Soup

[emglow101]

It's the season.The leaves are falling off the trees.I'm craving soup. Fish soup,which I made tonight. Bean soup, vegtable soup.Leftovers mixed with___ to make soup. As I learned from my father, a great Lithuanian soup maker.A little bit a dis and a little bit of dat. Do you make soup?

[ItalianNana]

emglow101

I am delighted to have found this thread. Making soup is a great joy, surpassed only by eating great soup! I'm going to sneak a cup of my almost finished batch of chicken stock and read every post. :-D

[Looby1976]

I've made a batch of soup, but how many times can I reheat it - it is purely veg with potato and nothing else. I am full of cold so my normal portion sizes are too big as I have lost my appetite. Thanks.

[John E.]

I solve the mushy vegetable problem you are trying to avoid by simply reheating only as much of the soup as we will be eating at that meal. If there is a little of the heated soup left after the meal I just add it back to he cold soup.

[Puffin3]

Somethings I've tried and still do and don't do: Whenever I make soup from bones and or veg I roast everything first. I never use celery. It makes stocks/soup bitter. Same with adding white wine. I never use salt or sugar. I use lots of One type of herb maybe two and that would include a few bay leaves not a bunch of different types together. I don't want all my soups to taste like I dumped a jar of 'Italian Seasoning' into the stock pot and I especially never add any dairy to the original soup AKA base/mother stock. I now use a 'stick blender' instead of a food processor to puree the soup. I always make a huge pot full then freeze in medium sized Zip locks. These I freeze while they are carefully laying flat on each other. Much easier to store in the freezer then. When I want to use some of this soup/stock base I thaw one in cold water on the counter or if I've reused the Zip lock a few times and don't care if I save it I just cut away the Zip lock then put the 'base' in a pot to warm up. Then I add my dairy/salt to taste/meat and/or whatever. I've found 'dairy' doesn't freeze that well. Whenever the kids want soup/stock there's always lots in the freezer. Same for some of our friends/neighbors who are struggling these days. For me it's always a fun time making huge pots of things to freeze and offer to others. It's something I'm pretty good at and it feels good. I'm thinking of organizing a big 'Soup Making' party at a local church kitchen. Everyone brings something that goes into soup that they have had donated by markets/stores restaurants. We get a few hundred Zip Locks somehow and spend a weekend helping people 'stock up'.

[John E.]

I have made all kinds of soup stock over many years and always include celery and/or celery leaves and have not noticed any bitterness. We freeze our stock in .5 liter water bottles. They stack neatly on a freezer shelf and do not slide around like ziplock freezer bags. We do freeze soup, chili, spaghetti sauce, etc. in zip freezer bags.

Your church 'soup making' party sounds like fun. I think I'll pass that suggestion along. (Our church does something similar and I suppose soup is included, we just have not yet been a part of that mission).

[huiray]

I guess celery is simply "bitter" to Puffin3's taste buds. I wonder if he eats celery by itself or in other ways. Probably not?

I myself also add celery into my stocks and soups, depending on what I am making, of course. Where I do so, there is no bitterness at all to me. Rather, the pleasant flavor and smell and taste of the celery shines through.

[coll]

I agree, I cannot imagine making soup without celery (unless I possibly substitute fennel).

[LMAshton]

If you smell the root end of the celery and it smells bitter, it'll taste bitter. If it has no smell, it won't be.

l've yet to find a not-bitter celery in either Sri Lanka or Singapore. :(

[huiray]

Last night I made a nice pot of soup with beef short ribs (browned in oil w/ garlic) and daikon (sliced). Left to meld overnight on the stove. Completed cooking today with snow fungus (rehydrated) [Tremella fuciformis] added in, salted to taste.

[lsmutko]

Tonight is beef, mushroom and barley soup -- we had a beef roast last night, and I can stretch half the leftovers with this and the other half with stroganoff padded with lotsa mushrooms.

That roast should provide 3-4 dinners this week.

There's also a small pot of veggie stock simmering next to it with the trimmings and leavings from the veg. Have no plan for that, but my freezer got emptied out after Sandy due to loss of power for five days. So there's room and I'll use it for something.

[mamachef]

Having a LOT of broccoli and cauliflower on hand, this is definitely a soup-making weekend. I'm going to do a cream of cauliflower with cheese and bacon, ditto broccoli w/ sharp cheddar, and a nice meaty borscht w/ flanken and all the attendant vegetables, to top w/ smetana and a sprinkle of dill. Since it's scheduled to be rainy, I can't think of a better way to combat the chill.

[iL Divo]

we're deep in the throngs of the typical Santa Ana winds around here.

mamachef:
although I've witnessed the crazy wet snowy windy •cutting through my skin• cold of Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise-Edmonton, I honestly love your part of the world. husband and I even attended a wedding in Kanesakus (or something close to that word). love the memories which certainly include food.

since the wind is howling I want to do a starter of soup.
not sure what it'll be until I research my pantry frig freezer.

[mamachef]

Minestrone's one of my favorite "use-it-all-up and then add macaroni" soups on days like that.i

[iL Divo]

I adore minestrone.
there's a recipe I did an adaptation of to make minestrone with 1 gram of fat, not per serving but per batch.
I'd love to make it but hubby likes protein and there's none in it.
once again guess it'll be a night where he's traveling and I'm alone to fully enjoy.

[iL Divo]

went to market for the basics for dinner and decided on split pea soup.
we both love it and hubster can take it to work tomorrow if this crazy weather outside continues.

