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Cooking: Soups

Soups were a popular food in early Mormon families; never used as a side dish but as the complete meal. Sometimes they had very little with which to make the soup, but were careful to keep the remnants of the roast or steaks, in fact every scrap of meat. Leftovers of any vegetable were saved and generally used as part of the soup.

Economical Soup. From the well picked bone, the dried bread crust and the odds and ends of vegetables, a delicious soup can be made. The old ham bone which is often thrown away, gives a delicious flavor to pea soup; even chicken and turkey bones can be made of service in soups. If the economical housekeeper will keep a soup jar, into which she will cause all scraps of meat, bits of potato, or other vegetables left over, then in the morning add two quarts of boiling water, salt and pepper, and simmer slowly for several hours, half an hour before dinner strain it, add tomato catsup or any seasoning desired, and heat to the boiling point, she will find that, out of such savings she will have a nicely seasoned and appetizing soup, which is a great addition to any dinner.

Bean Soup. 1 pint of beans, two quarts water, one tbs. butter, salt and pepper to taste. Soak the beans over night in cold water; next morning drain and add 2 qts. of water. Cook the beans slowly for three hours, stirring frequently and when they are soft, add season cook ten minutes longer and serve.

Irish Potato Soup. Peel and boil eight medium potatoes with a large onion sliced, some herbs, salt and pepper; press all through a colander; then thin it with rich milk and add a lump of butter. More seasoning, if necessary; let it heat well and serve hot.

Potato Soup. Peel and slice 6 or 8 potatoes; cover with 1 1/2 qts. boiling water; season with salt and pepper. Boil until tender, not mushy. Add 1 tbs. flour and 1 tbs. butter; work together and stir in boiling potato soup. Fry crisp 3 slices of bacon and drop into the soup. Use a low heat and simmer until the bacon has flavored the soup.

Brass Kettle. Belonged to Maria Iverson, Danish Pioneer of 1856. Chopper. Brought to Utah in 1853 from England by Howland Family.

Vegetable Soup. Scrape and slice 3 turnips and three carrots and peel onions and fry all with a little butter until light brown; add a bunch of celery and three or four leeks cut in pieces, stir and fry all the ingredients for six minutes; when fried, add one clove of garlic, two stalks of parsley, two cloves, salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cover with 3 quarts water and simmer for three hours, taking off the scum carefully. Strain and use. Vermicelli, rice, croutons, etc., may be added.

Mrs. Worden's St. Jacob Soup. 1/4 lb. salt pork, or 6 strips bacon; 2 good-sized potatoes, diced; 2 onions sliced; 4 fresh tomatoes. Cut pork or bacon into small pieces and cook until brown but not crisp. Cook potatoes and onions in boiling water until tender; add pork with some of drippings, also tomatoes, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with hard bread which has been toasted and cut into cubes. Seasoning should be added to taste,

Where the name St. Jacob soup came from remains a complete mystery, but this method of making a delicious and filling soup has come down in our family from Benjamin Morgan Rob my great-grandfather who was a member of the famous Mormon Battalion. He and his sons often prepared this soup in later years when they were batching out on their ranch in Castle Valley in Southern Utah, A son, Isaac Bullock Roberts could prepare this soup better than anyone. The secret-learned from careful watching-that he neglected to wash the potatoes before or after peeling.

Mrs. George Joffs' Sweet Soup. 2 cups prunes; 2 cups seedless raisins; 21/2 qts. water; 1/3 cup rice; 11/2 tsp. cornstarch; cold water 3/4 cups brown sugar; 1/2 cup maple syrup; 2 or 3 apples sliced thin; 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice. Place prunes, raisins and water in a large pan and bring to a boil. Add rice and salt; simmer until fruit becomes tender; add brown sugar, syrup and apples and simmer until apple slices look transparent. Add vinegar or lemon juice and cornstarch moistened with a little cold water. Cook gently about 15 minutes and serve hot with pieces of cheese sprinkled over top for each dish, or chili and serve cold with thick cream poured over top.

