Local residents share their favorite comforting and hearty meal

Now that the weather is colder, we all need something to warm the body and comfort the soul. What better way than to make homemade soup?

Local residents were asked to share their favorites. From spicy to mild, and lentil to chicken, a variety of soup recipes were submitted.

Patsy Lithco's cream of corn soup and spicy chicken salsa soup

Cream of corn soup

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups kernels fresh or frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 fresh poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish

Heat the butter in a skillet over moderate heat and saute the onion and garlic until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to an electric blender or food processor and add the corn and cornstarch mixture. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender several times, and transfer to a saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the soup comes to a boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the parsley and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

Spicy chicken salsa soup
3 chicken breasts cooked, deboned and pulled apart
1 49 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin powder or to taste
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups chunky salsa
Save for topping
2 cups shredded cheese of choice (I use Co-jack)
2 cups crushed taco chips

Combine all ingreadints and cook for 30 minutes. Serve very hot and top with cheese and chips.

Genie Gilman's quick Italian soup

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 package Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper mix for lasagna
8 cups water
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 small zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)

Cook and stir the ground beef and onion in dutch oven until brown. Drain. Stir in sauce mix, water, tomatoes and corn; break up the tomatoes with a fork. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Stir in zucchini and noodles; cover and cook 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle each serving with grated parmesan cheese.

Beverly Cornelius' sweet potato-jalapeno soup with tomatillo cream

Soup

2 medium leeks, white part only, cleaned and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 pounds (about 6 medium) yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6-7 cups vegetable broth
1 small jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
1 cup (11-ounce can vacuum packed) corn, 1/2 cup reserved for garnish

Tomatillo cream
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tomatillo salsa (green salsa)
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn
8 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Saute leeks in non-stick cooking spray for five minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the sweet potatoes, six cups stock, jalapeno, salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very tender. Puree the soup in the pan with a hand beater or use a food processor or blender. Add the remaining cup of broth if the soup is too thick. Return soup to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the lime juice, brown sugar, and corn kernals. Cook to soup for three minutes more. Taste for seasoning.

For cream, combine in a small bowl, the yogurt, salsa, 1 tablespoon of cilantro and the salt. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a tablespoon of the cream, a sprinkling of corn, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Source: Adapted by Beverly Cornelius from The California Cook

Robyn Grace Jennings' fall butternut squash soup with turmeric

1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
32 ounces of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of water; add more if too thick
1 teaspoon of turmeric, add more to taste
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Saut/ the onion, carrots and celery in olive oil for a few minutes with a pinch of salt until softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until butternut squash is very tender. Blend in a standard blender or hand blender until smooth. Serve warm with toasty bread.

Betsie Grimes' lentil soup

2 cups lentils
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cook lentils and veggies in four cups of water or chicken broth for 20 minutes. Add spices and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Julie Govette's roasted fresh tomato basil soup

2 cups fresh peeled tomatoes, cut into pieces, or 1 14-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup red Zin
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cream or milk, if desired
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay tomatoes on cookie sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt. Roast tomatoes 15-20 minutes. While tomatoes roast, saute the carrot, celery, garlic and onion in the rest of the olive oil. When veggies are tender, add chicken stock, bay leaf and wine. When tomatoes are finished roasting, add these to the pot. Cover and cook on low heat for about a half-hour.

Remove bay leaf and add basil. Puree soup in the blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and reheat. Add milk or cream if desired. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Makes two large bowls or four small cups of soup.

Gertie and Tasso Kandris' papou's avgolemona soupa

1 chicken, cut up

Water (enough to cover the chicken — about 3 to 4 quarts)
6 stalks of celery
6 carrots
2 onions, cut into 4 halves
Garlic, salt and pepper to taste (alternative: Greek seasoning)
Oregano to taste
Garlic powder to taste
A little bit of turmeric (optional, to intensify the yellow color)
A little bit of Knorr chicken flavor bouillon (optional)
1 cup of rice
3 eggs
Lemon juice from 2 to 3 lemons (we use Meyer lemons)
Chicken stock

Put chicken into stock pot, cover with 3 to 4 quarts of water and bring to boil. Remove the scum, which starts to form on the surface once the water starts to boil. Add garlic salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano and continue to boil until meat starts to fall off bones. Add celery stalks, carrots and onion halves and boil for about another 30 minutes. Remove boiled chicken and let cool off. Remove and discard celery stalks, carrots and onions.

Soup

Taste chicken stock; if you need additional flavor, add a little Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon. After chicken has sufficiently cooled off, skin chicken and dice meat; set aside diced meat. Add one cup of rice and boil until tender.

Lemon sauce

When rice is ready, separate the eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat egg yolks, fold lemon juice into egg yolks and fold egg yolk lemon mixture into egg whites. Take a ladleful of chicken soup and pour it slowly into the egg and lemon mixture, stirring constantly, then slowly add this to the chicken soup while stirring constantly.

Final steps

If desired, add a little turmeric to give the soup a more yellow color. Add the diced chicken. Garnish soup with a twig of oregano and thin slice of lemon and serve with bread (we usually use pita bread).

Susie Calhoun's chicken tortilla soup

2 to 3 tablespoons oil
1 whole red onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 7-ounce can Herdez salsa verde
1 7-ounce can salsa ranchera
1 15-ounce can of kidney or black beans, rinsed
1 11-ounce can of corn niblets
4 cups chicken stock
3 boneless, cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized strips
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, cut into julienne
2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-size pieces
2 to 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound)
4 cups slightly crushed tortilla chips
Sour cream, for garnish

Heat the oil in a 5-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Saut/ the onions and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add the chilies, tomatoes, salsa verde, salsa ranchera, stock, chicken, beans and cilantro, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 10 more minutes.

To serve, place 2 to 3 teaspoons of avocado and 3 to 5 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup on top, add tortilla chips, and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Source: Adapted by Susie Calhoun from The Holm Family Cookbook