Grandma’s Fried Soup

On Facebook, I’ve posted about my Grandma Jackie’s Fried Soup and shared the recipe. I’m gonna do that here today, delving deep into the depth of why it’s one of my favorite comfort foods, the emotions it stirs, and besides that, it’s simmering on the stove as I write.

Just the words “Fried Soup” evoke an emotion I like to call “Grandma feelings.”💖 If you ever had an amazing grandma, you know what those are. Now, mine might be stronger emotions than yours, because my grandma was perfect. If you had the pleasure of knowing or meeting my grandma, and you were on her good side, you’ll smile and feel warmly about her. In fact if you were just mostly on her good side, you’ll still feel really good thinking about her. If you were the guy she nearly beat to death with a high heeled shoe👠, or if you lied during her divorce court hearing 📃 …..well…..let’s just say she was a force to be reckoned with. I digress. I’ve heard stories depicting her less than perfect – I can justify and re-write all of them. 😎

I am the oldest of her grandchildren, and my birth marked probably the first human she ever knew (besides herself in my eyes of course!). I was PERFECT. No flaws, no mistakes, I mean PERFECT. If I did anything others (like my parents!) might deem wrong or inappropriate, not only could she quickly justify my actions, but she would explain the great and what a beautiful effect my actions would have on the world! She was my biggest advocate, my magic genie, and to top it off, she was so, so cool. So, it stands to reason if one of her favorite things was Fried Soup, it would be one of my favorites too.

Fried Soup was one of those dishes that she never used a recipe for, and it always tasted amazing. I suspect her love of the dish came from the love of her Grandma Davis. Grandma Davis cooked Fried Soup over an open fire🔥 I don’t remember why it wasn’t in the house. I do remember that Grandma Davis thought Grandma was perfect too. When Grandma was pregnant with my mom, Grandma Davis cooked her lots of Fried Soup every day because, as Grandma said, she “just couldn’t get enough of it.” It’s probably no coincidence that my mom loves Fried Soup too….stories say that’s about all she had to eat during her stay in the womb!

Grandma re-married Papa Gene when I was a teen. We had some great years while they were together in Red Oak, OK, which is where I remember most of my Fried Soup eating extravaganzas. It made an appearance almost every weekend we spent there, especially spring and summer. When I spent a summer working for them picking up rocks in the pasture (looking back, was that just a way to give me money, or did those rocks really need moving?) we had it almost daily, because neither of us could “get enough” of it, even thought neither of us were expecting. It was just that good.

The marriage ended in a second train wreck🚇 🚂of a divorce in the late 1980’s. All of that is a story within itself, for another day. My parents moved both Grandma and my great-grandmother down to Texas so they could look after them. And for the years she was able, she made fried soup for us at many meals whenever she had the stuff, especially this time of year. This is when all the vegetables are coming in fresh from the farmers. It’s a dish that starts out bright and beautiful 🍅🥔🧄🌶🧅 and ends up a messy, ugly, brownish, beige, blackening tasty blob. And eating it brings back all those good memories.

Memories of Grandma. Memories of our family gatherings and meals. Memories of all those other special dishes she made for each of us. Her laughter. Her iced tea jug. Her phrases, like “hotter’n’Who Shot John” or referring to cussing as “said my Sunday School ⛪ lessons backwards” (but also, she could cuss like a perfect sailor if the little ones weren’t around! SO cool!!)! Those are stories for another day.

Today though? Today is Fried Soup day, and leftover Fried Soup days this week to come!! I made it vegan this time to share with the vegan and the vegetarian in my family – but it’s even better made with bacon drippings. And when I score fresh summer produce like I did this weekend, you can bet I’ll continue the legacy of making Fried Soup. As Grandma would say, I got a pretty good scald on that batch today.”

If Grandma tasted it, she’d tell me it’s perfect, just like me. Recipe is below and very forgiving. ❤

Grandma Jackie’s Fried Soup

You’ll need a big skillet with either olive oil, canola oil, bacon drippings or sausage drippings.

Thinly slice / chop your veggies of choice, I usually start with a potato, okra, onion (lots of onion for me), squash (yellow summer is best), big pink tomato (ripe ones or fine, so is a can of Rotel), some kind of peppers if you have them and like them, garlic, salt, pepper. Throw in anything you like.

Cook it just like you would old fashioned Fried Potatoes. Cook it until it’s ugly and brown and good. Add more salt or pepper or anything you want to tasted. Think of your Grandma. Enjoy.