Vegetable Soup

It may seem odd to turn on the oven when making soup, but roasting really is what makes this soup so spectacular. Roasting the vegetables caramelizes them and brings out nutty flavors that enhance all the other ingredients. Feel free to throw in just about any other vegetables you have lurking in your crisper drawer. Roasted Vegetable Soup Makes 6 servings 2 large yellow onions,    cut into wedges 2 medium zucchini,    diced 2 medium summer    squash, diced 4 large carrots,    peeled and diced 2 medium potatoes,    peeled and diced 2 tablespoons vegeta-    ble or canola oil Salt and ground black    pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground    cumin 1 quart low-sodium    chicken or vegeta-    ble broth Sour cream or yogurt,    to serve Chopped fresh cilant-    ro or parsley, to serve 1. Heat the oven to 400 F. 2. In a large bowl, combine the onions, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, and potatoes.

There's a small corner in Blanche Baker's world set aside for birds, cats . . . and vegetable soup. There's another corner, a bigger one, for people. In wintertime, Blanche Baker feeds neighborhood birds - sparrows, starlings, an occasional cardinal - like there's no tomorrow. If she didn't, maybe there wouldn't be. Baker knows about no tomorrows. During her 34 years of working as a licensed practical nurse and more recently while caring for elderly shut-ins, Baker, who'll be 75 next week, has seen her share of peoples' last days.

Laura Duncan Hubbard, 92, a Haddonfield resident well-known for her tireless volunteerism and her homemade vegetable soup, died Sunday at the Baptist Home of South Jersey in Riverton, where she had lived for the last year. She had remained active in the community - particularly in the First Baptist Church of Haddonfield and the Haddon Fortnightly - until she moved to the Baptist Home. "She was tireless and dedicated, always willing to help anyone," said Lorraine Hilbert, a friend and member of the Haddon Fortnightly.

It's the traditional Election Day outing in Radnor Township's tiny village of Garrett Hill: Vote and eat cake. For 40 years - and maybe longer, but nobody knows for sure - women from the Radnor United Methodist Church on Conestoga Road have served hot meals, sold cakes and offered up white elephants and handmade items, to benefit the women's group each Election Day. Across the street, in what was then the brick Rosemont Elementary School, voters...

Three afternoons a week, Sister Maria Christi welcomes guests to dinner in the basement of Old St. Joseph's Church in Old City. Like all good cooks, she believes in preparing in advance. When you feed between 60 and 80 homeless and low-income men at a single meal, as she does, that makes a lot of sense. "I plan the menu for the coming week on Friday and Monday," said Sister Maria, director of the church's Outreach Program. "What we serve is based on what we have from donations and purchases.

More than likely, residents of such neighborhoods as Juniata Park, Bridesburg and Kensington set their sights on South Philadelphia whenever they get a spaghetti-and-gravy urge. Good news for them, and any hungry souls traveling through Port Richmond: It's not necessary these days to look much farther than the neighborhood kitchen windows. Cafe DiLeo, a friendly stop where traditional Philadelphia-Italian food is served in some fairly uncustomary surroundings, has been keeping its customers smiling for almost a year now. The restaurant is in a shopping center at Aramingo and Butler, and is about as unclassic a place for reasonably priced, home-style Italian goodies as imaginable.

I went to dinner at Edibles the other evening and learned that I would sire two children within the next two years and shortly receive a $200-a-week raise - which certainly would come in handy with the larger family. I also learned, during my visit, that Edibles is the kind of place where if you don't finish your soup, the waitress is concerned enough to ask if anything is wrong. And then, when the bill arrives, you find that the soup in question has been deleted from your check.

When Serrano opened a little more than 10 years ago in Old City, it put into effect what was then a relatively new concept: International menu with dishes representing such areas as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and, of course, the good old Western Hemisphere. Co-owner Richard Machlin likes to think of the idea as global. These days he sees the Serrano approach to dining becoming somewhat mainstream. So while Serrano was cutting-edge at the time of its inception, Machlin and co-owner Jude Erwin are doing their best to ensure that the restaurant doesn't linger in the past.

WINTER'S a great time for soup, if only because it's a great time for catching a cold. And what's better for restoring health than venerable chicken noodle soup? That ancient folk remedy is so well-known that science eventually weighed in on its mysterious power. Two get-better benefits were established: The steam from the hot broth helps to decongest; and the antioxidants in veggie-rich soups boost the immune system. Sorry, no chicken-specific gain was found. Soups are a great opportunity to work in more plant-based meals, especially at this time of year.

FOR MY MONEY, gazpacho is the king of cold soups. Vichyssoise lovers may beg to differ, preferring their bowls filled with a refined blend of cream, potatoes and leeks. And that's good, don't get me wrong. But when it comes to in-your-face flavor and full-on summer seasonal refreshment, the tomato-based vegetable soup from the Andalusian region of Spain gets my vote. Chilled gazpacho, which is popular in Spain and Portugal, actually comes in three types: red, made with tomatoes and cucumbers, garlic, onion and vinegar; white, which borrows its color from ground almonds and is garnished with grapes; and green, an herb-infused concoction that is sometimes served with shredded lettuce.

