Soup-a-Palooza ... A Soup Party!

Come join Soup-a-Palooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by

Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers!

That's what I'm doing today ... and I hope you enjoy my soup recipes.  I guarantee that they are yummy!

 Sweet Potato Soup with Turnip Greens

Ingredients
2 quarts ham stock
Smoked pork neck bones or ham hocks
1 small sweet onion
1 rib celery

3 sweet potatoes

1 Tablespoon dried sweet red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon red chili pepper paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon powdered sage
4 – 6 cups torn turnip greens

In a large soup pot, prepare the stock by boiling 2 smoked ham hocks or several smoked pork neck bones in 3 quarts of water. Gently boil the stock until it reduces by about one third. Peel and chop the onion, celery and sweet potatoes and add them to the stock. Season with the dried peppers, pepper paste, garlic, parsley and sage. Cover the pot, and gently simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender. When the soup is done, turn off the burner, add the greens and put the lid back on the pot. Within five minutes, the greens will be the perfect consistency. Season the soup with salt and hot sauce, if desired. (Any type of greens are perfect in this soup. I always remove the stems from greens and chop them according to the thickness of the leaves. If they are thick, chop or tear them in smaller pieces.)

Yellow Squash and Corn Chowder with Southern Illinois Prawns

(Yes, we pond raise prawns ... and you can use any kind of shrimp!)

Ingredients:

½ pound Southern Illinois prawns, peeled and deveined

2 cups corn kernels

2 cups chopped yellow squash

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups clam juice or fish stock

1 pint half and half

1 stick butter

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

½ cup instant mashed potato flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, gently sauté the celery, bell pepper and onion in the butter until the vegetables start to wilt. Add the squash and corn and continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until the squash is tender. Stir in the cilantro, garlic and Old Bay seasoning and stir until the seasoning is dispersed. Add the clam juice and half and half. Gently simmer the soup for five minutes. Add the prawns and simmer for an additional five minutes. Thicken the soup by stirring in the mashed potato flakes. Turn off the burner and cover the pot. If the chowder isn’t thick enough, additional mashed potato flakes may be added in small portions. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro. (It takes just a few minutes for shrimp or prawns to cook, so adding them at the end reserves their tenderness.)