By Lisa Yockelson
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, October 29, 2003; Page F01

Sitting down to a bowl of vegetable soup recently became a lot easier.

A leading brand of canned soup introduced pop-top lids, thereby eliminating the frustrating task of rummaging about looking for a can opener.

Come on! Was is that hard to open a can?

In fact, what most people don't understand is that making soup from scratch really isn't that difficult.

In fact, I'd argue that relative to many meals, a simple vegetable soup that requires a leisurely two-hour simmer is a lazy approach to cooking.

Sure, there is some work to be done. I'm not a subscriber to the dump-the-remains-of-the-vegetable-bin-into-the-pot-and-simmer method of making soup. The vegetables must be peeled. Then they must be chopped to rather exacting standards. Then they must added to the pot in successive stages to ensure that they are properly cooked.

But then I set the pot aside to simmer gently for a couple of hours, leaving ample time to pay bills or watch a DVD while the aroma of simmering soup pervades the house.

And unlike canned soup, the homemade version comes in an infinite number of varieties. Each batch is easily customized by adding a handful of pasta, barley, meat or additional vegetables toward the end of cooking.

I'd even assert that made-from-scratch soup is just as convenient as canned. A single batch of this soup makes a plentiful amount for dinner plus leftovers, which can be stored in individual containers and frozen for future use. The unzipping of a resealable bag or the opening of a plastic container surely rivals the pop top for user ease.

Autumn Garden Soup

(10 to 12 servings)

This is a straightforward, from-scratch version of the canned vegetable soup so many of us remember from childhood.

To vary the flavor, you may add any of several vegetables, cooked meats or starches during the last minutes of cooking; see the variations that follow. Do not add the optional ingredients if you plan to freeze the soup; their texture and flavor would pale considerably.

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, diced

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, trimmed and diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cups (1/2 medium head) shredded cabbage

2 medium potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch dice

2 medium turnips, peeled and diced

3 parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups canned plum tomatoes, undrained, lightly crushed (from 28-ounce can)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves

9 to 10 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large nonreactive pot or casserole (preferably enameled cast iron; do not use a thin, flimsy pot) over medium-low, heat the oil. Add the onions, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have just begun to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 45 seconds. Add the celery and carrots and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has just begun to wilt down, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, turnips and parsnips and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, the parsley, broth and several pinches of salt (do not add extra salt at this point, however, if the broth is salted). Cover partially and bring to a gentle boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and adjust the heat so that the contents simmer gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. You may need to add more broth during the last hour of cooking if the vegetables are not completely covered and simmering; may add up to 11/2 cups additional broth, then bring to a simmer and continue cooking. Season the soup with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

(May divide the soup into individual food-safe storage containers and freeze for up to 6 weeks. To defrost, refrigerate overnight, then reheat until hot and bubbling before serving.)

Per serving (based on 12): 155 calories, 6 gm protein, 21 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 222 mg sodium, 4 gm dietary fiber

VARIATIONS:

• Kielbasa In a skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add 1/2 pound kielbasa cut into 2-inch sections and sear until browned and warmed through. Cut, on the diagonal, into thick slices and add to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Sweet or hot sausage In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1/2 pound of sweet or hot link sausage. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup chicken broth (it will sizzle), cover and return to medium heat until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cut the sausage into chunks and add to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Pasta In a pot of salted water, boil 1/4 cup small dried pasta shapes until almost tender. Drain well and add to the soup for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

• Cheese Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese over each bowl of soup just before serving.

• Cooked beans Stir 1 cup cooked chickpeas or Great Northern white beans into the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Smoked turkey Add 1/2 pound diced smoked turkey to the soup for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

• Canadian bacon Add 1/2 pound diced fully cooked Canadian bacon to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Fennel Trim 1 fennel bulb, discarding the fronds and any light green sections, and dice the bulb. In a skillet, saute the diced fennel in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the fennel to the soup for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

• Smoked ham Add 1/2 pound diced smoked (fully cooked) ham to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Barley Stir 3/4 cup cooked barley into the soup to simmer for the last 15 minutes of cooking. (Note: The barley must be cooked before adding it to the soup.)

• Escarole Trim about 4 ounces escarole into 2-inch pieces. In a skillet, saute the escarole in 2 tablespoons olive oil until it begins to wilt. Add the escarole to the soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

• Rubbed-Garlic Toasts Lightly brush olive oil on both sides of 1/2-inch thick slices of French or Italian bread. Toast the bread on both sides. Rub a peeled clove of garlic or two over the surface of one side of each toast. If desired, sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place atop each individual bowl of soup just before serving.

Lisa Yockelson is the author of "Baking by Flavor" (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002).