The nights are getting colder; meals are getting warmer—and soup has been an autumnal family favorite for decades here in Williamsburg and Haydenville. Let’s look back to the 1950s. What were your families’ go-to fall soup recipes? Don’t forget a loaf of good crusty homemade bread.
My 1952 well-used classic, “The Joy of Cooking” offers pages and pages of soup recipes. The mother and daughter duo Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker included this one for “about 6 cupfuls” of Corn Chowder:
- Sauté slowly until lightly browned: 1/2 cup chopped salt pork.
- Add and sauté until golden brown: 3 tbs. chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 3 tbs. chopped green pepper.
- Add and simmer: 1 cup raw peeled diced potatoes, 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/2 bay leaf.
- When the potatoes are tender, combine until blended and bring to the boiling point and add to above: 3 tbs. flour, 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 1/2 cups hot milk, 2 cups whole kernel corn.
- Heat but do not boil the soup. Serve it sprinkled with chopped parsley.
In the 1952 edition of our town’s own “Williamsburg Grange and Community Cook Book”, Harriet Culver gave us a quick French Onion Soup:
- 3 medium onions, sliced thin; 2 tsp. butter; 4 cups bouillon; 4 slices hard toast; 1/2 cup cheese; salt and pepper.
- Heat onions in fat, over low heat about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir to cook evenly.
- Add bouillon, simmer covered about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
- Serve in bowls. Place a round of toast on top and sprinkle with grated cheese.
For more cold-weather soups and casseroles, here is a link to a page connecting to a digital copy of the whole cookbook in the Meekins Library Local History Collection.
Do you have a favorite autumn soup recipe? Add your favorite one here and don’t forget to share with your friends and neighbors. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist and photographer. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.
Posted to Facebook 9/12/2024
