Warm soups for chilly days

DILL PICKLE SOUP
Raugintų agurkų sriuba

4 large dill pickles, diced or thinly sliced
2 Tbsps. flour
2 Tbsps. oil
3 cups beef broth
2/3 cup liquid from pickles
2½ cups diced boiled potatoes (optional)
1 cup sour cream
Coat pickles with flour. Stir-fry pick-les in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add pickles and liquid and potatoes to beef stock. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes. Add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl just before serving. (Note: This is an unusual soup for your ethnic repertoire.)

CABBAGE SOUP
Kopūstų sriuba

1 pound soup bones (pork)
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 head fresh cabbage, coarsely chopped
4-5 carrots, sliced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
½ cup tomato ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven sauté onions, add celery and soup bones. Fill pot with water; simmer 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients and cook until cabbage is tender. Adjust spices to your taste. Serve with boiled potatoes and a dollop of sour cream. (Please note: Use apple juice instead of water or add a small jar of sauerkraut for a delicious variation.)

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MILK
Pieniška daržovių sriuba
2 Tbsps. oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsps. fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups milk
Sauté onions in oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot until tender; add remaining ingredients, except milk and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk and parsley; heat 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

MUSHROOM-BARLEY SOUP
Kruopų sriuba su grybais

1 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned
2 Tbsps. butter
1 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (10-ounce) cans condensed beef broth
5 cans water
3 Tbsps. tomato paste
½ tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
½ cup barley
¼ cup chopped parsley
1½ cups celery with leaves, sliced
1½ cups carrots, sliced
4 Tbsps. dry sherry
2 cups sour cream
Pepper to taste
Chop ½ pound mushrooms and slice remaining ½ pound; set aside. In large saucepan, melt butter; add chopped mushrooms, onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth and water, tomato paste, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Heat to boiling. Stir in barley. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add parsley, celery and carrots; cook, covered another 30 minutes until vegetables are Warm soups for chilly days tender. In a medium skillet, heat 2 table spoons of oil; add sliced mushrooms, sauté 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sherry to soup and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

SPINACH SOUP
žpinatų sriuba
2 cans beef broth
2 cans water
2 Tbsps. onion, dried or fresh, chopped
Pinch pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 package frozen chopped spinach
or 4 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
Heat ingredients together in a stock pot, adding diced eggs last. Serve with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl. (Note: Even if you have nothing good to say about spinach, you will find that this soup is delicious.)

CARROT SOUP
Morkų sriuba

1 cup carrots, grated
3 Tbsps. onion, grated
3 Tbsps. butter or oil
3 Tbsps. flour
3 cups milk
Salt and lemon juice to taste
Sauté the carrots and onion in butter in a heavy covered saucepan for 5-8 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of boiling water if necessary. When the carrots are soft, sprinkle with flour, and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup milk, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, remove from heat and puree in a blender. Return the mixture to the pot, add remaining milk and heat well. Season with salt and lemon juice. Serve with toast. (Please note: For a snap- pier version of this soup, substitute chick- en broth for milk, use 1 whole onion, chopped, and 2 cups grated carrots. Sea- son with ginger and orange peel.)