[nokitchen]

Just to tie this thread to the rest of the site I made the celery-root soup featured on the front of the site a little while back: http://www.chow.com/recipes/28907-cel... Great, fun soup for a nor'easter. Great as the recipe as written and also nicely suited as a base for whatever winter flavors you want to put in it. I'd never worked with celeraic before and it was pretty cool I will say that the "active time" portion of the recipe is optimistic; unless there's a secret method that speeds things up, getting the celeraics peeled takes about six years. .

[ChrisOfStumptown]

don't bother peeling celeriac. Just take a chef knife and cut the outside portion off. Celereiac is too large, too tough, and too many crevices peel. You'll lose some useful root with a knife, but celeriac is generally cheap so don't sweat it.

[chefathome]

I enjoy making soup year round but especially now that there is a lot of snow on the ground. Though we eat many kinds at our house, my top 5 would be:

Vichyssoise

Roasted Poblano, Corn and Potato with Crispy Shallots

Black Bean, Chipotle, Lime and Bacon

Roasted Tomato, Carrot and Red Pepper with Basil Oil

Lentil, Coconut and Bacon

ETA: I HAVE to add one - Michael Symon's Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese

[John E.]

If I may inquire, where are you with snow on the ground in early November? I am jealous. Early November snows seem to happen only every three to four years in Minnesota these days.

[chefathome]

Northern Alberta. We've had snow on the ground for awhile already. If our winters were short it would matter less but they are sooooooo very long!

[coll]

We have snow on the ground here on Long Island NY this morning. A nor'easter blew through yesterday......just to top off the hurricane last week. Only 3 or 4 inches though, it will be gone by tomorrow.

[chefathome]

I am so sorry that you have had to go through all this. Snow does not help, that is for sure!

[iL Divo]

keep safe coll that's the important part-glad its only a few inches

[chefathome]

But still - it can get pretty slick. Be safe and well!

[iL Divo]

love Canada chefathome.
I've walked very far in inappropriate shoes with snow up to my knees just to get to my favorite markets. gotta love the offerings there :)

[chefathome]

Great! Glad you love it. I just trudged through snow up to my knees walking my friend's dog today. Lots of work but great exercise. Talk about beautiful - the spruce and pine trees are covered in snow. Stunning.

[iL Divo]

that drive from Calgary up to Lake Louise in the full blown snow with it coming down all over the rental car over Christmas was majestic. those Canadian Rockies are magnificent . lucky you :)

[John E.]

We got our first snow last night. Unfortunately, it was at the end of deer season instead of at the beginning of the season.

[kubasd]

lentil coconut and bacon?? Now THAT'S an interesting combo.... how'd you come up with it?

[John E.]

Tonight I made about 8 quarts of what I call Chicken Vegetable with the option of noodles. Several years ago I stopped putting noodles in my chicken soup. I did it both for diet reasons and also because if chicken noodle soup is frozen, when reheated, the noodles often turn to mush. Now, I cook the boodles separately and add them when serving the soup. My chicken noodle soup has the normal onions, celery, and carrots, but I also add diced potatoes and rutabagas. I guess the noodles are not necessary, but are a nice addition.

(P.S. This large amount of soup is for the second weekend of deer camp in northern Minnesota. So far, three of my nephews have shot deer).

[Elster]

Nettle soup with real chicken stock and a generous dash of nutmeg is honestly outrageous. So good. And it costs about 2 pence/cents a serving!

[tiffeecanoe]

Cream of Wild Rice soup today! One of my favorites!

[sydthekyd]

Recipe, please?

[tiffeecanoe]

Well. I don't really have a recipe. It's a little bit different every time ;) Here is a basic, and very typical, Cream of Wild Rice Soup recipe below... MY additions are diced red peppers - a must, in my opinion, finely chopped parsley at the end, I grind my thyme and I almost always use homemade stock. If I don't have time, I use knorr chicken bouillon cubes...

http://www.food.com/recipe/minnesota-...

[twyst]

Caramelized butternut squash soup with coconut milk and lemongrass for me tonight. Super delicious and ready in 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. Got the recipe from modernist cuisine at home like 3 weeks ago and this will be the fourth time Ive made it lol.

[sueatmo]

We love beans, eaten as soup, made with or without meat. Last winter I fell in love with almost any sort of soup with spinach and or mustard greens added at the last right before serving.

I have a way to cook a chicken in the PC, taking off the meat, adding the carcass back into the pot and finishing the broth. That way the chicken isn't cooked to shreds, and the broth is tasty too. I love to have that stuff in the fridge or freezer for quickly assembled soups, especially for lunch.

One of the oddest soups I ever ate at a restaurant, was I swear, simply canned, diced tomatoes heated. It wasn't too bad, but I felt cheated. How strange that a can of tomatoes, heated, would be considered soup!

[coll]

One time I got gazpacho at a restaurant and I'm pretty sure it was just V8 juice poured in a bowl.

[rccola]

That's too funny...or are you serious?

[coll]

Yes. Wish I could remember the name of the place, but I'm sure they're out of business.

[millygirl]

Soup is very much on my mind. Tomorrow is Soupstock in Toronto. Can't wait!!!

[Puffin3]

Yeah me to. They did add some fresh chives and parsley and offered Tabasco on the side. LOL The restaurant was located in Manitoba. The soup was part of a 'Special' that night. LOL

[coll]

They may have tried to jazz mine up too, but it was SO obviously V8.

[fleck]

I see I have lots of company! I love those first few cooler days signaling fall is here, and the urge to make soup hits me immediately. Years ago I hastily copied a recipe for Finnish Lentil Soup from a Burt Wolf travel program. I didn't get the amounts, just ingredients but it lends itself well to cooking by sight:

Onion
Garlic
Chicken broth
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Lentils
Chopped potato
Cook till done and add
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
Some shredded carrot
chopped spinach
Top with grated jarlsburg cheese

Good served with Kavli (crackers) with jarlsburg melted on them

I've never found the actual recipe so if there's anyone out there with it, please share.

