the fridge overnight. Freezes well, store in Ziploc freezer bags, 1-1/2 cups per bag. Thaw before re-heating, then re-heat slowly in microwave or stove top.

OL' FASHIONED STONE SOUP

Steps:

• Get someone to wash & rinse the stone, scrubbing thoroughly, then put it in the bottom of a pot of water to boil while preparing the rest of the soup [OR in a pinch, use a LARGE potato as a sybolic 'stone'].
• If making the soup WITH A GROUP, be sure that each person has brought together one or more of the ingredients.
• In another LARGE pot, melt butter or heat the oil, then saute onion on medium-high for 2-4 minutes. Stir in celery, carrot, potatoes & bell pepper, sauteeing 6-8 minutes.
• Add garlic & saute about 30 seconds, then pour the broth into the LARGE pot.
• Use tongs, ladle or large spoon to fish out the hot 'stone' & put it into the LARGE pot.
• Heat to boiling.
• Add zucchini, squash, corn & pasta, cooking another 8 minutes or until the zucchini is the desired softness.
• Season to taste with salt & pepper.
• Before serving, sprinkle on cheese & croutons, then ladle--minus the stone--into individual bowls.