Lenten Penance

Hello All,

Since the Baron and I are Catholic we have decided to sacrifice during this season of Lent.  We have both given up meat for the entirety of lent, he has given up sweet drinks, tea, and good coffee (he assures me the coffee at work is terrible and can not be enjoyed especially with no sugar or cream.)

We have also committed to helping out for our Parish's Stations of the Cross, meditation and soup supper.  This means I am making a meatless soup for everyone to share.   It is actually quite a nice thing and doesn't feel very penitential however it can sometimes be a inconvenience which is penitential.  I will try to post the recipes for the soup I made for the soup suppers.  The 1st soup I made was Soup Julienne.  It was quite nice and made a large quantity of soup.  This past week I made Shrimp and Corn Chowder.  It went over quite well.  I really enjoyed it also.

I have also made Saint Antorny of the Dessert soup the 1st week of Lent.  It was quite nice.  I had never used barly in a recipe before so it was a new expeiance for me.  I think I like it.  This also made alot of soup.  We ate on it for a few days.

I will try to keep up the recipes for soup suppers as well as any other new recipes I use try during my Lenten journey.

Quick Shrimp Chowder

• Ingredients
  2 tablespoons butter or margarine 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of potato soup, undiluted
• 3 1/2 cups milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds medium-size fresh shrimp, peeled
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 can of extra sweet whole corn
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
• 
  

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, and sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in cream of potato soup, milk, and pepper; bring to a boil. Add shrimp; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately. Serve with oyster crackers, if desired.
2. *1 1/2 pounds frozen shrimp, thawed; 1 1/2 pounds peeled crawfish tails; or 3 cups chopped cooked chicken may be substituted.

Soup Julienne

This was the 1st soup I made for out Parish's Friday way of the cross, meditation and soup supper. The Knight's of Columbus run the this event every year and the wives make meatless supper. It was quite a nice soup.  This soup makes about 3 quarts.  It is quite nice if not time consumming due to all the cutting of the veggies.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Soup Julienne

3 leeks (White part only)
4 carrots
2 medium turnips
1/2 medium head of green cabbage
1 onion
3 quarts water
3 bouillon cubs
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cups frish parsley, minced

1 Shred the cabbage and cute the vetables into thin strips, 1 1/2 inch long, and place them in a large soup pot with the water.  Add Bouillon cubes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook the soup slowly for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

When vegatables are done, add the salt, pepper and parsley; Stir few times, cover and simmer for another 15 additional minutes.  Serve hot.

Saint Antony of the Desert Soup

This was a great soup but it does may quite a bit of soup.  The recipe states it makes 4 serving.

Saint Antony of the Desert Soup
Ingredients
3 tablespoon oil of choice
1 cup of barley
1 carrot, finely grated
2 leeks, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup fresh parsely, minced
salt to taste
7 cups water
1 bouillon cube, if desired
chopped mushrooms, if desired

1) Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the barley, stirring continously for one minute. Immediately add the carrot, leeks, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and water.

2) Cook the soup over low the meduim heat, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the barley is tender.  Add more water if needed. For extra taste, add the boullon and the mushrooms during the last 20 minutes of simmering.  Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot.