That blast of real winter weather we had this week drove me into soup-making mode. The recipe I used is one I have had for 36 years and was, believe it or not, one of the first things I ever cooked on a fireplace hearth. I can’t even remember where it came from, but the recipe, called Winter Vegetable Soup, dated to the early 1800s. It is so simple and so tasty, and I can make it out of garden stuff stored in the cellar. It has a high tinker-ability quotient for adjusting to personal preferences, too.

The old recipe calls for equal quantities of your basic root vegetables, cooked first in an alarming amount of butter, with water added to make a broth, and herbs to season it. I never use as much butter as the old recipe calls for, but instead mix butter and olive oil. I am also inclined to add celery and a wad of garlic not originally included. The early recipe called for “sweet herbs,” which I have interpreted to mean marjoram, sweet savory, thyme, and parsley. But here is where you get to choose your favorites, or even a favorite herb blend. In fact, instead of fresh celery or garlic, you could use dried powders.

If I make this according to the original recipe, I end up with a vegetarian dish. If you prefer, you could use chicken or even beef stock or broth instead of water. Consider removing some of the cooked vegetables for pureeing in a blender to pour back into the rest of the soup to thicken it. You know if you do that while the mixture is hot, it will explode and spray hot vegetables all over, so let it cool a bit. Or use a masher instead. When I cut up the vegetables, I tend to dice the potatoes and turnips, but I like carrots cut into pennies.

I make a big batch, even doubling the recipe, and freeze some of it for a quick supper or lunch on another day. If there are other stray vegetables in the veggie bin of the fridge, well, in they go.

Looking for …

This is going to cause me trouble, but I want a good whoopee pie recipe. Let’s have a standard one – chocolate with the usual white cream filling, and let’s omit the pumpkin or blueberry or other variations that crop up. I’ll bet a lot of you have a good one. I can’t wait to see them all.

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. E-mail: tastebuds@prexar.com. Tell us where recipes came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings and do not abbreviate measurements. Include name, address and daytime phone number.

Winter Vegetable Soup

Yields 1 1/2 gallons

1 pound potatoes

1 pound rutabaga and-or turnip

1 pound carrots

1 pound onions

1 pound parsnips (optional)

Three or four stalks celery

1 stick butter

1/4 cup olive oil

Water or broth

At least 1/2 teaspoon each of marjoram, thyme, parsley, sweet savory

Salt and pepper

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces. Heat butter and olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot. Add vegetables and stir them around to cover with the oil and butter. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes. Add water or broth to cover vegetables and cook for two hours. Add water or broth as needed to keep them covered. Add herbs, salt and pepper and seasonings and cook a while longer, taste, and adjust the seasonings. If you wish, remove a couple of cups of the mixture, cool slightly, puree, and add it back to the pot.