From the first cool day of fall until late spring, soup is one of our daily meals. It is such a convenience food and can be heated in minutes for a hearty meal. Coming in for a quick lunch, after a hard morning in the yard, the soup is heated by the time we have cleaned our hands. After a catering event, we are usually tired and do not feel like a meal but a cup of soup can be enjoyed while sitting with our feet up.

I quite often serve soup to friends, if they are here for lunch. Quite often I am asked for a particular recipe but I find it difficult to give them one, not because I do not give away family favourites but because I never make the same soup twice and I usually cannot remember what exactly went in it.

Because I stick to a vegetarian diet, I do not start off our soups with a meat base but, if making it for others, I start with whatever bones and meat trimmings are on hand. After simmering all the flavour from the bones, I strain the broth and leave overnight to get thoroughly cold, the fat can then be skimmed off easily the next morning and the rest of the ingredients added.

Vegetarian soups need extra flavour so I always sautee my onions to get them caramelized, if potatoes are to be used, they too get sautéed. After that I clean out the fridge, whatever veggies are in there get chopped up and thrown in. Left overs almost always go into the soup, usually right at the end as they are already cooked. My protein comes from lentils or other legumes. I add whatever spices I feel like and just keep adjusting until it suits my taste. Soup that may taste a bit blah can be instantly improved by adding canned tomatoes or even no-name tomato soup.

I always make at least a gallon at a time, sometimes two or three. This way it can be frozen in smaller containers, for later use. If my grandchildren happen to be coming, I usually take my hand blender and puree all the veggies, I tell them it is cream of tomato, even though there is no cream in it. They wolf it down with no further questions.

For lunch with friends, I usually make some cheese biscuits, they go very well with any soup, can be made in advance and “zapped” in the microwave oven for a few seconds. If I want to be fancy, I drizzle some cream on top of the soup, and a sprinkle of parsley or chives, always a show stopper even though the whole meal has cost pennies per serving.

I really believe that all students should be taught the basics of cheap, easy meals while at school. It seems unbelievable that some people cannot make soup or a casserole, how much better for children’s growth than fast foods. Supermarkets usually have a shelf of cheap veggies, not good enough for pretty meals but perfect for soup. Busy, working moms could make enough soup for several days by just spending fifteen minutes chopping and stirring, then letting it simmer for a while. With a sandwich or cheese and crackers, dinner would take minutes, the cost would be minimal and dishes would be done in a flash.

Time to go, my lunch is waiting, soup of course.