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HELOISE Recipe makes delicious Italian pasta soup

Friday, October 10, 2003


Dear Readers: Now that cooler weather is here, I want to share a delicious Italian pasta soup recipe. This is a childhood favorite of Jane, one of my assistants. When she asked her mother, who is now deceased, for the recipe, one or two ingredients were "mysteriously" left out. But Jane persevered and got the complete recipe that you'll enjoy, especially if you have small children in your household.
You'll need:
3 16-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
2 16-ounce cans cannelloni beans (small white beans)
4 cups water
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
Pinch of each: sweet basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, pepper, salt
1 cup (raw) elbow macaroni (prepared according to package directions)
3 to 6 hot dogs, sliced
In a large pot, heat the stewed tomatoes and beans. Add the 4 cups of water. Stir in celery, onion and carrots. Sprinkle with basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are cooked, about an hour. Add sliced hot dogs and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
In another pot, cook elbow macaroni until firm, but don't overcook. Rinse and drain. Add to soup, stir and serve. Makes 8-10 servings. You will find this and many more fun recipes in my Spectacular Soup pamphlet. To receive a copy of this six-page pamphlet, send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (83 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Soup, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. Order now and receive an additional, different Heloise pamphlet free! Hint: Make soup in bulk, especially when the ingredients are on sale, and freeze in small portions to microwave later for quick, healthy meals. For another soup hint, read the following. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I put together Manhattan clam chowder and had no potato. I used crinkle-cut, frozen french fries, cut to dice size, and it worked great. Leo, Via E-mail
Interesting hint: The difference between Manhattan and New England clam chowder is in the ingredients. New England has a cream base, while Manhattan has more of a veggie base. The Manhattan recipe we checked lists some of the following ingredients: celery, carrots and a can of plum tomatoes. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Heloise
Dear Heloise: This past weekend, we discovered an easy way to butter corn on the cob. Starting with a clean drip tray from a small countertop grilling machine, add butter, salt and pepper (optional). Then all you have to do is roll the ear of corn in the tray, and it neatly butters it. It also holds it when the corn isn't being eaten and can be used to refresh the butter each time an ear of corn is eaten! Stan Jones, Via Fax
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