From the March/April '03 Issue
By Norma Lugar

No one will ever confuse Ginny Martin with “Seinfeld's” Soup Nazi. He’s a male diva with a bad case of PMS. She is a gentle mother of four who learned cooking techniques while a teen-ager at her mother’s side.

Truth is, they share only one thing:

An extraordinary ability to create out-of-this-world soups that soothe the spirit, warm winter nights and bring a smile back to those laid low by life, infirmity and bad luck.

Master of the broth. Ginny Martin learned the art of soup-making at her mother’s side, then put her own skill and imagination to work perfecting her loving spoonfuls.

There’s another big difference in the two. The Nazi cooks for money.  Ginny does it for sheer joy.

“When I cook, it makes me feel good,” she says, “especially if I can share it with other people.”

And share she does.

At Christmas, when a co-worker wanted something special for her mother’s present, she got Ginny to whip up two of her best recipes – Vegetable Beef and Black Beans and Rice – in pints and quarts so the elderly woman could have delicious, healthy food on hand to enjoy alone or with guests.

The year before, Ginny’s swap gift – a basket filled with two jars of her soup plus exotic coffees and teas, cookies, crackers and candies – ended up in a trade war as normally generous co-workers repeatedly grabbed this treasure out of each other’s hands. Fortunately, I was the last bidder and the prize was worth the trouble.

A Roanoke native, Ginny married at 22, had three sons and a daughter – including a set of twins – and sharpened her culinary skills over time, dishing up plenty of hearty fare that boys like. Things like potatoes every day, lots of beans, soups, stews and casseroles, as well as a horde of fresh vegetables from her garden, and loads of desserts.

But soups are, without a doubt, her forte. A long-time cook myself, I turned to Ginny for tips on making soups like her famous vegetable and potato varieties when mine seemed weak and watery by comparison. Here are some of the things I learned.

7 Steps to Great Taste

Secret 1: For vegetable soup, always start with cabbage, chopped well, and a large sliced onion, cooked in beef broth and enough water to cover, over a low heat until all visible cabbage pieces are gone.

Secret 2: Be sparing with water.  Instead rely on broth (bouillon will do if canned is not available), tomato juice and sometimes, even a bit of liquid from canned vegetables.

Secret 3: Simmer your soup until vegetables are soft, not crunchy. This is one of the biggest mistakes I made; when I re-cooked the soup until all liquid had evaporated, I thought it was ruined. Instead, when I did add water to pick up the three-plus cans of broth, the result was the best I’ve ever made.

Secret 4: Season with care. Of course, salt and pepper are necessary, but also drop in a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon each of basil and sugar, and one (or more) bay leaf.

Secret 5: Use fresh or frozen vegetables whenever possible. Frozen are closer to fresh than canned, except for green beans, which become limp. For that, stick with canned.

Secret 6: Ginny’s great additions – three to four cans of diced tomatoes, a large can of tomato juice, one package each frozen, sliced carrots and frozen corn, white or yellow, two cans mixed vegetables, drained, one large can cut green beans, drained, one or two cans each of kidney beans, black-eyed peas, green peas and lima beans, plus two to three diced potatoes, cooked and drained. If more liquid is needed, add equal parts of more tomato juice and beef broth.

Secret 7: “Making soup is an individual thing,” says Ginny. So put in things you personally like.  She adds a cup of macaroni about 20 minutes before serving. I’d prefer to add a cup of rice instead (one of the rare times white rice is preferred) and perhaps some cooked roast beef, chopped up. Delicious.

Ginny’s Potato Soup
5 lbs. potatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 can chicken broth

Cover potatoes with water, add onion and chicken broth. Bring to boil, then cook on medium heat.  Test potatoes with fork for doneness. When tender, crush with hand masher, leaving small chunks to mix with broth.

Add:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 stick margarine
salt and pepper to taste
evaporated milk

Stir first four ingredients together and add evaporated milk as needed to make rich broth. Be careful not to add too much milk. Celery may be substituted instead of cream of celery soup.

For more of Ginny’s mouth-watering recipes, stay tuned for the recipes to come shortly.
 
—Norma Lugar