Soup’s on

February 8, 2017 | Web First | Volume 21 Issue 4
Carol Penner |

In the feature “A new recipe for church” pastor and professor Carol Penner reflects on how the “recipe” or model for the church is evolving and adapting to new realities. She finds the metaphor of soup a helpful one.

The first soup Carol learned to make was Hearty Lentil-Sausage Soup, according to the recipe on page 212 of the More-with-Less Cookbook (1976 edition). It became her favourite, but, over the years, she adapted and changed the original recipe until a unique soup creation emerged. And then one day she learned to appreciate a completely different soup flavour.

Hearty Lentil-Sausage Soup

Brown in 5-qt. kettle:
1 lb. pork sausage, broken into chunks

Remove meat and pour off all but ¼ cup drippings.

Add: 2 medium onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium parsnips, cut in chunks (optional)

Cook 5 minutes or until onions and garlic are tender.
Add:
2 c. lentils
1 T. salt
½ tsp. marjoram
2 c. cooked tomatoes or juice
2 qts. water
browned sausage

Simmer 30 minutes or until tender.

Cut in diagonal slices:
1 loaf Italian bread
To serve place a bread slice in each bowl and spoon soup over bread. Pass Tabasco sauce.

From More-with-Less Cookbook. © 1976 by Herald Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

“Hearty Lentil-Sausage Soup”
This is the variation Carol Penner developed over a 20-year period.  

Brown in large soup pot:
1 pound of Winkler farmer’s sausage, cut in small pieces

Add:
2 medium onions
Cook 5 min. or until onions are tender.

Add:
1 large can crushed or chopped tomatoes
½ cup pot barley
2 carrots, chopped
2 c. of green beans, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil
6 c. of water

Simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, until barley is cooked and vegetables are tender. Serve with home-made biscuits.

Senegalese Chicken Soup
One day Carol’s friend served her this soup. Immediately it became her new favourite.

Cook ½ kg. chicken breasts gently in just enough boiling water to cover.

Meanwhile, sauté until tender in ¼ cup of olive oil:
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Add 1 ½ T. curry powder
2 tsp. ground coriander

Continue to fry for another minute or two. (If it gets dry, add a bit more oil)

Add and simmer for ten minutes:
1 large can tomatoes (crushed, chopped or whole)
1 small can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Puree the soup with ½ cup peanut butter.
Cut up the chicken and add to the pureed soup.
Serve with bowls of garnishes for people to add as they wish: chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts, un-sweetened coconut.

Which soup is your favourite?

Borscht- Russian beet or cabbage soup
Bourou-Bourou- vegetable and pasta soup from the island of Corfu, Greece
Caldo verde- Portuguese minced-cabbage soup
Cazuela- South American soup with a clear broth, rice, potato, squash, pumpkin and meat
Cock-a-leekie- Scottish leek and potato soup made with chicken stock
Cullen skink- Scottish fish soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, onions and cream
Fufu- traditional Nigerian soup with vegetables, meat, fish, and ground melon seed balls
Gazpacho- Spanish pureed tomato and vegetable soup
Goulash soup- Hungarian soup with beef, pork, paprika, peppers, tomato, potato, onion
Gumbo- traditional Creole soup from the American South, thickened with okra pods
Íslensk Kjötsúpa- traditional Icelandic meat soup made with lamb and vegetables
Kharcho- Georgian soup of lamb, rice, vegetables and a highly spiced bouillon
Kimchi jjigae- Korean kimchi (pickled vegetable) stew
Lagman- traditional Uzbek soup of pasta, vegetables, ground lamb and numerous spices
Menudo- Mexican soup with tripe, calf's feet, chilis, hominy and seasonings
Minestrone- Italian vegetable soup with noodles
Mulligatawny- Indian soup with meat, vegetables and curry
Pozole- Mexican soup with meat, hominy, onion, garlic, dried chilis and cilantro
Phở- Vietnamese beef/chicken soup with scallion, ginger, wild coriander, basil, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and black cardamom
Ramen- Japanese soup made from flavourful broth, spaghetti-like noodles, various meats like pork or lobster, onion and other various herbs (miso), and sometimes corn
Rivel- Pennsylvania Dutch chicken soup with flour and egg pellets mixed in
Snert- thick pea soup from the Netherlands, traditionally served with sliced sausage
Shchav- sorrel soup in Polish, Russian and Yiddish cuisines
Tinola- broth popular in the Philippines, made with pieces of chicken and green papayas
Tom Yum- Thai soup with lemongrass and coconut milk
Żurek- Polish wheat soup with sausages, often served in a bowl made of bread

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