It's Better with Soup

It’s Better with Soup

By Elyse Grau
There’s an old proverb that says, “worries go down better with soup”. I would add that so do cold days and nights. (I sometimes think I could have soup every day during the winter, but you know what they say about moderation in all things).

Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Chicken soup isn’t called the Jewish penicillin for nothing; it feels good even if Mom didn’t make it (there is some scientific evidence that it actually can help alleviate cold symptoms, too).

Soup is also the ultimate convenience food. You can make soup from practically anything, including, and perhaps most importantly, leftovers. I have even turned less-than-stellar casseroles into soup. Soup-making is a good way to clean out the refrigerator or freeze, too. (Use some discretion here, nothing green that shouldn’t be green, leave out that last piece of pumpkin pie, that sort of thing.)

You really don’t even need much cooking skill to make soup, just a large pot and a spoon. And onions, lots of onions. Most soups begin with chopped onions at the very least, maybe some carrots and celery. These make up what are called the “aromatics”, or the flavor base for the broth.

The chopped vegetables should be sautéed in oil or butter until soft, but not brown. Adding salt at the beginning of the cooking will help draw out the liquid and soften the vegetables.

Once the aromatics are ready, water and the rest of the ingredients are added. Although some soups can be made very quickly – pureed soups, for example, most benefit from long, slow cooking. Flavor often improves overnight, too, so it isn’t cheating to make soup the day before you need it.

Broths, or clear soups, are often the base for other, heartier soups, as well as some sauces and stews. It’s nice to have some homemade broth on hand for quick dinner preparation. They may also be served on their own, and they make an excellent hot beverage when one is ill.

It is easy to make your own broth from chicken, meat or vegetables. I usually make at least one big batch of vegetable broth during peak harvest times. You can make good use of vegetable parings, the liquid from blanching vegetables, and those specimens that might be a little to old or large for the table.

Simply throw all of the above in a big pot of water, adding other vegetables as needed to round out the flavor, add salt, maybe some herbs, and cook for a couple of hours until the flavor develops sufficiently. If you don’t have enough of scraps to mke a batch now, you can store bits and pieces in the freezer, no blanching necessary.

Don’t use broccoli or cabbage in this broth, as it gives off too strong of a flavor. Carrots and corn will make the broth sweet, so go easy on those. Onions are an essential; so if you don’t have enough ends or leftovers, add more whole ones. You don’t even need to peel them, as the broth should be strained before packaging for storage.

Tender, leafy herbs such as basil or parsley are best added in the last five or ten minutes of cooking. I find ground cumin is best added at the end as well, and pepper intensifies as it cooks, so I often leave this until just before serving. I use very little salt, and let diners add their own if they must. Woody herbs and bay leaves can go in at the beginning of cooking.

Once the broth is finished, strain it and pack it into quart  or pint containers and freeze what you won’t be using right away. You can also freeze some in ice-cube trays to use when you want to add a little flavor to rice or vegetables, or anytime you just need a small amount of liquid.

When making soups without a recipe, they may not always end up as you envisioned. Not to worry, it can usually be fixed.

If you find you have over-seasoned your soup, add more liquid – water, broth or even wine may work, but if salt is the problem, avoid adding canned broth. If you catch the problem in the early stages of cooking, try adding a potato or other vegetable to stretch the soup.

To thicken soup that is too thin, simmer with the cover off until thick enough. If potatoes or beans are present, these can be mashed against the sides of the pot, or a bit can be removed, pureed and returned to the pot to thicken the broth. Ground almonds or rice can also be used as thickeners.

Another option when faced with a hearty soup that isn’t, is to serve it over a thick slice of stale or toasted bread placed in the bottom of the soup bowl. Or stir in some toasted bread cubes or torn-up tortillas.

If these fixes don’t solve the problem, as long as it tastes good just serve it as it is. No one has to know that you thought it should be thick and it is thin, or you wanted a thin soup and it’s like a stew. Just sit back and accept the compliments.

One of my favorite soups is lentil, in its many variations. Sometimes I’ll add potatoes, sometimes not. All or part of this soup can be pureed to give it a creamy texture. Either way, this soup will thicken with refrigeration, so add extra broth or water if reheating.

Lentil Soup

1/2 medium onion
1 medium to large carrot
oil for sautéing
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 potato
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh spinach or kale (approx 1 oz, including stems) or 1 cup frozen
2 tsp cumin, or to taste
1 medium tomato, chopped

Chop onion and carrot. Heat 4-quart pot over med heat; add enough oil to coat bottom. When oil is hot, add carrot and onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium low, cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent.

Add lentils, water, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, cut potato into approximately 1/2” dice. Set aside. Chop fresh greens and set aside.

When lentils are almost tender, add potatoes. This is a good time to taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed and pepper to taste. (Go easy on the pepper, as the flavor will intensify as the soup continues to cook).

Return soup to boiling before turning down to low again. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Add spinach and cumin; increase heat to med low, simmer 10 minutes, uncovered.

Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Stir in chopped tomato, or use as garnish in each bowl. 
Makes 6 servings



  "Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish, game or any other dish? Who would not give all else for two pennyworth of beautiful soup?"
  Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland