Using Leftovers: Kitchen Sink Soup

Using leftovers is a good way to keep food on budget and to make soup.  Kitchen sink soup is a recipe that was handed down to me from my mother, and her mother before her.  My grandmother had many recipes from the Depression that she has since shared with me, and that I hope to share with you.

Ingredients:

6 c water

Salt to taste, black pepper, herbs to taste (dried or fresh)

Leftover veg and legumes from the kitchen fridge, can include any of the following:   Asparagus, beans (legumes) of all kinds including lentils, black, turtle, pinto, white, cannellini, kidney and limas, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, okra, green beans, broccoli, corn, zucchini, summer squash, sweet peppers, tomatoes (in the form of canned, tomato sauce, crushed or paste), onion, potatoes (sweet and regular), snow peas, celery, turnips, parsnips, spinach and kale. 

Leftover grains from the kitchen fridge or pantry:  cooked rice, cooked bulgur wheat, cooked barley, cooked pasta, cooked quinoa and cooked millet.

Leftover meat and seafood (if desired, not  required):  Bits of leftover chicken, steak, pot roast, pork roast, turkey, baked fish, shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels, crab.

Directions:

Add any combination of the above, simmer over medium heat, tasting and stirring periodically for about an hour, more or less.  It is not important in this recipe to have “one cup of x’ and ‘one half cup of y’.  The point is to mix it all together and let the tastes blend themselves into the soup.  Remember to add your grains or pasta last, as they soak up water in cooking.  I tend to stir my cooked grains in just before serving.  If the water boils down, add more.  Serve with salad and bread, or alone.