A Call To Soup!
November 5, 2009 | 9:55 amPardon me while I try something new.
Soup is one of those foods, like tomato sauce and apple pie, that I would like to master. At the mere mention of a hot bowl, I could exclaim “Clam chowder? Absolutely!” and without even a glance at the page, I would chop the potatoes, saute the onions, and “presto!” soup worthy of an annual Atlanta “snow day”. But I haven’t gotten there yet.
So, as this morning’s AJC slid out of its plastic pouch and opened to the food section, I took did a bit of a double-take. Soups! To be more specific, Souper Jenny soup recipes! “Here perhaps,” I thought, “is the key to unlock my hidden natural soup talents!”
But then, as soon as I turned the page and found five delicious recipes (Wild Mushroom, Spinach and Barley, Horseradish Chedder Beer, etc…), I thought, why only take tips from the pros? I bet there are plenty of amateur chefs out there, with excellent soup recipes, just waiting to share them with their neighbors! But where to do it?? Hmmm…
OK, enough with the cheesy set-up. Here’s the request.
Have a great soup recipe? Post it here! And if there’s a history to the recipe, feel free to include that too! Recipe-sharing won’t save the world, but who wants to do that when you can eat great soup!
P.S. Any tips or tricks are also most welcome!
DM, I have a whole great book of soup at home. I make great soup. the key is time and stock. Take a lot of time and make your own stock. Boil a whole damn chicken all day.
I would add: a stick blender is an essential too.
Here’s a favorite: http://www.russtaylor.info/home/2007/1/14/potato-leek-soup.html
Really two or three things will enliven any soup if you add them at the very end:
1. Lump meat crab meat
2. chili-oil or diced peppers
3. chives or cilantro chopped…
Thanks Nellie. I have recently learned the importance of stock (and making your own) but haven’t quite gotten the level of umm…complexity?…in my broth that I would like. Maybe it’s because a lot of times I don’t have celery to add when making the stock. Maybe I need a great stock recipe! (PS, we freeze our stock in 1/4 cup muffin tins and then throw them all in a zip-lock bag. It’s a great way to only defrost what you need!)
The great thing about buying an expensive free-rangey chicken is that you feel compelled to use every little piece of it, which results in LOTS of stock!
Re: celery, buy a bunch, chop it up, stick it in a ziplock, flatten it out, freeze it. When you need some, break a chunk (freeze it to be ~1/3″ or less in thickness, if you chop it up very finely). Do the same with onions, carrots, even peppers. You can then whip up a pot of whatever in a hurry. An easy and time-honored base is moirpoix (sp?), 2 part onion, 1 part celery, 1 part carrot. Put some stock, some veggies, beans, whatever. It’s done.
Oh, and dig up a basil plant STAT and keep it indoors. Nothing sends a soup/stew into the stratosphere better than a fresh basil garnish in mid-december!
In the fall, I love butternut squash soup. I really like it to be creamy, so was skeptical about trying this Cooking Light recipe. Luckily, it tastes great, is easy, and not as bad for you as the soups with lots of cream…tastes great with a grilled cheese. Receipe from Cooking Light with a few of my modifications:
Ingredients
4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash* (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large shallots, peeled and halved
1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced (I did not have the ginger, so I skipped this step)
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons (1-inch) slices fresh chives
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.
3. If you have an emersion blender, place the squash/shallot mixture into a big pot. Add chicken broth and blend until smooth. Then cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.
No emersion blender? Then place half of the squash mixture and half of the broth in the blender and blend…repeat with 2nd half of mixture. Then cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired
*to make the squash easier to cut, I put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, then chop. Much easier to cut and peel.
Can’t wait to get more soup recipes!
I’m giving away the store here, but this is the best effort-to-deliciousness ratio I’ve got going on:
Portuguese kale soup
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/portuguese-chourico-and-kale-soup-recipe/index.html
Comments: you can use any leafy green, including frozen spinach and swiss chard; very forgiving/easy to stretch without affecting flavor (add more chickpeas, greens). Publix @ Emory Commons usually carries this sausage.
Perfect bread every time
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx
Comments: read the whole thing, watch video at end of article as it’s very helpful the first time you do this. Addictive, try mixing in other stuff (cheese, herbs, garlic). You need to start this bread 24 hours in advance but it’s very little effort and sooo worthwhile. Very thrifty.
This is simple but very rich, very intense-flavored soup. If you want to tone it down, you can sauté the garlic in less butter, or cut the amount of garlic used. I prefer it strong! 4-6 servings.
Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)
1 whole head of garlic, each clove peeled and mashed
½ a large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 stick (4 oz.) butter
5 cups chicken broth (you can use beef, chicken works better; you can also use canned, but fresh works better)
¾ cup light cream (room temperature)
To taste:
Salt (I use fleur de sel in a salt grinder – makes it salty enough but still light)
Fresh-ground white peppercorns
In large saucepan, sauté the mashed garlic and sliced onion slowly in the butter (med. high heat to start, then turn down to med.); stir occasionally to make sure the garlic doesn’t turn brown (or it’ll be bitter). When onions are translucent, transfer the onion/garlic/butter to a food processor or blender. With processor/blender running, slowly add about a ½ cup of the broth, and process until the mixture is smooth. Pour back into saucepan, add the rest of the broth, the cream, and seasonings. Heat until hot again, but do not bring to a boil.
Cubans traditionally eat this soup by cracking a raw egg into it while it’s still very hot, then slowly stirring the egg to break the yolk up & allowing the soup to cook it. I like it best by itself with some crusty bread, with about half an ounce of dry sherry stirred in (that’s not traditionally Cuban, but sherry gives it that…je ne sais quois). Hope you enjoy!
