Stockpiler's Soup

[Daisygirl]

Just for fun......

Pretend you have no access to a grocery store for an unknown amount of time.

What kind of recipes can you put together from the items in your stockpile and from your garden? Remember, there is no runnin off to the store for a missing ingredient. If you don't have something you must substitute with ingredients you have.

I'm making "Stockpiler's Soup". Today's version contains:

Tomatoes (from the garden)
Zucchini (from the garden)
Water (from the attic)
Dried pinto beans (pantry)
Dried white beans (pantry)
Barley (pantry)
Herbs and spices (pantry)
Home-dehydrated carrots, kale, onion and bell pepper

The smell coming from the kitchen is wonderful as it simmers away.

For dessert we are having pudding (from the pantry) and animal crackers.

I also have some dough rising for fresh rolls to have with our soup.

What delicious meals can you come up with from your current resources?

[MamaTreadler]

We did go for months without stepping in a store before. I made lots of things with rice and beans. But I also had a large variety of canned goods (veggies & meats) and also two stocked freezers as well. Lots of one pot wonder meals and leftovers being re-made into soups and stews.

[Ceashels]

Cream of Chicken Corn Chowder is one I like... (it is better with fresh/frozen chicken since it has all day in the crock pot and having the bones helps.

1 can cream of corn
1 can corn kernels
1 can cream of chicken
1 can of chicken (this soup is the main reason I have it on hand)
I add half to 1 can of water for consistency and put it on low for 4-6 hours. If I use frozen chicken thighs I put it on 6-8 and pull the meat off the bones before serving.

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Turkey and orzo

1 can of cream corn
1 can of turkey
1/2 box of orzo
1 qt chicken stock or water with bullion cubes

I let simmer and when the orzo is cooked, I take 1 beaten egg and drizzle it in to make little streamers and help thicken the soup.

Those are my two favorite soups.

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Great thread by the way.. I look forward to seeing what others do!

[shoiji]

Can make linquini and clam sauce

Salmon cakes

Refried beans and fried egg

Lentil, blackbean soup or masala

Green bean salad

Oatmeal cookies

Fruit salad

[Imarachne]

Very inspirational !!

[Spirit Deer]

We're pretty well stocked right now from seasonal sales, so the sky's the limit for us at the moment. I was just saying to my husband yesterday we need to start going to the grocery store twice a month for a while instead of every week, because we only need milk and fresh produce.

Tomorrow I'll be making burritos with some overcooked kidney beans (pressure cooker experiment that went badly) to make refried beans, homemade tortillas, cheese from the freezer, herbs and spices from the pantry, rice from the freezer, and a few other things I have on hand.

[Daisygirl]

How do you make your homemade tortillas, Spirit Deer? Do you have a tortilla press?

[Spirit Deer]

Yes, I have a tortilla press, one of the cast iron ones. It's taken me a while but I finally figured out how to avoid having them thick on the hinge side and really thin by the handle. I turn and press them four times, turning them a quarter turn between each squish. Sort of a pain but it works and it's still a lot quicker than using a rolling pin.

I LOVE my tortilla press for making thin crackers, too. So much easier than fooling with a rolling pin.

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect tortilla recipe, but so far, I'm not quite there.

I preheat a round cast iron griddle till it's good and hot, then cook each tortilla quickly on each side. Don't grease the griddle. A frying pan will work, too. Put the hot tortillas in a towel so they steam in a stack as you cook them, then leave them covered till cool. I'm going to get a tortilla warmer but haven't found one I like yet. Homemade tortillas can be frozen after they're cool.

There are lots of good YouTube videos showing how to make tortillas.

[NicJean]

I can make Italian style Tuna (with lemon juice and oil), just about any kind of bread, roll, etc. "Pantry noodles" little peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy - toss in any veggies you have (good cold or hot), "Samurai Soup" 6c chicken broth, one .7oz dry italian salad dressing mix, a large chopped bok choy (pak choi) chopped, and a Tablespoon of sesame oil over all.

