==== Maryland Crab Soup ====

  * 2 tbsp olive oil
  * 2 yellow onions, diced
  * 2 shallots, diced
  * 2 carrots, chopped
  * 1 cup(s)chopped celery
  * 1/2 cup(s) lima beans
  * 3 tbsp dry Old Bay seasoning
  * 2 cup(s) fish or chicken stock
  * 1 cup(s) dry white wine
  * 2 1/2 cup(s) water
  * 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  * 2 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
  * 28 oz canned Italian cherry tomatoes
  * 20 oz crab meat (claws and lump)
  * 3/4 cup(s) shelled English peas
  * 2 ears raw corn
  * 8 oz fresh green beans
  * salt and pepper, to taste
  * Old Bay liquid hot sauce, for serving, optional

First, prep all of the soup-based ingredients. Chop the carrot and celery stalks into rounds, about ¼-inch thick. Remove the skin from the onions and shallot and rough chop them each into diced pieces. Peel the husk off the corn, cutting the kernels off of the cob. Trim the ends off of the green beans and then cut the beans into ½-inch rectangular slices.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a 12-quart soup pot. Heat over medium for 2 minutes. Then, add in chopped onions, shallot, carrots, celery, lima beans and Old Bay seasoning. Sauté the mixture for 3 minutes, until the onions start to turn translucent.

Next, add the stock, wine, water, Worcestershire sauce, whole-grain mustard and canned cherry tomatoes to the soup pot with the vegetable base. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil on medium heat. Cook, lid off, for 25 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend and some of the liquid to evaporate off.

Next, gently add the crab meat to the soup. Stir every 5 minutes or so, cooking uncovered for another 40 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add in the peas, fresh corn and green beans. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls.

Serve with crusty bread for dipping. For a spicier version, top with Old Bay liquid hot sauce.

Nutrition: CALORIES 334; FAT 7.8 g; PROTEIN 25.6 g; CARBS 36.9 g