Roast a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, and when everybody is sick of eating turkey, pick all the meat off the carcass and boil it for half a day or so. Strain the stock and freeze it in appropriate-sized containers. Freeze the meat you picked off the carcass, in enough stock to cover it. Should last part of the winter. If it turns out particularly tasty, stretch it by using part turkey stock and part store-bought chicken broth or stock when you make soup.
Whenever you can get your hands on the bone from a Honey-Baked Ham, boil it down and use the stock for split pea soup. You’ll be spoiled for any other recipe.
When using canned tomatoes, choose chopped or diced over stewed. Makes the soup taste fresher (IMO).
A healthy dash of fresh lemon juice added at end of cooking time makes the whole potful of flavors sparkle and pop. A little bit of olive oil swirled in can also be a great finishing touch (if it doesn’t clash with other ingredients).
Use less salt than you think you need.
If you don’t already have one, invest in a really good-quality stock pot, deep and heavy.
Be sure you save teh chicken fat too when you make your own broth. Chicken fat is a great additional to matzo balls. If you don’t make matzo balls, call me and I will come get your chicken fat.
DM,
You could have an entire blog on recipe swapping. I don’t have my smoky portabello mushroom soup recipe on hand right now, but I’ll post it later. Thanks for making me think of soup!
COT,
Please don’t forget to post the smoky portabello mushroom soup recipe – just the name alone sounds great. I will hound you to your grave if you don’t post it as soon as humanly possible.
(We ought to have a soup luck swap. Everybody bring a big pot of soup and we try everyone else’s soup, bring a container, and bring some home.)
I make a really good chicken and sausage gumbo, but the trouble is, I never pay any attention to the proportions. I adapted it from a recipe in “Talk About Good,” a legendary Louisiana cookbook from the Junior League of Lafayette. But I don’t follow that recipe either.
Another wrinkle. I usually cook this for church, so I usually make gallons.
But here’s my attempt at describing how I make my gumbo
Boil about five pounds of chicken thighs in enough water to cook, set aside the water to cool, and when the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and bones and reserve the chicken.
Skim off the chicken fat, and use that to make a roux. Making a roux takes patience and attention.
Meanwhile, chop up an onion, bell pepper and a few stalks of celery. In Louisiana, they call this the “Holy Trinity” because that’s the basis of a lot of stuff we cook down on the bayou.
Put the fat and some flour (how much flour? Enough to make a thick creamy, but not pasty, mixture) into a heavy pot. Turn the heat up to low, and gradually increase the heat, stirring the roux constantly. Don’t leave it alone, or it will burn. After 30-45 minutes, when it starts to turn brown, about the color of a paper bag, add the HOLY TRINITY and stir it for a few minutes to saute. Then add the chicken stock and maybe other water if you need to.
Then you add some chopped garlic, 4-9 cubes of chicken boullion (use this instead of salt) to taste, some bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and a pound of andouille sausage. and let it cook on low for a while. Kroger sells an andouille made somewhere in Georgia that is more spicy than the one the DeKalb Farmer’s Market sells, but both are good. Cook that for a couple hours on low.
About 20 minutes before you want to serve, add a package or two of frozen sliced okra. When the mixture gets hot again, serve over rice. This tastes much better the day after you cook it.
The proportions for stuff are just guesses. Add more or less to your taste. You could probably throw in some shrimp at the end if you wanted. I found that the ground up bay leaves that the farmer’s market sells give a better flavor than just the bay leaf itself. A big bag of bay leaves is very inexpensive at the farmer’s market.
Could someone post a good chili recipe? For years I’ve made mine using Chili-O and Ro-Tel tomatoes. I have always loved it. But now that I’m officially a Thirtysomething, the amount of sodium I’m consuming as a result has me alarmed.
I made a great vegetarian chili recipe on Halloween
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/vegetarian-chili-recipe/index.html
Taco Soup
this is super easy and absolutely delicious
serves 6-8
1 lb ground beef
medium chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotelle tomatoes
1 can (shoepeg) corn
1 can (chili hot) beans
1 can kidney beans
4 cups water
black pepper
Brown ground beef + onion
Add everything else and simmer.
Taste for flavor. Add tabasco or spices if needed.
Add cheese and sour cream to individual bowls. Serve with tortilla chips.
I have a family recipe for White Chicken Chili served over spaghetti that never disappoints. But it’s at home…
These all sound great! Now I just need to decide which to try first…
2 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
1 large onion(s), chopped
4 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
32 oz chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder, chipotle variety
30 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (or more if you like lime)
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, coarsely chopped (or more if you like cilantro)
Cook turkey, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off any fat.
Add turkey mixture and remaining ingredients to a 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for at least 4 hours.
Yields about 1 cup per serving.
If the chili is too thick after it’s been frozen and then defrosted, add extra broth and then reheat to achieve desired consistency.
I double or triple this recipe and freeze the extra.
Good for summer or winter!
Pork Posole
There are three main versions of this hominy stew, each representing a color of the Mexican flag. Red posole, like this version, is made from dried chiles; stew features pasilla chiles. The green version is made from fresh chiles, and white posole has no chiles.
4 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut into (1/2-inch) pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 (15.5-ounce) cans white hominy, undrained
6 tablespoons sliced radishes
6 tablespoons chopped green onions
6 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
6 lime slices
Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Place chiles in pan; flatten with a spatula. Cook 10 seconds on each side or until blackened. Combine toasted chiles and 2 cups boiling water in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes or until soft. Place chile mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
Cook cumin seeds in a large Dutch oven over medium heat for 1 minute or until toasted and fragrant. Place in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring frequently. Stir in pork, pureed chiles, toasted ground cumin, broth, sugar, salt, and hominy; bring to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes or until pork is tender. Spoon 1 2/3 cups posole into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon radishes, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime slices.
Yield: 6 servings