[joyofsix]

Cream of "pick your vegetable"-broccoli, potato, tomato, cauliflower
Bean or lentil soups
Pasta, greens, and beans in broth
Vegetable

[Daisygirl]

Tamale casserole:

Refried beans w/ veggies (peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.) topped with cornbread batter and baked until the cornbread is cooked through.

Minestrone
Bean Soup
Chicken and dumplings
PB noodles
Veggie Rice casserole
Pasta Alfredo
Spaghetti
Lentil Soup
Indian Potato Curry
Pita Pizzas

I could go on and on. I love my stockpile!

[zakity]

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect tortilla recipe, but so far, I'm not quite there.

I have a recipe from a friend who is from Hispanic decent. It is floating around the board somewhere. Want me to repost it here?

[Spirit Deer]

Sure, why not?

[Daisygirl]

I have a recipe from a friend who is from Hispanic decent. It is floating around the board somewhere. Want me to repost it here?

Please!!!!

[zakity]

The first one is the one from my friend, the others are for the "how to do them" because she was showing me how to make them and I couldn't write anything down. My notes are the only ones that are noted as mine. The other notes are someone else's.


tortillas

7 1/2 cupsish of flour
1/2 cupish of shortening
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 teaspoonish of salt
2 cupsish of warm water - luke warmish (added bit by bit)


Put the flour, shortening, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add in a little water and mix by hand. Keep adding water in bit by bit until dough texture is a bit sticky, but it doesn't stick to your hands.

Shape into little balls. Shape into a discus first and then squeeze into the ball shape. Roll out and fry.


zak's side notes: Rolling pin is a palote. Fry in a dry cast iron pan (pancake pans work the best). I don't use baking powder in them. Try them with bacon grease. Oh my! They are heavenly!




Tortillas


2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup shortening or vegetable oil
1/2 cup lukewarm water

Put flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
Mix the shortening or oil into the flour mixture until it forms pea-size balls.
Add the lukewarm water, a little at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable.
On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Place in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel, and let it "rest" for 30 minutes.
Knead dough and form 8 to 10 balls.
Roll them out as thin and round as possible.
Preheat an ungreased griddle or cast-iron frying pan.
Cook tortillas on griddle one at a time, flipping when a bubble forms (less than a minute).
Put cooked tortillas in a plastic bag until ready to serve, to keep them warm and soft



INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of flour (i used self rising)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup warm water.


DIRECTIONS:

Cream the flour and shortening together (i just used my hands) in a bowl. The orginal recipe says you can add a bit more shortening if it looks "too floury", but since i didnt know what that meant (shoot, the whole thing looked floury to me!), i didnt bother to add more.

THEN, slowly pour in the warm water as you knead with your hands in the bowl. Continue kneading until you get a dough ball (it will be a little sticky). Cover with a cloth and let sit for 20 minutes (this helps the dough be more pliable for the next step).

NEXT... flour a surface and take out your rolling pin (or roller of choice). Break off a golfball sized chunk of dough (slightly bigger for bigger tortillas) and roll into a ball (cover ball with some flour if too sticky). Flatten on the surface and start rolling it out flat.... roll until your circle tortilla is the desired thickness and size. I found that dusting the tortilla with flour helps it not stick to the rolling pin. You can roll out all of your tortillas at once and just pile flat on a plate.

Then using a nonstick griddle, cast iron pan, or large greased frying pan, set at medium heat and fry your tortilla on each side for 1-2 minutes. Theres no exact science - just fry until it looks "done" (with the little browned spots on them and all).

Test your first one or two because i found that if the pan gets TOO hot or if you cook them too long your tortilla will be hard, more like tortilla chips and will break when you bend them.

Pile the cooked tortillas on a plate to cool, then place in a large ziplock bag to store (you can freeze them as well).