[tcamp]

Just had some spicy lentil soup I made over the weekend for lunch - mustard seed, coriander seed, curry, tumeric, paprika fried in oil, then water, lentils, and a bunch of chopped up veggies that needed out of the fridge drawer. Yum.

This morning before leaving for work I made Refried Bean soup and it is in the crockpot for boys to grab before various sports activities.

[Jimisi]

Easy sopa de pollo. Poach two chicken breast halves in a quart of chicken broth, homemade or not, remove. Chop half an onion, a large carrot, and a few peeled potatoes according to taste. I like lots. Season with s & p, cumin, and oregano to taste and add tomato juice or sauce. I do about half a small can of juice. Simmer until veg are tender, chop and add one breast half, reserve the other. It's better after it rests awhile.

[jacefk]

15+ years ago, when my now-24-year-old daughter was in elementary school, I started having a Halloween soup buffet for the families of her school friends who were trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. In our Hartford, CT neighborhood (the West End), we get 200+ kids, and some of our blocks get 4-500!! Over the years, my Halloween party has grown! We also invite many of our neighbors on the street, members of 2 neighborhood committees I chair, and my poker group w/ spouses/partners/kids. Invites are about 60-70! I usually make 4 kinds, and a couple of friends bring soup too, so we usually have 6 kinds, plus wine, beer, bread. It's open house style, starting at 6, and people come after their candy is gone, or in relay, or when they turn off their porch lights. So much fun! I keep a journal of what's been served so we get a variety from year to year, but there are always a vegetarian or two, and a chicken, and often clam chowder and something with sausage. Some great recipes have come from Not Your Mother's Slow-Cooker Cookbook, by Beth Hensperger. Past "crowd favorites" are "my" NE clam chowder, cheddar cheese soup, cabbage chowder, a Martha Steward white bean & sausage soup and a Winter Tomato Bisque (from the Slow Cooker book).

[greeneggsnham]

Jacefk. I love your idea of a Halloween soup open house. Thanks for sharing! Sounds lovely. Maybe one of these days I will be organized enough to do something like that

[jacefk]

You can always start small, then grow it next year. My daughter in grad school in Philly just started her own (not on Halloween, but last weekend). She made 2, her roommate made 2 and they invited 10 or 12 friends over.

[almond tree]

Still warm enough here for gazpacho. I added some very ripe persimmon to mine when I saw I was short of tomatoes. Thought I was being so original till I checked Google and found it is already a "thing." Oh well, it was tasty anyway.
I make split pea soup year round, even when the temp is 40 degrees C. My son likes it for breakfast.

[huiray]

Salmon & Leek Soup - with celery, collard greens, carrots, parsley & thyme as well.

[mamachef]

Well, it sounds good - the flavor of the collards doesn't overtake the flavor of the fish? Did you make this as a chowder-type soup, or a clear broth?
Yum.

[huiray]

I used very young collards - from the farmers' market - and used it sparingly. But yes, the collard taste was certainly present I don't think it overwhelmed the salmon taste, which one really gets only when biting into the pieces of fish anyway. The taste of leeks was far more prevalent. It was made as a clear broth, with the salmon pieces added at the end and the heat (gas) turned off immediately after adding the fish and the soup allowed to sit for just a few minutes before serving. The leeks (cut into rounds), celery (smallish pieces cut on the bias) and carrots (rounds) were sautéed in olive oil; chicken stock (I didn't have fish stock), water and sea salt added; simmered for about 10-15 min; the chiffonaded collards (de-ribbed) added and simmered for another 15 min or so; the salmon added and the heat shut off. One could say it was more of a veggie soup with salmon added.

ETA: ...and after leaving overnight on the stove, a rewarmed portion smells gently of salmon with the taste of the fish perfused quietly through the broth while the taste and smell of the leeks has smoothed out/diminished. Melded tastes, better soup after leaving overnight - a common phenomenon.

[huiray]

Photo of soup from yesterday immediately after finishing cooking: http://www.chow.com/photos/835079

[mamachef]

That soup sounds like a thing of beauty.

[John E.]

Yesterday I did something that I had not ever done before. I made two kettles of soup simultaneously. On the back burner I made chicken noodle soup and on the front burner I made vegetable beef soup. Frankly, it sounds more challenging than it was. I already had cooked chicken and beef in the freezer as well as frozen homemade chicken and beef stock. After thawing, it was just a matter of chopping vegetables.

[boyzoma]

I'm getting ready to make Beans and Ham "stoup" on Thursday. Got all the fixings! Stopped by my local Honey Baked Ham shop yesterday afternoon and picked up some ham bones. Got a good deal - 3 big bones with lots of meat still on them for $10 and some change. Will throw a couple in the freezer till I make split pea soup the next time. The clerk at Honey Baked even went through all the bones and got me the best of the lot! I'm hungry just thinking of it!

[LMAshton]

So apparently it's not just my sister and I who make stoup.

I try to make soup, really I do. It just always ends up so much thicker.

[John E.]

I am sorry, but there is an unwritten rule here that forbids anyone from using the term 'stoup'. Both you and boyzoma must refrain from posting for 24 hours.

[Perilagu Khan]

Last night I made a cream of potato and New Mexico chile soup dusted with dill. Delicious. Having leftovers for lunch today.

[sydthekyd]

Cooked all day Sunday - Southwestern-style turkey soup with green chiles, sweet potatoes, black beans, tomatoes and corn in addition to the usual basics.

