Rising Food Prices Call For Some Creativity!
Today Linda Loosli, the creator of foodstoragemoms.com, sent out a very practical and timely suggestion. It’s been around for a long time, but there couldn’t be a better time to recycle this idea.
Linda calls it FRIENDSHIP SOUP (since it makes such a thoughtful gift). Others call it Soup-in-a-Jar. I call it practical and timely. Practical because it’s affordable, easy to make, and easy to store. And timely because with food prices continuing to rise (up 13% nationwide so far), it makes good sense to be storing and using more affordable ingredients in our meal planning.
You may already have a recipe for it, but if not, here’s what goes into a jar of FRIENDSHIP SOUP. As the photo above shows, layering these ingredients creates a beautiful presentation:
Dried green split peas: Split peas don’t need to be soaked before cooking.
Dried lentils: A legume, lentils are never eaten fresh, only as a dried product.
Pearl barley: A very healthy grain that adds volume and bulk to soup. It has twice the amount of fiber and calcium as brown rice.
Beef bouillon granules or beef bouillon cubes: This gives the soup flavor depth.
Dried/Minced Onion: When dried, onions take on a richer flavor than fresh. Onion is always a soup’s best friend.
Uncooked white rice: Jasmine, basmati, and long-grain rice are the most popular. It has a mild flavor and is light and fluffy when cooked. Not necessarily needed, due to the inclusion of the above-mentioned barley, but it’s also another hearty filler and does have its place.
Uncooked small pasta: Ditalini, uncooked alphabet pasta, or macaroni are good choices.
Italian Seasoning: This blend of ground basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, sage, thyme, or coriander round out the beef and onion flavors.
Bay Leaf: When infused with a liquid, it gives off a subtle minty flavor. I’ve found this soup works just fine without it, though.
Salt and Pepper to taste: You’ll find you don’t need all that much due to the salt in the beef bouillon and the addition of the Italian seasoning.
When you’re ready to make a soup, just empty the jar into a large stock or soup pot, add water or beef broth (being sure to cover it all by one or two inches). Stir well and simmer until everything is tender or to your taste. You’ll likely be adding liquid during the cooking process as the pasta and grains will be absorbing it.
Traditionally, other ingredients are often added after the soup has cooked: one pound of cooked ground beef (with excess fat drained off), one 14-15-ounce can of diced tomatoes – undrained, and one 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
I’ll close with the recipe for this great soup and hope you find the idea inspiring. I plan to make several jars of this mix as a creative way to deal with these incessant rising food costs!
1 cup dried split peas
1 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/3 cup beef bouillon granules OR or 1-2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup dried, minced onions
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 to 2 bay leaves
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta (place in a small plastic bag so it's easy to remove from the jar)
3 quarts water or beef broth (when ready to make soup)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
Linda calls it FRIENDSHIP SOUP (since it makes such a thoughtful gift). Others call it Soup-in-a-Jar. I call it practical and timely. Practical because it’s affordable, easy to make, and easy to store. And timely because with food prices continuing to rise (up 13% nationwide so far), it makes good sense to be storing and using more affordable ingredients in our meal planning.
You may already have a recipe for it, but if not, here’s what goes into a jar of FRIENDSHIP SOUP. As the photo above shows, layering these ingredients creates a beautiful presentation:
Dried green split peas: Split peas don’t need to be soaked before cooking.
Dried lentils: A legume, lentils are never eaten fresh, only as a dried product.
Pearl barley: A very healthy grain that adds volume and bulk to soup. It has twice the amount of fiber and calcium as brown rice.
Beef bouillon granules or beef bouillon cubes: This gives the soup flavor depth.
Dried/Minced Onion: When dried, onions take on a richer flavor than fresh. Onion is always a soup’s best friend.
Uncooked white rice: Jasmine, basmati, and long-grain rice are the most popular. It has a mild flavor and is light and fluffy when cooked. Not necessarily needed, due to the inclusion of the above-mentioned barley, but it’s also another hearty filler and does have its place.
Uncooked small pasta: Ditalini, uncooked alphabet pasta, or macaroni are good choices.
Italian Seasoning: This blend of ground basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, sage, thyme, or coriander round out the beef and onion flavors.
Bay Leaf: When infused with a liquid, it gives off a subtle minty flavor. I’ve found this soup works just fine without it, though.
Salt and Pepper to taste: You’ll find you don’t need all that much due to the salt in the beef bouillon and the addition of the Italian seasoning.
When you’re ready to make a soup, just empty the jar into a large stock or soup pot, add water or beef broth (being sure to cover it all by one or two inches). Stir well and simmer until everything is tender or to your taste. You’ll likely be adding liquid during the cooking process as the pasta and grains will be absorbing it.
Traditionally, other ingredients are often added after the soup has cooked: one pound of cooked ground beef (with excess fat drained off), one 14-15-ounce can of diced tomatoes – undrained, and one 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
I’ll close with the recipe for this great soup and hope you find the idea inspiring. I plan to make several jars of this mix as a creative way to deal with these incessant rising food costs!
FRIENDSHIP SOUP MIX
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup dried split peas
1 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/3 cup beef bouillon granules OR or 1-2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup dried, minced onions
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 to 2 bay leaves
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta (place in a small plastic bag so it's easy to remove from the jar)
3 quarts water or beef broth (when ready to make soup)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Assembly instructions:
In a quart (32-ounce) Mason® jar, layer all ingredients: place pasta in a small plastic bag as stated. Place the seasonings in a small bag so you can place them under the lid after filling the jars with the other ingredients. Start with the minced onions, the green split peas, dried barley, lentils, rice, ending with pasta on top. Finish with the seasoning bag atop the pasta bag.
2. Cooking instructions:
After opening the jar, remove the bag of pasta and set it aside. Pour soup ingredients into a large pot; add seasonings. Add 3 quarts water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Cover and let the soup simmer for 50-60 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and add pasta; cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta and grains are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Optional add-ins:
You may want to add the pre-cooked meat and tomato products when you add the pasta. One pound cooked ground beef, one 14-15-ounce can of diced tomatoes, and one 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
In a quart (32-ounce) Mason® jar, layer all ingredients: place pasta in a small plastic bag as stated. Place the seasonings in a small bag so you can place them under the lid after filling the jars with the other ingredients. Start with the minced onions, the green split peas, dried barley, lentils, rice, ending with pasta on top. Finish with the seasoning bag atop the pasta bag.
2. Cooking instructions:
After opening the jar, remove the bag of pasta and set it aside. Pour soup ingredients into a large pot; add seasonings. Add 3 quarts water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Cover and let the soup simmer for 50-60 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and add pasta; cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta and grains are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Optional add-ins:
You may want to add the pre-cooked meat and tomato products when you add the pasta. One pound cooked ground beef, one 14-15-ounce can of diced tomatoes, and one 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
