Vegetable Soup

acermaple

I find the Marigold brand of stock/veg bouillion is brilliant for soups, it comes in a tub so you can use as much or little as you need and contains no preservatives, colours, artificial flavours etc, etc.

niallb

acermaple wrote: »

I find the Marigold brand of stock/veg bouillion is brilliant for soups, it comes in a tub so you can use as much or little as you need and contains no preservatives, colours, artificial flavours etc, etc.

and it's available gluten free.

Johnny_Fontane

I was thinking about this last night and it hit me.

Its the seasoning....I know this sounds simple but you absoutely have to lace vegetable soup with a good lot of salt and tons of pepper. I season throughout cooking, then blitz when done and then get to work on the seasoning.

the difference without is a kind of insipid watery flavour which is transformed with some heavy handed seasoning. I make my soup even a tiny bit spicy with the amount of pepper I use

Merkin

acermaple wrote: »

I find the Marigold brand of stock/veg bouillion is brilliant for soups, it comes in a tub so you can use as much or little as you need and contains no preservatives, colours, artificial flavours etc, etc.

If I don't make my own stock, this is the only brand of stock I would use. It's far superior to anything else out there and if it's good enough for Delia then it's good enough for me

drumslate

Check out some of these soup recipes, I use this site quite regularly:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?keywords=%22vegetable+soup%22&x=0&y=0&occasions[]=&chefs[]=&programmes[]=

Drkitkat

A good squeeze of lemon juice can transform a bland soup.

all_smilz

ok based on the advice of this thread I have been practising my soup. I also referred to Darina Allens forgotten skills of cooking...
this is my soup


2 Leeks sliced
4 chopped shallots
3small onions
4 med carrots
half a packet of frozen cauliflower
Big handful of broccoli florets
6 leaves of curly Kale
1litre of Bacon water (from cooking a ham)
Tbsp of freshly ground white pepper
Tsp thyme
Pinch of rosemary
Half tsp veg bouillion
1/4 lb butter and 1tbsp of sunflower oil

I sautéed the leeks, onion, onion with the warmed oil/melted butter in a big pot with a cartouche (2nd lid of tinfoil) which helps it sweat
Tossed in carrots and spuds and sweated under tin foil again
Add rest of veg and pepper /herbs and sweat again
Add bacon water, stock and bring to a simmer
Puree in batches

NOW THE MAGIC BIT!

I sieved it all repeatedly and blended the really thick paste left in sieve and re sieved it. I did this a few times and its now got a visibly fine light texture and even though it initially looked a bit green for my liking I think I have hit the jackpot. Just a dash of cream now to serve!
whoopee

pastorbarrett

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Growing up in Southeast Asia, we'd only have broths. Normally spiced with star anise, cinnamon, whole black pepper, cloves and cardamom, before sautéing shallots, ginger and garlic as the base. we'd chuck in bone-in meat/chicken, so no stock required as you get flavours from the bones, and veg are normally carrots and chunky potatoes. To serve, we'd sprinkle crispy fried thinly sliced shallots, as well as chopped spring onion and flat leaf parsley on top. Best eaten with either steamed rice or rice vermicelli noodles.
I made this for my Irish father-in-law when he was in the hospital. Let's just say that was the first and the last ever. Ive since learned to make his preferred pub-style creamy hearty passed soup.

Apologies,off-topic I know, but Mrs Fox, could we have a recipe for one of these broths- sounds delicious It would be good to know exact method, quantities etc.

dr.bollocko

I find there's a bitterness to broccoli which can ruin a delicate soup.

I've used a home made chicken stock and a vegetable bouillion and haven't really noticed too much difference in the quality from the stock.

The usual, sweat the onions, add in the stock and use 2-3 carrots. One large parsnip. 2 sticks of celery. 2 small potatoes. One red pepper. (all diced).

Then when you're blending it, if it's too thick, add water or milk to slightly thicken it.

GalwayGuy2

Hmm, anyone have a handy recipe for tomato soup? I'm not really a big fan of cream, even the above suggestion of milk in soup kind of turned me off, but is there any way to make soup without the cream?

Feel a bit like tomato and basil soup next week:P

Dizzyblonde

My tomato soup recipe - it makes a huge pot full but keeps for 5 days in the fridge, and can be frozen too:

2 large carrots
a large onion
2 sticks of celery
a few slices of turnip or swede
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
a tablespoon of tomato puree
a teaspoon of dried basil
a teaspoon of oregano
salt and black pepper
1 litre of hot water
2 chicken or veg stock cubes
some spaghetti broken into short pieces, or any pasta (optional)
2 teaspoons of sugar
Dice the veg and throw it into a big pot with the water, garlic and stock cubes and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the veg is soft. Add the tomatoes and blend until almost smooth. Add the basil, tomato puree, sugar and pasta and season to taste. Bring back to the boil and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
*The reason I leave the tomatoes out until the veg is soft is because I find that carrots stay hard when cooked with tomatoes.