[cheesecake17]

Can you post the recipe?

[foodeditormargaux]

Today, I had a Caldo Gallego in Spain, which is quite warming; the ingredients include:

+++ Note: the fat was well drained.

Smoked ham hock
smoked pork shoulder ( lacón )
beetroot greens or turnips greens ( In Spain: Galician Grelos )
sausages
potatoes
Unto: a pork intestine lard
Pancetta
white beans
white wine

Comforting.

[gingershelley]

I am a re-incarnation of the soup nazi, for sure - so say my friends and family. Have even been thinking of starting a soup food truck, with a rotating list of flavors where I would tweet the flavors of the day to my followers.

For now, it is still on paper, and the soup pots are in my kitchen.

Last week, I made an early-fall minestrone with fresh cooked shell beans from my farmers market, zucchini, tomatoes, a bit of cabbage. I like to turn minestrone into ribolita if it sits for a few days without being used up... those frugal Italian's knew a thing or two about stick to the ribs with that dish!

Also made recently my favorite curried cream of zucchini - easiest soup in the world, and no cream :). Have also made split pea and ham (hock).
On deck today is avgolemono since I made chix stock yesterday and have a bag of lemons in the fridge, and farmer's market good eggs. Yum!

Later in the week either French onion or butternut and pear with ginger.... we shall see.

LOVE soup!

[NoodleQueen]

I would come all the way from Snohomish to try your soup, gingershelley - I hope you give it a try.

[eclecticsynergy]

Leslie Newman-
"As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again."

[huiray]

Poor guy. So sad that he never made soup at other times. ;-)

[eclecticsynergy]

Let's not forget French onion. Had a great one on Thursday. The texture of that submerged crouton, first toasted hard then softened in the soup, the sweetness of slow-cooked onions with a hint of apple cider, and the savory decadence of melted cheese over all. Ahhhh...

[happybaker]

Have you tried Ruhlman's french onion soup?

No beef broth, just POUNDS of cooked onions, salt, sherry and water. Killer.

Add the cheese and toasted bread and you have decadence for far less (both money and calorwise) than anticipated.

[emglow101]

Looks like a great recipe. No stock. I will substitue the one third cup sherry with a little red wine and a pinch of sugar. Low and slow on the onions for super Sunday.

[huiray]

I looked it up. Sounds good - but I'm bothered by the amount of cheese shown in those pictures that illustrate his recipe. Ditto so-called "French Onion Soups" I've had at some places in the past, especially at one (now defunct) restaurant highly touted by the local newspaper food critic at the time where I had that highly praised "onion soup". To me, it was far better described as "melted then congealed cheese with a touch of onion flavor, plus soggy toast".

If I'm having "Onion Soup" I want to have ONION SOUP, not melted cheese with a small amount of accompanying onion-ish stuff.

[mamachef]

Hear, hear. Also the irritating part of too much cheese is that you have to fight to get your spoon into it, and when you break through a small fountain of onion soup geysers up. But mainly the problem w/ too much cheese is: not enough soup! And I love me some onion soup!
This has me thinking......need to make this sometime soon. I've got a ton of onions that could stand to be used, lots of butter to caramelize them in, and lo and behold, upon checking the large freezer - Oh Happy Day: 2 quarts of beef stock made with roasted beef bones and mirepoix. Now I can't hardly wait. Won't be for tonight, but it'll happen. I'm sure my clients would love this one, but now how to figure out the bread and cheese part. Good thing they don't mind doing little bits to contribute to getting their meal completed.

[Jay F]

Mmmm...I'll bet your onion soup would be first rate, Marci.

[coll]

I learned in a cooking class to use grated parmesan, with maybe just a touch of gruyere underneath, and like it so much better that way. The chef claimed it was authentic European style, although he was known for his BS as well as his cooking skills. Butter and toast the crouton, dip both sides of it in the parmesan, then some grated gruyere (not much!) and then mound a bit more parm on top. I quickly adopted that method, I HATE when a restauant serves what seems to be swiss or mozz and it's just one big congealed mass that you can't separate into something you can fit in your mouth.

I tried that Ruhlmann onion soup recipe, cooked it for hours but in the end I totally missed the beef flavor. Guess it would be good for vegetarians though.

[emglow101]

I made Ruhlmann onion soup recipe. Agree l did miss the beef broth, but it was still good.

[happybaker]

That's how much cheese he uses - that's not how much I use. Or you would use! You control it, not him : )

But I do really enjoy the soup - so rich and flavorful and yet, not too heavy.

[iL Divo]

eclectic

LOVE FOS.
so what alcohol if any do you use in yours?
my choice is Vermouth or VSPO or is it VSOP? anyway.
I love the amount of onions one has to use to make a batch of FOS.
it takes so many to sweat down into a small amount.
that fascinates me.
and the crouton with cheese, OMG.............

[yayadave]

Try this recipe for Onion and Fennel Soup from Ina Garten. It's great and has alcohol.

http://smells-like-home.com/2010/11/b...

[CarmenR]

I am OBSESSED with this recipe:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/15247_p...

I always scoffed at the idea of cauliflower tasting the same as a cream-based soup but let me tell you- this is DIVINE. My most recent batch included the addition of red curry powder and a splash of coconut milk (leftover) and last weeks had a small chunk of melted gruyere that was leftover from a party. I used a lot less oil than the recipe called for both times (including the original batch) and only finished it with salt and pepper. Delicious, healthy, easy and cheap. All my coworkers LOVE it (I don't tell them what it's made from until they try it!)

