Heart Warming Winter Soup...

We have the dearest Romanian couple that goes to our church.

I love them so much and feel so honored that my husband and I are their pastors.

I won't tell their story without their permission

but suffice it to say that they have suffered for the cause of Christ and are heroes in my book.

What does that have to do with soup?

Well, a couple of years ago they had us over for dinner.

For the first course the dear wife made this fabulous soup,

only hers had little pork ribs floating in it.

You'd eat the pork off the bone

then eat the delicious soup.

When I asked for the recipe I could tell that she cooks like me, by method more than exact recipe.

She gave me a list of ingredients on an itty bitty scrap of paper and left me to my own devices.

Recently, on a cold winter day, I thought of that delicious soup. 

I dug that scrap of paper out of my recipe file

 and set out to make some.

Here's her list of ingredients, with my adaptations in parentheses:

baby back ribs (I used a lean pork roast cut into bite sized chunks)

chicken bouillon (I used 1 32 oz box of good chicken stock)

vegeta (I used 1 1/2 T. Better Than Bouillon vegetable base)

onion

tomato (I used 1 14.5 oz can organic diced tomatoes)

tomato juice (I just filled the tomato can with water and used water)

parsnip

celery

celery root

carrot

red pepper

dill (she used 1 T. fresh and I used 1 T. dried)

levisticum (lovage) 

(I couldn't find lovage, which has a bitter but delicious taste, 

so I just used fresh parsley)

How I did it:

I sprinkled the pork with salt, some McCormick Montreal Steak Grill Mates and a little garlic powder and browned it in my soup pot in a little olive oil.

To the pork I added ~

 the quart of chicken stock

the can of diced tomatoes

the can of water

one chopped onion

and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon vegetable base

I brought it to a boil then turned it down to medium low and simmered it,

( with the lid on, but just slightly askew to let the steam escape),

until the pork was tender.

Then I added,

about two stalks of diced celery

three small or two larger peeled and diced carrots

one peeled and chopped parsnip

one peeled and chopped celery root (about 4 inches in diameter) 

1/2 of a red bell pepper seeded and diced

1 T. dried dill weed

Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Sprinkle with finely chopped lovage or parsley.

I made some large homemade croutons to serve on mine as well.

To make croutons-

Cut a good hearty bread into large chunks,

drizzle it with olive oil 

and

sprinkle it with good salt.

Put it on an oven safe skillet or cookie sheet

and

bake in 425 degree oven until toasted all over.

Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!

So, my husband pretty much does not like any cooked vegetables except asparagus.

He LOVED this soup!

I mean, raved about it for days kind of love, ate the leftovers for three days kind of love.

When I told him it had things like parsnips and celery root in it he couldn't believe it.

I'm thinking it's the pork that won his heart...

that man does love his pig products!

Well, it's almost Friday friends!

We're under a winter storm warning here in Portland, Oregon,

so I'm making this soup for dinner!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday 

and 

a BLESSED weekend!

     
         

                  

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday