Competition thickens for second annual Souper Bowl

Last Updated on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 03:01 pm Written by SUZANNE MARINO Tuesday, February 05, 2013 09:26 am

Northfield Police Chief Robert James and District Superintendent Janice Fipp do the taste testing at the Morgan Stanley office in Northfield

NORTHFIELD – There were no Ravens or Niners on opposing sides at the Souper Bowl here Friday, Feb. 1 when a group of competitors took to their crock pots rather than the gridiron to determine a fan favorite at the second annual Souper Bowl at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management on New Road.

The cold and snowy day was the perfect added ingredient for the homemade soup challenge, which had the dual goal of raising donations for the food bank.

Any employee who wanted to show off his or her culinary prowess could bring in their homemade soup for tasting by a panel of five judges.

The conference room was lined with seven crock pots filled with soup, and the savory scents filled the air.

The entries included lentil soup, clam chowder, chicken tortellini soup, white bean and garlic soup, bean and ham soup, beef and vegetable soup with pasta, and pea soup with bacon.

The winning entry was lentil soup from the kitchen of Linda Cohen of Egg Harbor Township, a senior client service associate at Morgan Stanley. Cohen received a bottle of champagne and a $50 gift certificate to Ventura’s Offshore Café.

Branch manager Jim D'Allessio, who whipped up his special clam chowder for the bowl, said the soup chefs were encouraged to buy their ingredients locally.

"We wanted to make it a hometown event," he said.

The other winner was the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch in Egg Harbor Township. As part of the event, employees brought in more than 300 cans of soup to donate to the food bank.

Linda Cohen’s Lentil Soup

1 1/2 pounds dried lentils
1/2 jar dehydrated soup greens
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
8 quarts vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve with white rice made with vegetable broth instead of water.