Beef Soup with Barley. 1 soup bone; 3 qts. water; two onions two carrots, one stalk celery, one bay leaf, four cloves; 2/3 cup pearl barley; 2 tbs. butter; 2 tbs. flour; salt and pepper to taste. Place the soup bone and water over the fire, heat slowly and let simmer gently three hours; add the vegetables, simmer one hour longer; meanwhile cook the barley very slowly for two hours in plenty of water, strain the soup, add to it the barley and let all boil together. Put the butter in a frying pan and when hot add the flour, stirring until the paste is smooth and brown. Turn the paste into the soup, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Dried Pea Soup. 1 cup dried peas. 2 qts. water; 2 in. cube fat salt pork; 1/2 small onion; 2 tbs. fat; 3 tbs. flour; 11/4 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. pepper; 1 pint milk. Pick over the peas, cover with cold water and let soak overnight. Drain, add the cold water indicated above, and the pork and onion. Simmer about 4 hours or until soft, then press through a sieve. Meanwhile, in another saucepan melt the fat, add the flour and stir till smooth. Add the pea pulp, salt, pepper and milk. If too thick, add more milk.

Venison Soup. 3 lbs. venison; 1 lb. salt pork; 1 med. sized onion; 1 stalk celery, cut in pieces; 1 tsp. whole black peppers; 1/4 tsp. mace; 2 tbs. butter; 1 tbs. flour; 1 tsp. Worcestershire; sauce; 1 tbs. walnut or mushroom catsup; 1 cup sherry; salt. Wash meat carefully and cut into pieces; place in a large kettle, add the onion and celery and just enough water to cover. Place a tight fitting lid on the pot and simmer slowly for an hour. Then add 2 qts. boiling water, the peppers and the mace and boil two hours longer. Season with salt to taste and strain. Melt the butter, add flour and stir until blended. Slowly add the strained broth stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Add the Worcestershire sauce and catsup. A few minutes before serving pour in the wine.

Mrs. Guy Tucker's Danish Dumpling Soup. 2 or 3 lbs. shank bone; 21/2 qts. water, 1 onion, quartered; small bunch celery; parsley leaves, 1/2 cup corn; 2 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. pepper; 11/2 cup tomatoes; 2 cup carrots; 21/2 cup potatoes, diced; 2 cups cabbage, shredded; 1 cup turnips, diced; 1 tbs. sugar. Combine shank bone, water, onion, celery, parsley, corn, salt and pepper and cook together until tender. For dumplings, cook 4 or 5 med. potatoes in salted water until tender. Mash well and add 3 eggs, 3/4 cup flour (enough to make a soft dough) 1/2 tsp. nutmeg; 1 tsp. sugar. Have boiling salted water in a 21/2 qt. kettle. Put tablespoon in hot water, then into dumpling mixture. Take small amount of dough in spoon and place in water. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until done. Place dumplings in large bowl and top with soup.

Mrs. Sargent's Danish Dumplings. 2 cups milk; 1/2 cup shortening (chicken fat may be used.) 1 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. nutmeg; 1 cup flour; 3 eggs. Heat milk and shortening to boiling. Add sugar, salt, nutmeg and flour all at once and stir vigorously. Cook until mixture sticks together. Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Drop from tablespoon into boiling seasoned chicken stock. Dip spoon into stock between each spooning of dumpling so dumpling will slide off spoon easily. Cook until light and tender and they float on top. Serve at once.

Noodles. 1 egg; 1 egg-shell water, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup flour; beat egg, water, salt and add flour until dough is very stiff, roll very thin with plenty of flour on board. Flour thoroughly, fold and roll out again and repeat adding plenty of flour each time, then flour again and roll tightly like a jelly roll and slice very thin. Shake out into strings of dough, sprinkle into 2 quarts of soup stock and cook ten minutes.

Source: Our Pioneer Heritage © Carter, Kate B., ed. 20 vols. Salt Lake City: International Society, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1958-1977. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Documents and images are exerpted by permission from the LDS Family History Suite CDROM from Ancestry.