Soups On

Food historians tell us the history of soup is as old as the history of cooking itself. The act of combining various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious  healthy, filling and versatile food was a necessity and very practical. Soup was perfect for both traveling and sedentary cultures, rich and poor, healthy and those who suffered. It's typically inexpensive, It can be canned, dehydrated, microwave ready and taste very good with just a few ingredients. It's easily digested, it feeds large groups, travels well, and meets all your dietary needs in one meal.  It was most likely one of the very first culinary masterpieces. After roast meats on an open fire, soups were created and a star was born. Whether it's called soup, stew, pottage, gumbo, porridge, chowder, vichyssoise, gazpacho, bisque or gruel, if it's served cold or hot, in a bowl or a mug, homemade or from a can, it's all good.


To start we need a stock, broth, bouillon or a Consommé . Some are easy and others are difficult. 
Stock, Broth & Bouillon- I don't know why they even call these by different names, because they are all pretty much the same. In the most basic terms, stock is a strained liquid that is the result of cooking, vegetables, meat or fish and herbs. A brown stock is made by browning the bones, vegetables and other ingredients before they are cooked in water. Most soups start with stock. 
Consommé- More difficult and takes longer, but might be worth it to you. It's prepared the same way as the stock, broth or bouillon, but it's clarified and reduced until it is half the volume and has twice the flavor. Also called Madrilene. When you purchase a bouillon cube or stock granuals, this is what you're purchasing, but in a dried form. It is very salty and I prefer to make my own stock from my own cut vegetables right as I'm making the soup, instead of taking extra steps. 

You can make soup from just about anything. Not to say that you should, but the holy grail of soup based and stock making is carrot, celery, onion, and a handful of herbs (parsley, thyme, & marjoram). It's all about building a better stock. They call them aromatics. To these aromatics, you can add whichever protein you desire, turkey, chicken, white fish, rabbit, etc. Fish also lends well with adding a bell pepper. 


Garden Gazpacho
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
2 cups V-8 juice
3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cucumbers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped Vidalia or sweet onion
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 ¼ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Sour cream and cucumber slices, for garnish
        *Reserve some of your small cuts of each vegetable for garnish on top. I have served this soup with a grilled skewer on top and with a small drizzle of cream in the center. There are so many variations. 
1. Place all the ingredients except the salt and garnish in the food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade (you can use your blender and process in batches.)
2. Process until everything is blended together.
3. Taste and check seasoning, adding salt if needed.
4. Serve in chilled bowls garnished with sour cream and cucumber slices.

Carrot and Ginger Soup serves 10
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped celery
5 pounds fresh carrots, peeled and chopped
1 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 potato, peeled and chopped
5 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoons ground allspice
2 bay leaves
In a 6 qt. stock pot, heat the olive oil add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic and potato. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, chicken stock and water to cover the vegetables. Add the seasonings, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the carrots are soft. Then the mixture is ready put into a blender and puree. (Take the bay leaf and ginger out before you puree.) Put through a strainer and bring back to a simmer. Adjust the seasonings to taste and enjoy.


Fancy Veggie Beef with Noodles 
1 lb. bottom round beef, cut in to chunks
1 sweet onion, chopped small
6 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp. olive oil or canola oil
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. dried thyme
Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
6 cups beef stock
3 carrots, peeled and cut in to rounds
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 cup fresh green beans (canned is fine)
1/4 lb. spaghetti noodles broken in thirds
Brown beef cubes in olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper. Add onion and cook until it's softened. Toast garlic, but do not burn it. Add tomatoes and seasonings along with beef broth. Cover and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat making sure the broth level still cover the meat. *If you want to skip this cooking step and just continue on adding additional vegetables then you can do that. It will still taste great, but it wont be as rich tasting and the beef wont fall apart as much as cooking the broth and tomatoes longer. Add the broken spaghetti after the soup has thickened slightly and the veggies are tender. 

Corn Chowder

1 T. unsalted butter

1 strip of bacon 

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups milk, whole or %2

1 large or 2 medium red skinned potatoes

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

 In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option, just add more butter) and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

 Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer (on our stove we had to use the "warm" setting) to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

 Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

 Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

Wild Rice, Mushroom and Chicken  photo and recipe courtesy of cookinglight

4 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth + 1 package (2.75oz) of quick cooking wild rice + 1 T. olive oil + 1/2 c onion + 1/2 c chopped red bell pepper + 1/3 c julienne carrots + 1 tsp. minced garlic + 1/2 tsp. dried thyme + 1 tsp. butter + 2 packages 4oz dried mushrooms (like shiitake, cremini or oyster) + 2 c cooked and chopped chicken (I used a precooked bag from the meat dept) 1/8 tsp. each salt and pepper 
Bring 1 1/3 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan: add rice to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside. Head oil in a large stock pot. Add onion, pepper, carrots, garlic and thyme. Saute until slightly softened. Stir in butter and mushrooms and saute until they are lightly browned. Add remaining 2 2/3 cups broth, rice, chicken salt and pepper and stir to combine. 

Coconut Shrimp Soup 
photo and recipe from Martha Stewart Living

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved             lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces angel-hair pasta
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Coarse salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.
Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.

Dried Soup Mix
Now who doesn't have dried soup mix in their home? Whether it's Lipton's dried onion mix or wonderful Jewish products by Manischewitz, it's always so convenient to build your recipe box up with helpful recipes that you can get done in seconds. 
California Dip 
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 pint commercial sour cream
Stir Lipton Onion Soup Mix just as it comes from the package into sour cream and blend thoroughly. Use as a dip for potato chips, corn chips, crackers or melba toast. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.Philadelphia Spread 
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 pint commercial sour cream
3 oz. package cream cheese 
Allow cream cheese to soften. Stir in Lipton Onion Soup Mix (just as it comes from the package) and sour cream, then blend well. Use as a spread for crackers, melba toast, or your favorite wafers."