It may seem odd to turn on the oven when making soup, but roasting really is what makes this soup so spectacular. Roasting the vegetables caramelizes them and brings out nutty flavors that enhance all the other ingredients. Feel free to throw in just about any other vegetables you have lurking in your crisper drawer. Roasted Vegetable Soup Makes 6 servings 2 large yellow onions,    cut into wedges 2 medium zucchini,    diced 2 medium summer    squash, diced 4 large carrots,    peeled and diced 2 medium potatoes,    peeled and diced 2 tablespoons vegeta-    ble or canola oil Salt and ground black    pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground    cumin 1 quart low-sodium    chicken or vegeta-    ble broth Sour cream or yogurt,    to serve Chopped fresh cilant-    ro or parsley, to serve 1. Heat the oven to 400 F. 2. In a large bowl, combine the onions, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, and potatoes.

FOR MY MONEY, gazpacho is the king of cold soups. Vichyssoise lovers may beg to differ, preferring their bowls filled with a refined blend of cream, potatoes and leeks. And that's good, don't get me wrong. But when it comes to in-your-face flavor and full-on summer seasonal refreshment, the tomato-based vegetable soup from the Andalusian region of Spain gets my vote. Chilled gazpacho, which is popular in Spain and Portugal, actually comes in three types: red, made with tomatoes and cucumbers, garlic, onion and vinegar; white, which borrows its color from ground almonds and is garnished with grapes; and green, an herb-infused concoction that is sometimes served with shredded lettuce.

WINTER'S a great time for soup, if only because it's a great time for catching a cold. And what's better for restoring health than venerable chicken noodle soup? That ancient folk remedy is so well-known that science eventually weighed in on its mysterious power. Two get-better benefits were established: The steam from the hot broth helps to decongest; and the antioxidants in veggie-rich soups boost the immune system. Sorry, no chicken-specific gain was found. Soups are a great opportunity to work in more plant-based meals, especially at this time of year.

A reader lamented that she had never been able to find a vegetable soup that comes close to Coral Tree Cafe's in Southern California . "I know they must have a secret ingredient in there that gives it that extra something special! With fall here, I would love to make this soup at home," wrote the reader. Coral Tree Cafe was happy to share its vegetable soup recipe, which we've adapted below. Enjoy!   Coral Tree Cafe Vegetable Soup Makes 8 to 10 servings 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups diced carrots 2 cups diced onions 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 3/4 cup pearl barley 1 quart vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce 2 cups quartered mushrooms 2 cups diced zucchini Salt and pepper 1. Heat a medium, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then add the carrots, onions, bell pepper, thyme, and barley.

The first day of Occupy Philadelphia I met Sarah Craven, a former Army medic vowing to care for protesters the way she did for fellow soldiers. She was passionate and levelheaded, but ticked off about the lousy state of affairs she came home to after risking her life for years in Iraq. Monday, the 40th day of the outdoor encampment opposing corporate greed and government complicity, I watched a woman eat mashed potatoes as she held a catheter bag. Later, I got propositioned by a 67-year-old man lounging on a baby blanket with his zipper undone.

Four years ago, when Fon Long took over Long's Gourmet Chinese Restaurant, near the Art Museum, from her family, she decided she wanted to change the menu. Go lighter. Eliminate the heavy oils and fats, and rely more on herbs and spices for flavor. The chef, Norman Wong, who also is her husband, agreed. He even extended the new concept to include more vegetables. As he expanded the table, Wong also introduced some intra-Asian ingredients into the mix. This means that while you most likely wouldn't find brown rice, buckwheat noodles and green tea in your average Chinese restaurant, they're standards at Long's.

Love is in the air every night at Porto Rosa, a warm and wonderful new Italian restaurant in Havertown. Guiseppi, who's in construction, renovated the abandoned frame shop on West Chester Pike. Rosa and Maria are in the kitchen at 6, baking bread. Paul does the cooking. Lisa is the manager. Frankie and Howie and Joey are waiters. All of them related, mother, aunt, nephews, nieces and cousins by the dozen. "My mom and my aunt were caterers," Frankie explained. "They always dreamed of owning a restaurant.

Soups are the most forgiving and the easiest of dishes to prepare. And with the convenience of fresh prepared vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms, and combination spices bursting with flavor, preparation is effortless. And waiting doesn't hurt. It can simmer on the back of the stove for an hour or so; or you can refrigerate it, and have it ready to reheat for latecomers. As for measurement, a little more or less won't hurt. If a vegetable soup is too thin, thicken it with pasta, mashed potatoes, or extra bits of vegetables softened in the microwave.

When Serrano opened a little more than 10 years ago in Old City, it put into effect what was then a relatively new concept: International menu with dishes representing such areas as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and, of course, the good old Western Hemisphere. Co-owner Richard Machlin likes to think of the idea as global. These days he sees the Serrano approach to dining becoming somewhat mainstream. So while Serrano was cutting-edge at the time of its inception, Machlin and co-owner Jude Erwin are doing their best to ensure that the restaurant doesn't linger in the past.

Three afternoons a week, Sister Maria Christi welcomes guests to dinner in the basement of Old St. Joseph's Church in Old City. Like all good cooks, she believes in preparing in advance. When you feed between 60 and 80 homeless and low-income men at a single meal, as she does, that makes a lot of sense. "I plan the menu for the coming week on Friday and Monday," said Sister Maria, director of the church's Outreach Program. "What we serve is based on what we have from donations and purchases.