It was happenstance, said Beckye Parker and Roger Carswell, that each had the wherewithal to pass on soup recipes at Iola Public Library’s first cooking class for adults.
When Parker decided a year ago to eat healthier, a butternut squash she toted home from the grocery languished. She looked online, found a recipe and converted the squash to soup, which soon disappeared.
Tomato soup generally never struck Carswell as particularly appealing — until he tasted that served at a small restaurant in Peabody.
Parker, special needs consultant for the Southeast Kansas Library System, and Carswell, director of Iola Public Library and the SEK system, made their specialties for six women at “Soup Two Ways” in the Flewharty-Powell Library Annex kitchen Saturday afternoon.
Parker cited the health advantages of the butternut squash. It has generous quantities of vitamins A, E and B6 as well as potassium, manganese and magnesium — a veritable nutrients closet wrapped in a chunky goose neck shaped shell.
After citing its health advantages, Parker gave a detailed demonstration of how to make it into soup.
Carswell said adult cooking classes could develop into a series of programs and encouraged the six participants to recommend other topics.
“We have this nice kitchen and we need to take advantage of it,” he said.
Parker said the Internet is a treasure trove of recipes, many of which also include dietary information about such things as calories, cholesterol, carbohydrates and fat content.
The recipes are:
Ohio Tomato Bisque
2 thick slices of bacon
1 No. 2 can stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon minced green onion
