Stone Soup

• portioner: 8

Ingredienser

2 quarts chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoed

1 small head cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 pound turnips, peeled and diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 smoked ham hock

1 very clean stone (optional)

Salt and pepper

Vejledning

Combine the stock, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots, onion, garlic, and ham hock in a large soup pot. Add the stone, if using.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick and the vegetables are fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Remove the ham hock from the soup, remove the emat from the bone, and chop it into 1/2-inch pieces.

Add the meat back to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot.

Notater

Dolly says: "Sometimes I like to call this 'Rock Consommé,' but that's just a fancy name for the soup Mama used to make out of what seemed like nothing. It was magic to us children, especially because she always put a real stone in the pot. What makes it so memorable is how Mama used to let us pick out a stone and put in the pot ourselves. She always knew which one of us needed special attention at any one time, and that's who she chose to plunk the all-important stone into the pot to get things started. We always had tomatoes put up and, of course, hocks from the pigs Daddy butchered, so they always went into the soup. You can add almost anything you like, such as beans, spicy sausage, or cooked, shredded chicken, to this soup."

The Stone Soup Legend: While she was making the Stone Soup, Mama loved to tell us the story of the wandering soldier who arrived in a faraway village where there was almost nothign to eat. He announced that he was going to make stone soup to share with the villagers and with a lot of fussin', pulled a pot from his wagon, filled it with water, and dropped a plain old stone into it. He sniffed the broth and licked his lips, making the folks who had gathered round hungrier and hungrier. Now this was a smart soldier, who had only to express a desire for cabbage and salt beef to put in the pot, when one by one the villagers managed to find something to put in the delicious meal for all. To this day, the lesson of the legend of stone soup is with me: by working together and everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.