Faith

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Hmm, anyone have a handy recipe for tomato soup? I'm not really a big fan of cream, even the above suggestion of milk in soup kind of turned me off, but is there any way to make soup without the cream?

Feel a bit like tomato and basil soup next week:P

I have a gorgeous simple recipe, but it uses a bechamel sauce to thicken it. Obviously it involves milk, but if you still want the recipe, just let me know.

Seaneh

Faith wrote: »

I have a gorgeous simple recipe, but it uses a bechamel sauce to thicken it. Obviously it involves milk, but if you still want the recipe, just let me know.

Sure post the recipe there, I'd be interested in it and GalwayGuy2 could swap the milk in the bechamel for stock and make a veloute which would work exactly the same way... or just mash some flour into butter for a beurre mainé and add that directly to the soup, saving the need to made a roux.

Faith

Rightio then! This is a Darina Allen recipe.

Ingredients:

2 x 400g tins of good quality tomatoes
2 teaspoons of sugar (essential to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 small onion, finely chopped
15g butter
250ml Béchamel sauce (recipe below)
250ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
120ml cream, optional

For the Béchamel:

1oz butter
1oz flour
300ml milk

Method:

First, prepare your Béchamel. Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add in your flour. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Gradually, whisk in your milk. Stir frequently as the mixture comes to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, and season to taste.

Melt the butter. Chop your onion and sweat for a few minutes in the butter.

Add in your tins of tomatoes, sugar, stock and Béchamel. Add the torn up basil. Bring to the boil and season. Simmer for a few minutes, liquidise, season to taste and dilute with more stock, if needed.

Bring back to the boil and serve in bowls, garnished with a swirl of cream and some basil leaves.

Johnny_Fontane

Seaneh wrote: »

or just mash some flour into butter for a beurre mainé and add that directly to the soup, saving the need to made a roux.

this is a really great trick. I dont use it for soups ever (as I am generally loosening my soup with water, not thickening it).

But a little OT, if you are making a stew or gravy and you find it a little too watery - of course you can always boil it down, but I find you get much better results with a a beurre manie....as seaneh said, just mash the flour into a little butter until you get little flour butter balls. Drop one into your stew/gravy and watch the magic happen. You will get the most amazing shiny velvety rich gravy and or stew (jus). With a stew, after stewing, I generally remove the meat/vet to the side, reduce down a half bottle of wine to 1/3 of size (separately) and then add it in with the beurre manie and stew juices.

try it....its a real winner.

snowgal

I made vegetable soup last night and must say I THINK its yum! Im not a cook at all at all so for me it was a major triumph! Dont like sweetness in food and this was just perfect, savoury homemade goodness. celery, onion, carotts, broccoli cauliflower leek, stock, chilli powder loads of pepper.

GalwayGuy2

Thanks Faith and Dizzyblonde:P

stop animal cruelty

Hi all,

Want to make a soup today had a look around the kitchen & have feck all veg.

This is what I got:

Pack of mushrooms
1 head of brocoilli
Garlic
Onion
Loads of spuds
Dried herbs, thyme & rosemary
Tomato
Veg stock

Anyone think this sounds like a nice soup? Going to the shop is not an option as I don't live near one :rolleyes:

Any suggestions?

plus I'm asking cause I'd hate to waste all the ingredents if it tastes like muck!

Dizzyblonde

I'd leave out the tomato and broccoli if using mushrooms, but that's just personal taste.
Or, I'd leave out the mushrooms and use all the rest of the ingredients.

Dizzyblonde

Threads merged.

Johnny_Fontane

sounds great - dont go too heavy on the potato or onions and blitz. Then season heavily with salt and black pepper to taste.

stop animal cruelty

^^^

how about 1 medium onion & 2 medium spuds??

Dizzyblonde

stop animal cruelty wrote: »

^^^

how about 1 medium onion & 2 medium spuds??

Sounds good. As a general rule, 1 litre of stock works well with 500g of veg.

Merkin

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Sounds good. As a general rule, 1 litre of stock works well with 500g of veg.

Good rule. Another one if you don't have a scales to hand, I normally put enough stock over all the veg until it's completely covered with about an inch over the top of all the veg. This makes quite a thick soup but I like that and then thin if necessary.