To make it more fun you can tell the "Stone Soup" Story before you start. The basic story is of a hungry traveler coming to a village with nothing more than a cooking pot and a stone. He fills the pot with water and as each villager questions him "how is he going to make soup from a stone?" He asks for one ingredient for seasoning it or another to thicken it. As each villager offers one thing to make the "Stone Soup" taste better, the traveler invites them back to have some when it is done. In the end they all share the delicious soup made from one stone!
This recipe of my great grandmother's Potato Soup is the perfect fit for the story! My mother's family came from Pennsylvania and this was a favorite dinner her grandmother would serve when her grandfather came home from working in the coalmines. It's a real "stick to your ribs" meal after a long hard day working or in this case, camping!
Ingredients:
Optional: Small red or purple potato for "Stone"
1/2-1 Onion, chopped
2-3 Fresh garlic, clove sections, minced
1-2 Sprigs fresh parsley chopped
10 Potatoes approx., pealed and quartered
2 Large Carrots, chopped in 1 inch pieces
1-2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Water filled up to level of vegetables.
Meat is optional. My mother always use polish sausage like this but you can use ham if you choose.
Instructions:
- Throw a small, washed red or purple potato in a pot with some water as your "stone" (you can use a 1-2 pint or reg. drinking water bottles).
- Bring the water to a boil and add the "seasoning" to give the stone flavor; Onion, garlic, parsley and celery.
- Keep adding water to just cover theingredients and continue to boil.
- Add all the potatoes "to thicken" the soup!
- Add the carrots "to give the soup color."
- Add the salt and pepper (more or less to taste).
- Be careful to not add too much water. As the soup cooks, the potatoes will thicken it just as the traveler said.
- Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally so that the bottom does not scorch. You can cover to keep the heat in.
- If you choose to use the Polish sausage (it is tasty), cut into 1/2 inch slices and simmer in a seperate pot with a couple table spoons of water. Cook till you see the fat in the pan. Remove the sausage from the fat and add it to the soup. Discard fat and water. You can do this step at home. If done at home, cool the meat and put it into a baggie until your ready to add it to your soup.
- The soup will be done when it is thick but there should be lumps of potato still. Taste and add salt & pepper as needed. Ladle into tin camping bowls and enjoy!
If you tell the story on the way to your destination and your kids are like mine, they will be excited to make the soup by the time you get there. You can let it cook while you set up camp. When your all set and washed up it should be ready for you!
