MAKING SOUP

 

 

This week we had our first snow here in the western Maine mountains.   Winter time is the time for soup. 

 If you are new to soup making, the one, and best book to guide you making wonderful soups is the old 1985 Sunset, supermarket sold, Homemade Soups.  This book is available used for under $5.00 on the internet.    If I had only one soup book this would be the one I would choose.

 

Another book that is interesting is Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d’ Avila-Latourrette.     If this book does anything, it teaches you that just about anything you can throw together in a broth can be called soup.

 

 

Let me cover the basis of soup making.   Most soups start with the Trinity: diced onions, sliced celery and thinly sliced carrots sautéed in olive oil.   I always start with the Trinity-plus-One: a clove of minced garlic added the last two minutes of sauté.

 

Just before adding the broth, I add either a tablespoon of dried thyme or marjoram or parsley to the sauté.

 

Nest comes the broth.   I always us McKays instant beef or chicken stock and seasoning. 

 

 

Finally I add any left overs in the refrigerator, and if I choose, either pasta, potatoes or can beans; and usually a large can of diced tomatoes.

 

That’s soup.

 

The one I made last week was:

Trinity-plus-One (two stalks of celery, two carrots and one diced onion)

Leftover Kentucky sliced smoked ham diced

1 tbsp. thyme

4 cups chicken stock

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can of garbanzo beans (rinsed.)

 

Brought it up to temperature for ten minutes and it was delicious. 

 

If you like more liquid add more stock or tomatoes.  If you add potatoes or pasta you will have to heat it until they are tender.  I often use canned beans in place of pasta or potatoes to cut down the cooking time and the starch.

 

Another favorite is Mushroom Soup

Sauté onions and mushrooms until tender  

Add a tablespoon of dried parsley.  

Add 4 cups of chicken stock

Bring to a boil for a few minutes 

Add one cup of sour cream and process with a hand-blender until smooth.

 

 

My wife makes a cauliflower soup

Cauliflower buds cut in half

4 cups of chicken stock

1 block of firm tofu cubed

A sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Blend with a hand blender until smooth.

 

Any time can be soup time.   Quick to make and great with hardy bread.

 

The Ol’Buzzard