But 10 quarts of stock was too much for my pressure canner (which holds 7 quart jars), so I had three quarts of stock left in the fridge. We will be eating soup all week, and my first batch is a riff on my traditional cheese soup. It combines a creamy base with leftover garden veggies, and it is pretty yummy. Mr. FC&G is requesting another batch, so I may yet use up all that stock!
Southwestern Cheese Soup
1 to 1.5 quarts stock (I used the larger amount, but it would work fine with the lesser amount if you are buying stock.)
1 can evaporated milk
12 oz. mild cheddar cheese
1 pint canned corn
1 cup (more or less) diced tomatoes
2 small peppers, diced (I used small, golf-ball-sized, mild chiles. You can bump up the heat with jalapenos if you like.)
1 diced onion (optional) or equivalent of diced leeks
1 t. thyme
1 T. dill
pre-cooked pasta (optional)
Combine stock, corn, onion, and peppers in a large pot and cook on medium until onions are tender. (I omitted the onion because my stock is onion-y already.) Add dried herbs.
Reduce heat and add evaporated milk and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Add diced tomatoes and cook until warm.
If you wish, add some warm, pre-cooked pasta to your bowl before filling it with soup. This is a great substitute for crackers, and it will use up leftover pasta.
The Analysis
Fast: This soup will come together in about 30 munites
Cheap: For me, the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and dried herbs all came from the garden. The stock, obviously, was made from trimmings that would have gone to waste anyway. Therefore, all I paid for was the evaporated milk and the cheese (and the pasta add-in), which means the whole batch was under $5 and makes about 6-8 servings.
Good: Mr. FC&G has requested more, so I'll take that as a vote of confidence.
I am making this as I write. Thanks!
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