[mamachef]

What an endorsement!! I'm going to try this, with some comte or gruyere. Sounds delicious. Love the coco milk idea, and since I love cauliflower w/ curry butter, I'm going to assume I'd like your variation too. Thank you for sharing.

[iL Divo]

carmen

being a cauliflower lover, this is lovely looking and bet I'd love it too.

[Jeanne]

This reminds me of a cauliflower cheese soup from the original Moosewood cookbook. Very, very good. There is also a Hungarian mushroom soup in the book that is out of this world.

[melpy]

I have that cookbook. Must search out the soup.

[pedalfaster]

I'm making soup as I type this. A basic lentil soup I "stole" from Williams-Sonoma a few years ago. Spiced with curry powder and finished with lemon slices and spinach, it's still my go-to s(o)uper simple rainy-day soup.
I also want to do a potato-leek soup this weekend.
Can't think of a better cold weather meal than some soup and bread! Agree that this is an awesome thread!

[mamachef]

Oh my goodness, do I. I think soup is absolutely my favorite thing to make during Fall and Winter months. I'm in the business of feeding clients who don't care to cook for themselves, and a soup and hot sandwich dinner is always very popular. Potato soup, Kraut soup w/ kielbasa and potatoes, meatball and spinach minestrone, Italian Wedding Soup, hearty veggie beef, matzo ball, chicken noodle or chicken rice, avgolemono, any creamed green veggie soup (and in fact I'm working my way through a pot of creamed broccoli/sharp cheddar soup. Then there's beer/cheese soup, which I love to garnish w/ croutons or popcorn; Pho, which I make quite often (I keep stock around for it or at least I try to); chicken pot pie soup; herbed creamy tomato soup; Southwestern veggie soup w/ beans, chiles, corn, chicken chunks, and broth; wonderful served over crispy tortilla chips and topped w/ a handful of cotija cheese (or whatever, if you don't care for cotija) and a squeeze of lime.
Do I make soup? You bet I do. Nice thread - bet you'll see great suggestions.

[iL Divo]

Mashed potato cream of Albondigas soup

[mcap]

This whole conversation has me craving minestra (escarole and white bean soup).

Dang. Now I have to go to the market.

[huiray]

...and it makes me think of pig's brain double-steamed herbal soup. Something I haven't had for a very long time and which I used to eat at every opportunity when I was young.

[pedalfaster]

Another cold-weather soup person.
I'm vegetarian. I tend to make pumpkin or butternut squash soup. And potato/leek.

[zoey67]

There's something about the turkey noodle soup made at the deli and sandwich shops in downtown cities that I just can't duplicate at home. There was something similar was the Campbell chunky chicken and noodle soup from the 80's through early 90's that ended with a newer version that's terrible.

[coll]

That something is probably chicken base (chicken flavored paste). Or lots and lots of salt!

[JMF]

That was the original Chunky chicken noodle with the flat noodles and mushrooms? That was the best canned soup ever.

[zoey67]

I know!!! let's start a petition so they can bring it back. I'll start by sending Campbelll a simple email and see how they respond

[coll]

Funny how I know exactly what you are talking about. Mom was always a Campbells junkie, and when those Chunky soups came out you would have thought she won the Irish sweepstakes! I think I lived on that exact one when I first moved out. But if they made it today, bet they'd cut corners and it wouldn't be the same. We'd have to get into the Wayback Machine to really taste it again.

[mamachef]

The Wayback Machine. I LOVE that!! I want one for my very own!!
Thanks for a good laugh, coll.

[JMF]

I make big batches of soup several times a month. Usually chicken based, or beef shin (osso bucco cut) but almost anything else. Many times I just look at what is in the fridge. Or something I find at a farmers market. Last weekend I made cows foot soup.

[Enigma3]

Hot and sour soup, tortilla soup, cheddar cheese with bacon or ham, leek and potato, Cuban black bean, chicken noodle. All are good. Mulligatawny using Al Yaganeh's ingredient list - priceless.

[Maggie19]

Hot & Sour and various Tom Yum soups are killing it for me these days ....

[huiray]

Oooh...I've had Hot & Sour Soup on my mind for a week or two - my home-made pot of it, of course...

[Christina D]

Tom Yum is my go to when I have a head cold. Those aromatics really do the trick.

[pippimac]

I love miso soup. I used to get carried away and add all sorts of stuff, but now a few cubes of silken tofu and a bit of wakame is perfect.

[huiray]

Yes, I also like miso soup best when it is kept simple. Try adding a little finely chopped green onions/scallions as well, though. Do you like the variations with some spinach or some sliced fried tofu instead of the wakame or tofu (respectively) instead?

[kubasd]

I like to keep it with scallions, wakame, and silken tofu the best, too, though I do add thinly sliced shiitakes about 50% of the time.

[Chowrin]

aka miso served plain.

[Crockett67]

I don't usually make soup. But during those colder months, I choose Asian inspired soups more often than not. I.e. Hawaiian Ox Tail, Saimin, or chicken herbal soup with a herbal packet I buy from the local Asian market.

I make the herbal soup when I feel a little weak. It has lotus seeds, logan nut, astragalus, fox nut, and I add garlic, onions, fresh ginger, shiitaki mushrooms, and dried bean curd sheets to whole chicken cut up and cooked in chicken stock. It soothes the throat and heals the body.

But don't think I won't go for a good lemon chick and rice or classic turkey, kale, and butternut squash combo as well.

