The Family Table: A Simple Soup From a Giving Cook That Touched Countless Lives

Readers share their treasured recipes

Packed with vegetables and ground beef, this simple and satisfying soup became the author's mother's trademark dish. Courtesy of Helene Purdy

Submitted by Helene Chesley Purdy, Hamilton, Virginia In honor of Winkie Chesley, Redding, Connecticut

My mom was diligent in getting her six children to church every Sunday when we were young. We were all baptized and confirmed, but it wasn’t until we were teenagers that she surrendered her life to the Lord. Mom became active in her church and embraced her gift of service while struggling with the demands and challenges of raising our large family.

Winkie “Grandma” Chesley (center) at her 80th birthday party on Aug. 4, 2014 in Gettysburg, Maryland, with the author and her family. Courtesy of Helene Purdy

We moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Connecticut in 1970, when I was in the fifth grade. We walked to the local elementary school and walked home every day for a hot lunch. In Connecticut, Mom became very active in her church and volunteer organizations in the 70s and 80s. She was well known for her good deeds of showing hospitality and helping those in trouble, devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds through volunteer work in her community. Her acts remind me that “happiness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work.”

The author and her five siblings in Connecticut in December 1970. The girls are wearing velvet dresses made by their mother, who made all of their dresses growing up. Courtesy of Helene Purdy

One of the ways she practiced hospitality and shared with those in need was by delivering meals to the elderly in the community, housebound members of the church, and patients in hospice care, including her work at local facilities for patients with AIDS. She was head of the Historic Cemetary Committee and served at funerals. She served at Bread and Roses (hospice for AIDS patients), FISH (Food in Service to the Homebound), Meals on Wheels, and many community volunteer organizations in Norwalk and Bridgeport. I can remember many an evening when, after she served up dinner for us, she would wrap up the extra portions and deliver them hot.

Her winter soup became her trademark meal, and I remember the first time I saw “Mom’s Winter Soup” in a cookbook created by my sister for her church fundraiser. I thought my mom was famous! Her winter soup represents, for me, the joy of comforting others and meeting the needs of hurting people through the sharing of hot meals made with love. Recently, I was tagged in social media post made by a childhood friend that contained a picture of a large pot of soup that was captioned “Mom’s Winter Soup to kick off the fall season.”

She touched the lives of countless people throughout her life through a simple recipe for soup. Still famous after all these years, Mom, and thank you!

A recipe card from a classmate’s mother’s kitchen in Wilton, Connecticut, shown to the author at their 45th class reunion in October 2022.

Mom’s Winter Soup

One of the things I love about this soup is the simplicity of the recipe. I am a vegan and can modify the recipe, making a few substitutions and leaving out the butter, for instance.

• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 1 cup diced green beans
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced parsnips
• 1 large (35-ounce) can tomatoes
• 3 cups beef stock (or canned bouillon)
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon salt

In soup kettle, brown onions in butter.

Add beef and garlic. Cook until beef is brown.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

A hearty bowl of Mom's Winter Soup. Courtesy of Helene Purdy

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Do you have a treasured family recipe that holds a special place in your family history, heritage, or traditions? We would be honored if you would share it with us.

Along with the recipe, tell us its story—who gave it to you, its journey through the generations, and the personal meanings and memories it carries. Is it a special-occasion dish, or an everyday family favorite? Does it connect you to your cultural heritage or to a certain loved one?

How have you kept the recipe alive, and why is it important to you to do so?

Send your recipe and comments, along with your full name, state, and contact information, to [email protected], or mail it to: Home, The Epoch Times, 229 W. 28th St., Floor 7, New York, NY 10001.