""Christmas" soup - Suggestions?" Topic

So, the mother-in-law is wanting to have Christmas dinner at her house on Christmas Eve and we'll host gift exchanging and have soup and sandwiches on the blessed day.

The wife and I have kicked some ideas around, but none seem "Christmasy." Any suggestions for a festive, hearty soup for Christmastide?

Venison?

Or something red perhaps? Tomato if it is cold where you are, gaspachio if it is hot. You could make a bit of a Christmas tree pattern on the top with drizzled sour cream.

A narrative receipe from a White House menu, c. 1887 for
the soup served at Christmas Dinner:

Ingredients:
Two fowl (grouse, partridge, common hen), half a pound of
lean ham, two medium-sized onions, one pound of lean beef,
fried bread (basically, lightly buttered and pan-fried
home-baked white bread, although croutons would serve),
butter for frying, pepper and salt, two stalks of celery
cut into inch lengths, 3 quarts of water

Preparation:
Cut the ham and onions into small pieces and fry all in
butter to a light brown (saute, I presume). Cut the beef
into strips and put into a soup-pot with the ham and
onion, fowl (cut to taste) and a bit of pepper. Pour in
the water, heat slowly to a simmer and stew gently for
two hours. Remove the pieces of fowl and cover in a
bowl. Cook the soup an hour longer, strain, cool;
return to a simmer an drop in the celery, simmering
for ten minutes. Ladle into a tureen or individual
bowls over the fried bread (croutons).

The fowl should be cut into larger pieces, perhaps a
stewing hen in modern parlance. Following the cooking
process, the fowl should be taken from its container,
sliced/chopped and added to each serving of soup.

Hope that helps…

A soup for Grover Cleveland? Lots of meat in it. I'd probably not strain it.

It's in consideration.

Reindeer and Elf stew?
-Kle.

Brocolli and stilton. The perfect soup (as long as you like brocolli and stilton)

Hadn't given much thought to that(special holiday themed soups).

Tortilla soup, garnished with Red and Green tortilla chips.

This one comes out red and green, though I have not tried it: link

Roasted chestnut? link

Our holiday soup is this one: link It's so simple, and so good on a cold day. Just make a big pot and keep it warm for guests to enjoy all afternoon.

Not particularly Christmas-y, but my family has always had Chili & Oyster Stew on Christmas Eve. Don't know when or why it started, but it's a tradition for us now.

I would probably turn something you would find in a root cellar like potato or acorn squash into a cream-based soup. Sweet potato if you want to go sweet.

We always make "Walt's Clam Chowder" for Christmas. For about 15 years now. The whole family looks forward to having it on Christmas Eve.
Its a good soup companion for whatever the main course is that year..

If you need this MIND BLOWING recipe, PM me.

Cioppino is a rich, wonderful soup.

You can make it with crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, and firm fish, or just pick the seafood that you have readily available in your region.

To be a traditional Crab Cioppino, Dungenness Crab should be used, but I like it just as well with just shrimp and other seafood.

Plus, the sauce is a nice red color, so fits right in to the season.

There are lots of good recipes on the internet. Choose a good white wine to go in it, to enhance the flavor of the seafood and tomato sauce.

Don't forget to serve with hot, sourdough bread, and lots of butter.