[Tudor_rose]

I have to say, when it comes to soup, I think the Koreans do it best. They make the most hearty and delicious soups and stews. I love Jiam bhong, which is a Korean/Chinese seafood noodle soup, and fish ovary soup (al jigae). I wish I could make it as good as my favorite Korean restaurant.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I love to make a black bean soup. If I want something fast, I throw packaged cheese tortalini (sp?) in chicken stock and stir in a gremolata of raw garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. I also make a quick tomato soup using jarred pasta sauce, onion, garlic, carrots, cannelini beans and chicken stock. I guess I'm a lazy soup maker.

[Perilagu Khan]

The last soup I made was tortellini en brodo. Easy as pie and molto delicioso. Four cups beef stock, two cups chicken stock, tortellini, baby spinach and grated parm.

[huiray]

"The season"?

I think all year is soup season. I make and drink soups of all sorts for breakfast, lunch, dinner, year round, including hot soups when the temperature is 90+ degrees F outside. I order and consume soups of all sorts both hot and cold at meals in restaurants all the time year round when I dine out. Not at every single meal, of course, but there is no "designated season" for soup as far as I am concerned.

Do you mean to say that you don't have soup at all at other times of the year?

[DuchessNukem]

I'm guessing that the OP, like me, is just more in a mood for warm rich soups in the cooler weather. :)

I make soups year-round also: tend toward gazpachos and cool fruit soups in summer; light brothy or creamy spring soups; and thick, rich, heavier stews and bisques in fall/winter.

[emglow101]

Yes I do make soup all year long. Maybe what I should have said is," Do you make soup"? Last night I felt the weather getting cooler on the California coast. It was a great night for fish soup. Made from local caught sea bass. Delivered from my fisherman freind.

[huiray]

Aha.

The fish soup you had must have been wonderful. What a nice dish to eat.

[Tudor_rose]

I love Greek egg lemon soup, and only five ingredients. Your own homemade (NOT store bought) chicken stock, lemon juice, an egg yolk or two (depends on how thick you like it), orzo pasta, salt to taste.

[Niblet]

I was thinking the same, and that's my plan with the homemade stock I made last night. But I've never made avgolemono, so I'd appreciate advice on two questions:
--I thought it was made with whole egg; is it only the yolks?
--Can the soup be refrigerated, then reheated, or will the eggs curdle on reheating?

[ctfoodie]

I make it all the time. I make mine with whole eggs but I have seen recipes with just the yolk. I put my eggs in a blender with the lemon juice. Then i slowly incorpeate a 1/2 a cup of the hot broth before i add the whole blender into the soup.
I Make a big batch every week and bring it to work for lunch. I reheats just fine pan or microwave. Just make sure to stir it every min. or so.

[DonShirer]

My wife made her special spinach soup yesterday. I'm not sure of the exact recipe, but I saw her dicing and pureeing potatoes, carrots and onions beforehand.

[jujuthomas]

that sounds lovely

[DonShirer]

Telling her about this thread must have triggered something. Today she made carrot soup with the last of the garden crop and I also saw the remains of a squash and an anise root in the mulch pail so they must have been included as well. Even better than the spinach soup!

[jujuthomas]

today in our cafeteria at work there was a lovely carrot soup with dill.

[kengk]

Plus one on the hamburger soup: I've got a pot simmering for our dinner tonight.

3/4 pound of ground chuck
1/2 onion diced
A couple stalks of seriously wilted celery
Handful of baby carrots cut into thirds or fourths
A can of diced potatoes from the pantry that have been there for who knows how long.
Quart of home canned tomatoes
Leftover (homegrown) creamed corn
Couple squeezes of tube tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic
Sprig of thyme from the planter on the deck

[bagelman01]

I love soup, 364 days of the year (not on Yom Kippur)<VBG>
I love almost any type of soup; meat based, vegetable based, soup from raw ingredients and soup made of leftover meat, veg, grain, etc.

I bone all my own pultry and have many bags of frozen chicken, turkey and duck bones in the freezer, so I can make soup or stock whenever I desire. About once per week, I take all the raw vegetables in the fridge and pantry that are past theoir prinme and make soup. Soup also gives me opportunity to enjoy marrow from the shin bones of easily broken chicken bones.

A winter soup should be thick and hearty enough so the spoon can stand up on its own when inserted. Clear broths are enjoyed in a coffee mug with no spoon.

and if it's summer and really hot, it's time for cold fruit or potato soups. I'll even admit to eating borscht or schav.

[Terrie H.]

I make lots of soups in cooler weather, and freeze portions for lunches. Not every soup freezes well, but most do.

In the last few weeks I've made a beef and veggie soup using the last of the season green beans, corn and tomatoes along with leftover pot roast; corn chowder with the end of season corn (I add shrimp or chicken after thawing for serving); chicken and vegetable soup using the remainder of a roast chicken plus a couple of thighs; oyster stew (what do you do when there are leftover oysters?!); and leek and potato, which is one of my favorites. I always make at least one large batch of bean and ham each winter, which also freezes well.

Smaller batches of soup that I also like but don't freeze are clam chowder (try it with fresh clams Rhode Island style), tomato basil (using canned tomatoes), a very quick Thai style hot and sour soup with shrimp or fish, and cream of mushroom (was my treat to my grandmother years ago).

Guess I love soup!

[Harters]

Yep. Only the other day, we had celery soup for lunch. Simplicity itself - a head of celery, a little onion, a little potato, vegetable stock. Simmered and blitzed.

Last week it was butternut squash.

There's usually enough for a couple of portions to freeze.

[Terrie H.]

Thank you for reminding me of some ideas I've tucked away but never persued. Somewhere I have a recipe shared by a friend for celery and stilton soup that I had forgotten about and never made. I'm going to have to try celery soup.

I also ran across an old French cookbook recipe that adds pumpkin to the classic leek and potato soup, but I'm going to use butternut squash instead.

