Split Pea and Ham. Lentil. Chicken noodle. Turkey and rice. Barley. Minestrone. Potato. Bean. Italian Wedding. Clam chowder.

One of the oldest culinary inventions of man, soups have been with us for over 12,000 years and are part of almost every culture. Soup is the greatest thing — you can put almost anything in it. During World War II in Poland, my mom lived on soup.

Soup is very nutritious. It hydrates. It contains protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, depending on what you put in it. You can use vegetables, meat, carbohydrates like pasta or grains, and legumes like lentils or beans.

Smell the soup, cooking in a kettle on the stove. It scents the whole house. It means a delicious bowl of hot soup on a bone-chilling day.

Winter Borscht (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

Nothing warms you up on a chilly winter day like a nice hot bowl of good homemade soup.

Many vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli or carrots, make a great base for soup. Common examples are cream of broccoli or croccoli and cheese; borscht, or red beet soup; corn chowder; cream of mushroom. Here are three vegetable-based soups: Carrot ginger, cauliflower with blue cheese, and borscht.

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Cauliflower with Bacon and Blue Cheese Soup

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To make your own broth or stock:

Ingredients:

10 cups water

1 chicken thigh

1 teaspoon salt

Few grains allspice

1 bay leaf

1 carrot

1 small parsnip

Piece of celery root or 1 stalk celery, cut up

1 potato

2 onions

1 large head cauliflower

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 pound bacon

1 cup or more crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

To make the broth, place water, chicken thigh, salt, allspice and bay leaf in soup kettle. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook 30 minutes. Cool slightly; remove bay leaf and chicken. Discard bay leaf; allow chicken to cool and remove meat from bone. Return meat to the soup, or save for another recipe, like a chicken salad. Option: You can omit this part and use 2 quarts of chicken broth or stock.

Chop carrot, parsnip, leek, celery, onions, potato, cauliflower, minced garlic. Add to the pot and cook 20 – 30 minutes longer.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mash coarsely with potato masher.

When thoroughly cooked, add heavy cream or evaporated milk. Let simmer a few minutes to heat through.

Cook and chop bacon.

When soup is done, stir in cooked chopped bacon and blue cheese just before serving.

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Carrot Ginger Soup

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Ingredients:

Chicken stock (see above recipe to make your own)

1 large piece of ginger (about 3″)

1 Tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil

1 onion

1 stalk celery

1 pound carrots

1 cup fresh minced parsley

Directions:

Simmer chicken or vegetable stock with a big piece of ginger.

While stock cooks, peel and cut carrots into rounds. Peel and dice the onion; slice a stalk or two of celery.

Add oil to a large skillet. Saut onions, celery and carrots on low, covered, about 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes and add a little broth from the pot if mixture is too dry.

Add ginger and cooked vegetables and a little broth from the pot to a blender and pure. Return to pot with broth.

Mince parsley; stir in. Cook 1 minute to heat through.

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Winter Borscht

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Ingredients:

1 cup navy beans

1/2 pound beef or pork with bones

3-4 grains allspice

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt

1 pound beets, peeled and grated

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 parsnip, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 large onion or 2 smaller ones, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups diced tomatoes with juice or 3 tomatoes, peeled and diced

About 1/4 head of a small cabbage (2 cups shredded)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut up

Sour cream, for garnish

Directions:

Soak navy beans overnight. Drain.

(Note: if you forget, you can bring the beans to a boil, cook about five minutes, then turn off heat and soak about an hour; then drain and proceed with the rest of the recipe).

In a large soup kettle, cook the meat with water, allspice, bay leaf and salt for about an hour to make a broth. Remove meat and let cool. Add the beans to the pot along with all the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook about an hour. When meat has cooled enough to handle, remove meat from bones, cut up, and return to the soup.

Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with sour cream.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite @yvonawrites.