The Hungry Canary

Adapted from Ideals Family Cookbook · Leslie Epperson

Mormon Whole Meal Soup

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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 2 quarts hot water (8 cups)
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • About 2 cups diced mushrooms (replaces 2 diced onions)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup uncooked rice (original ingredient; optional variation: ¼ cup dry sorghum grain, cooked separately until tender)

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a large soup kettle. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it apart as it cooks.
  2. Stir in the mushrooms and cook briefly to release some moisture and develop their savory flavor.
  3. Add the hot water and bring to a full rolling boil.
  4. Add the potatoes, celery, tomatoes, corn, carrots and cabbage. Bring back to a boil.
  5. Add the uncooked rice and salt. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and rice are tender. Add a little extra water if the soup thickens too much.

Cookbook source

“Mormon Whole Meal Soup,” contributed by Leslie Epperson to the Ideals Family Cookbook. The original calls for two diced onions and one-quarter cup of rice. The meat is browned in butter; hot water is added and brought to a rolling boil, followed by vegetables, rice and seasonings. Simmering time is one to one-and-a-half hours.

Hungry Canary substitutions

Onions: Two diced onions are replaced with approximately two cups of diced mushrooms, contributing body and savory flavor without increasing the celery already present. Rice: The original one-quarter cup of rice remains unchanged. For those avoiding rice, a separately cooked sorghum grain option could be tried; sorghum requires a much longer cooking time and should not be added uncooked at the same stage as rice.

Editorial note

The recipe contains both tomatoes and potatoes as originally written. Adjust these separately for households avoiding nightshades. Water is listed in both quarts and cups for modern kitchen convenience.