[coll]

I add artichoke hearts to my potato leek, it's a nice touch too.

[Terrie H.]

That sounds very good -- fresh, or would frozen do? I don't live in artichoke country, I'm afraid.

[coll]

I'm not even sure where artichoke country would be! Although I got the recipe from the Tabasco cookbook, so maybe that's a clue. Frozen is the best, I think I've used canned in a pinch.

[sydthekyd]

Half Moon Bay on the central California coast.

[coll]

Thanks, so early and I already learned my one new thing for the day!

[sydthekyd]

Or Castroville!

[iL Divo]

yep! Castroville, it's always been Castroville sort of like nearby Gilroy has always been the garlic capital of the universe.

[Stephanie Wong]

Castroville is "Artichoke Center of the World" -- also along the central CA coast.

[weezieduzzit]

Is Duarte's in Pescadero still open? That was my first introduction to cream of artichoke soup, I was a teenager and my Dad lived in Half Moon Bay at the time.

[pamf]

Yes, still open, still have the artichoke soup.

[sydthekyd]

Supposed to be good half and half with their green chile soup.

[Steve Green]

At the risk of spoiling the fun of those who love Duarte's green chile soup, I must report that it's basically Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, put in a blender with green chiles and cream. I was told this by a member of the Duarte family while he was serving it to me, decades ago. I tried it at home and it seemed identical. Sorry to ruin the mystique.

Definitely OT, but Marilyn Monroe got her start as Castroville's first Artichoke Queen, FWIW.

[rccola]

You could probably improve on it by using cream of chicken or celery then, as Campbell's cream of mushroom has very little flavor. And then it would be Green's green chile soup.

OTOH: love the Marilyn.

[Steve Green]

I wasn't going to get into those details, but on subsequent tries, I left the mushroom soup in, but added cream of celery -- worked out well. Do you mean Greens, as in the Fort Mason restaurant?

[rccola]

I mean "Green's" as in "Steve Green's green chile soup."

[pie22]

a little late to respond but i remember road tripping through CA and right outside monterrey on the main highway there were tons of fried artichoke shacks...really delicious!

lots of other varieties cause they grew them there but people went nuts over these fried artichokes.

[coll]

I'm trying to remember if I've every fried artichoke hearts, although I have at some point. I think it's time to pull that one out of the attic!

[Terrie H.]

Tried a celery, pear and stilton soup recipe from an old cookbook this winter that was very good. I've overlooked celery for most of my cooking life, but am finding new respect.

[rccola]

I love celery as a judiciously used flavoring in soups and stews and stirfries. Don't like it alone, raw. Feel same way about cilantro. Savory pears are delicious.

[rccola]

Butternut squash or pumpkin or sweet potato soup is delicious. I always use a lot of ginger in it. Brings out the flavor.

[Harters]

Thanks for the ginger tip. When you "a lot", roughly how much are we talking about? I like ginger but wouldnt want to overdo it and kill the flavour of the squash

[cheesecake17]

For a small butternut squash, I use a 1" chunk of ginger. I cut it into. 2or 3 pieces, cook it in the soup, and remove before serving. You get the flavor, but no one bites down on ginger.

[yayadave]

Another way to add ginger is to use crystalized ginger. You have good control of how much you're adding. You can get it at Penzey's or other spice places.

[rccola]

Uh, I'm bad at measuring. I just chop it up fine to make blending easier and add some until it tastes right. (Yaya, the crystallized doesn't make it too sweet does it?)

Don't forget a dollop of sour cream/yogurt/creme fraiche on top each bowl! Or chives/scallions! Or chopped peanuts! Or sauteed shrimp! or...

[yayadave]

Never thought about that. What's wrong with "sweet"? It's good in carrot soup and squash soup, by the way. Good in ginger bread, too.

[rccola]

If you're fond of sweet, that's fine. I'm not. Starting with already sweet squash or sweet potatoes/yams/carrots and adding more sweetness would be a turnoff to me, cloying, especially at the start of a meal. I might like it as a dessert soup but I don't like dessert. Like all cooking it comes down to personal taste.

In ginger bread or chunked in carrot/zucchini bread or honey cake would be good. Then I toast to almost burnt to decrease the sweet and have with strong black coffee. But in soup? Not for me.

[MartiniGenie]

I rinsed off the sugar from the candied ginger in a pinch...mostly I keep knuckles of fresh in the freezer and the use my microplane to taste.

[rccola]

So they last well in the freezer? I love ginger in things but am fairly new to using it as my husband hated for years. Coming around now. Finally.

[boyzoma]

I keep ginger in the freezer and microplane it when I need it too. It keeps very well. I peel it first before freezing. Then just pull it out, use what I need and pop back in the freezer. Things never tasted so good!!

However I never thought of using it in butternut squash soup. This afternoon I am going to cut up 3 squash I picked up and blanch it, then freeze for soup. I'll have to try using some ginger in one next time. Love the idea.

[huiray]

Just curious, why do you all freeze your ginger? It's so cheap (typically 99¢/lb) and so readily available from Chinese groceries - usually of fresh/pretty good quality (at least in my parts and in stores in Chicago) - that I normally buy whole heads of plump, fresh stuff and just discard what I don't use or what goes bad and just get more. Yes, I can use quite a bit of it - but for the occasional user, 50¢ for a half-pound of fresh stuff as needed seems better than using frozen stuff. Unless, of course, one does not have a decent/good Chinese/"Asian" grocery nearby. I think you are in Portland, and rccola is in the SF area - surely Chinese groceries must be readily available?

[rccola]

I'd like do so to avoid trips to the store especially last minute trips in the middle of making something. And I really hate to toss food of any variety.

