Invent your own soup............... it's easy!
Soup is one of life's pleasures and is certainly one of my favorite comfort
foods.
Soup ingredients are open to your imagination after starting with a few basics.
1. You will need a
broth or stock. This can be a poultry stock, a meat stock, such as beef, lamb, veal or whatever you have, You can have a fish
stock,
or just a plain vegetable stock. This is basically done by simmering in water, the bones, shells or vegetables
of whatever stock you are trying to make.
You can also use meat scraps, vegetable scraps, potato peels, mushroom stems
and etc. to add to your stock. You stock can be a mixture of meat,
poultry and vegetables. Almost always, add onions,
peppers, celery and carrots to your stock. A little garlic or fresh herbs are also a pleasant addition.
Pan juices
from roasts will also flavor your stock. Season your stock with salt and pepper, strain into a container and you have your
soup stock. You can
enjoy the stock as a clear soup, or you take the next step and make your own masterpiece soup.
2. Now you can get imaginative! You can add a variety of things to your stock. Seafood, diced chunks of meat, sausages,
pasta , rice, bite-size
pieces of vegetables, fruit juices, mushrooms, other spices, beans and etc. You can also add
cheese, milk, cream and wine. You can thicken your
soup with a little corn starch, or bread crumbs, or flour, or masa
harina (Mexican corn flour). Potatoes, rice and pastas will also thicken your soup.
3. Don't get too crazy! Remember
that all flavorful things do not go well together. I'm sure you won't be putting broccoli in your clam chowder....... or
maybe
you will. Just go easy at first and add herbs and spices sparingly and taste it often. Delicate soups like mushroom, should
not have heavy
flavors to detract from the delicate flavor of the mushrooms. I think you get my point.
4.
Just remember that when you make stock, you make enough to use it again. Once you have stock, you can freeze it for later.
A few milk cartons
of stock in your freezer quarantees you a 20 minute, hearty meal when time is of the essence.
5.
I'm sure after a short time you can come up with a vast number of soup recipes that come from your imagination and taste for
good soup.
Enjoy!
