Sarah said:Hi all, especially serene and sf the soup experts?!
Hee!
Quoted message said:I've never made my own soup before,
<snip>
Quoted message said:Does anyone have a great soup recipe?
what's your favorite?
This post might get long. I apologize in advance. :-)
I only started making good soup myself about two years ago. I
recommend the book "Slow and Difficult Soups" as a good, fun read,
and a good starting point toward a love of good soups. It's a short
book with only a few recipes, but it gives good soup inspiration.
Also, to be honest, every soup recipe I've tried from this newsgroup
has been stellar.
A note on one of the soups you mentioned: I don't add uncooked
pasta directly to the soup unless the soup really needs thickening.
Instead, I cook the pasta separately and add it at the end.
My soups didn't start getting really good until I started making my
own stocks (recipes, of a sort, below, along with the celeriac soup
that was my joy all summer and a really easy potato soup that will
have to wait until you move out of your mom's). A good chicken
stock is like gold. Veggie stock is easy and cheap, because you use
scraps you save up in the freezer. I don't personally make beef
stock very often, because I'm not a big fan.
I sort of figured out tom kha gai by myself, but recently, I found a
recipe online that is essentially the method I use:
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/food/kitchen04/coconutsoup120904.html
Vegetable Stock
Save vegetable scraps -- some people will say not to use brassicas
for this, or not to use potato peels, but I use both, provided they
don't take over. Usually, though, it's mostly onion and garlic
skins, and celery scraps, and carrot peels, stuff like that. I save
them in a bag in the freezer until the bag is full, then cover them
with cold water in a big pot, bring to a boil, simmer 30 minutes,
then strain and use within 3 days. If there aren't a lot of onion
skins in the scraps, I add another onion, unpeeled but cut in half.
Chicken Stock
I don't add any vegetables or salt to chicken stock. I use chicken
carcasses or whole chickens (cut up or not). First, remove all the
skin and as much of the fat as possible so you can make schmaltz
later. Then boil or pressure-cook the chicken and remove it from
the water. When it's cool enough to handle, take the meat off the
bones, and put the bones back in. At this point, I put the bones
(along with any other bones I've saved in the freezer, and a pound
of chicken feet if I have them) back into the pot and either simmer
for an hour or three, or pressure-cook for another 20 minutes.
Strain and use or freeze. If it's really good, it's this lovely,
clear stuff that turns all gelatinous as it cools.
Celeriac Soup
Sautee a chopped onion and some chopped celery in oil and/or butter,
with salt and pepper to taste. Peel and cube a celery root about
the size of a baby's head. ;-) Add to the sautee, then add 2 quarts
or more of good stock. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and
simmer 30-60 minutes. Puree (I use my stick blender). Optionally,
add some heavy cream either to the pot after it's off the heat, or
swirled into each serving.
Potato Soup
1 onion, diced
2-4 T bacon grease
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (russets will fall apart, which
is fine. If you're not going to puree the soup and you want the
potatoes a little more solid, try a waxier potato)
1/4 cup or so cooked bacon
2 quarts stock or water
snipped chives or parsley for garnish (optional)
Sautee onion in bacon grease until it starts to turn translucent.
Add potatoes and sautee a few minutes more. Add stock and bacon and
bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Optionally, puree the soup.
Serve with chives or parsley on top if desired.