[boyzoma]

I'm with rccola on this one. It's convenient. And why toss when you can just keep using it? It may be inexpensive, but sometimes that is not the point. And it doesn't taste frozen. It's also easy to grate frozen.

[tiffeecanoe]

I do the same. It's SO much easier to handle too when frozen, grates incredibly well and finely. Just last night I made a garlicky ginger vinaigrette and ginger in that form is perfect! Almost powder like, but fresh.

[huiray]

Duly noted, all three of you.

I guess I just differ in my practices. I always have fresh ginger in my fridge (see above comment about cheap fresh stuff) and I have no problem finely grating fresh ginger on my grater - it's pretty simple, easy, and I get the juices running into the bowl holding the grated stuff. Then, with the fresh (unfrozen) material, it is a simple matter to smash the (trimmed) pieces with the flat surface of my cleaver or chef's knife, or to slice it, etc etc as I make my soups or stews or stir-fries or whatever.

Come to think of it, I grate my ginger only when I am using it for a sauce of some sort. Otherwise, it is sliced or smashed - for soups, stews, braises, etc etc.

[rccola]

I used the frozen, microplaned ginger tonight in stir-fried cauliflower/onions/sweet potatoes, curried and with black mustard seed. Brilliant suggestion!

If only I'd remembered to squeeze on the lemon juice at the end. =(

[jacefk]

I saw this recipe in Coastal Living Magazine last year and decided to make it for Thanksgiving. Fantastic! Everybody raved. One comment is that the fresh ginger in the recipe is MY addition, as the recipe called for dried. Using fresh really adds some zip. You can get fresh ginger already minced in the produce section of groceries or Asian markets. I also came up with the pumpkin oil garnish, which makes an elegant presentation.

Spiced Butternut Squash-and-Pear Soup

Yield: Makes about 10 cups
Total: 1 Hour, 13 Minutes

Recipe Time
Cook Time: 3 Minutes 
Prep Time: 20 Minutes 
Bake: 40 Minutes 
Stand: 10 Minutes 
Total: 1 Hour, 13 Minutes
Ingredients
2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 firm-ripe Anjou pears, peeled and quartered
4 large shallots, peeled and halved
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
4 tablespoons dry white wine
5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt & toasted pumpkin oil for garnish
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Gently toss first 3 ingredients with oil; season with sea salt and pepper, and place in a jelly-roll pan. Bake 35 minutes or until tender and browned. Add garlic, ginger, salt & pepper and toss well; bake 5 more minutes.
2. Pour wine over squash mixture, stirring to deglaze pan. Let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a soup pot, add broth and stir in cream. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. (For smoothest texture, press squash puree through a wire-mesh strainer, discarding solids.)
3. Cook over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and a drizzle of pumpkin oil
Laraine Perri, Coastal Living 
OCTOBER 2011

[Perilagu Khan]

Soups and stews are my bedrock--so to speak. I can't get enough. And if the Khantessa would eat creamed soups, there would be even more in our repertoire.

[melpy]

Need to learn to make small batches of soup. We always waste or freeze and then find it unappetizing. Three servings is ideal, One each and my lunch the next day.

Tips?

[fourunder]

Start with a smaller pot......or bigger bowls for serving.

[rccola]

I bring it to neighbors, especially an elderly man who lives with his son and neither really cook. Appreciated and a cheap gift.

[happybaker]

Agree. I have a neighbor while is still working full time, while dealing with a senior husband who has had cancer, heart attacks - and keeps having more "fun". Fab guy, just, well, health challenged. So a tub of soup, simple happy food she does not have to cook? She almost weeps her thanks.

So if I ever have to choose between a bigger batch and smaller, - I go for the bigger. It's such an easy, helpful gift.

[suzigirl]

That is incredably nice. I want to live near you happybaker. And if you make to many cookies and bread....

[melpy]

I have been giving it to neighbors this fall. I just don't want to be annoying because there are only so many people I feel comfortable doing this with.

[rccola]

I stopped bringing cake to neighbors because the husband made me feel it was intrusive. I recently ran into the wife who asked what happened to the cake? When I told her, she said, "He's just weird."

From now on I shall assume it's weirdness on the part of others until told otherwise. Anyone who is offended by kind thoughtfulness IS weird.

[yayadave]

I think these generous folks are on to something, but I did have a thought about how to make smaller. Make stock and freeze it in smaller containers. If you start with a pint container of stock in stead of a quart container, you're already limiting the amount you'll make.

[melpy]

I make my own stock and freeze a cup to a pint in sandwich bags in the freezer.

[Elster]

Work backwards! Make a hearty stew like goulash or chili, serve it as you normally would (like over rice or whatever), then add a couple of cups of passata or stock or milk and some small veg like peas or beans to thin the leftovers out into a chunky soup :)

[melpy]

Interesting. I generally like smooth purreed soup but this has potential.

[John E.]

Why do you find frozen soup unappetizing? We freeze soup all the time and find it to be great thawed and reheated. The only thing we do to make sure the frozen soup is good is to not put pasta in it before freezing. For example, chicken noodle soup is always made without noodles. The noodles are cooked separately, placed in the bottom of the bowl and then the soup is ladled on.

[jujuthomas]

we love soup! I'm planning this Sunday to make a veggie soup with ground turkey - we called it hamburger soup growing up because my mother used ground beef. Tonight, since I roasted a chicken Sunday and made stock from the carcass, I'm making chicken noodle - perfect for a cool rainy day.

at the moment we're eating turkey chili that I made Saturday.

[rccola]

I make turkey soup after the Thanksgiving meal. But I always make it curried with root vegetables and celery. Delicious!