I LOVE SOUP

As I spent several cold, grey winter months totally immersed in reading about, thinking about, writing about, making and eating soup, I came to appreciate how the universal popularity of soup comes not only from its ability to satisfy, warm and comfort, but also from its great versatility. The term ‘soup’ embraces many different liquid-based dishes, from thin, clear delicately flavoured broths to big steaming bowls of noodles, meat, poultry and vegetables. They can be righteously health conscious or indulgent, filling feasts-in-a-bowl. Consequently, whatever the time of the year and whatever the occasion there is always a suitable soup recipe.

As you work your way through this book, I’m sure you will soon appreciate how much soups have going for them. It doesn’t matter if you are an accomplished family cook, or a bright young singleton juggling work and a hectic social life, you can make delicious soups. I believe mealtimes should be pleasurable whatever your time constraints, and soups provide quick-and-easy meals in a hurry or more substantial, satisfying repasts when time allows.

Supermarkets and fast-food outlets provide plenty of prepared soup options, but the case for making your own soups is unbeatable. From a straightforward financial perspective, you’ll save lots of money. Many of the recipes in this book, for example, make 4–6 servings for less than the cost of a single pot of soup from my favourite deli. Although globalization gives us the opportunity to find virtually any ingredient all year round, the old adage that cooking with the seasons saves you money still holds true. Even if you are a devoted meat-eater, the Vegetable & Grain chapter offers plenty of scope for taking advantage of produce when it is most prolific and, therefore, least expensive. Soups also provide a wonderful way of transforming leftovers into a second meal, cutting down on waste, as well as your shopping bills.

The overriding benefit of getting into the habit of making soups on a regular basis, however, is that you can have exactly what you want, when you want it. Are you a champion of organic, free-range and sustainable farming? Choose your ingredients accordingly and it is easy to eat well following your principles. If your main concern is to protect your family from ingesting the additives contained in processed foods, homemade soups are for you. To tempt fussy young eaters into getting a good mix of vegetables in their daily diet, try Golden Carrot & Sesame Soup (see page 135), or any of the farmers’ market soups (see pages 119, 128–129 and 147), all of which adults will enjoy just as much.

Most of the recipes in this book can be cooked in large batches and frozen, making them perfect for lunches on the go. Many are complete meals in themselves, with a combination of protein and starch. You won’t have to do much more cooking to ensure you eat a balanced meal. A bowl of soup with a hunk of good bread – and I’ve included recipes for several breads and rolls that even a novice can master – gives more than just the nutrients you need to get through the day, all for very little effort and very little expense.

The recipes make 4–6 servings (4 adult-size bowls, often with a little left for seconds, or 6 children-size portions). After you’ve made a few recipes, I’m sure you’ll soon realize if you need to scale up or scale down the quantities for your requirements.

When I was planning this book I looked North, South, East and West for inspiration; the result is a mix of international flavours. This is a collection of my favourite soup recipes that I hope you will love as much as I loved writing them.

THE TECHNIQUES

Making stock for soups – Stock is the liquid that gives extra depth of flavour to many soups. It is perfectly possible to make delicious, satisfying bowls of soup without stock – the Aegean Red Mullet Soup and Oxtail Soup with Barley are two great examples – but most soups rely on stock for their final taste.

The quality of the stock you use determines the quality of your soup, and deciding which stock to use in a recipe is arguably the most important step of the process. You have several options, ranging from homemade stock to prepared fresh stocks from the supermarket, concentrated liquid stocks to be diluted with water, concentrated gelled stocks and powders and, finally, the ubiquitous stock/bouillon cube. The choice is personal, but least suitable is the stock/bouillon cube, because of its high salt content and metallic taste from the additives and preservatives. Using homemade stock, on the other hand, gives you total control over the quality of all the ingredients that go into your soup, but it is the most time-consuming option. This is why most recipes in this book specify a homemade stock or a ready-made option – the choice is yours.

Homemade stock is easily made by simmering meat, poultry or seafood bones and trimmings, vegetables and other flavourings, such as herbs and spices. The process extracts the colours, flavours and nutrients from the ingredients, all of which are then transferred to your soup. Stock-making can be a very enjoyable time in the kitchen. It is an undemanding task, and the result is satisfying. Once you’ve made a large pot of stock, you can also use it to flavour sauces and stews.

The stock recipes in this book make larger quantities than specified in most recipes. This is because stock can easily be frozen in portions, and once I’ve decided to make a homemade stock, I might as well make enough to freeze several portions. If you don’t have much freezer space, leave the stock to simmer, uncovered, for longer until half the quantity is left, which will have a concentrated flavour.

Then leave this rich, intensely flavoured liquid to cool completely and freeze it in ice cube trays. Use each cube straight from the freezer with enough cold water to complete 300ml/10½fl oz/1¼ cups of the stock specified in the recipe.

TOP TIPS FOR TOP STOCKS

•‘Take stock and then make stock’ is sage advice. Stock-making is a good way to utilize vegetables past their prime but not yet ready for the compost bin. Vegetable trimmings, such as mushroom trimmings, tomato skins and onion skins (which give stock a richer, golden brown colour) are also excellent additions. Do not, however, include rotten or mouldy vegetables.
•Do not include potatoes in stocks because they make the liquid cloudy.
•Always break or chop bones before using them in stock. This gives the finished stock its slightly gelatinous texture that elevates soups made with homemade stock above ready-made versions.
•Trimmings from flat fish, such as plaice/ flounder or sole, make excellent stock. Ask a fishmonger for these. They will likely be free or very inexpensive. Do not, however, include bones, heads or trimmings from oily fish in fish stocks.
•If you don’t have time to make stock after roasting a chicken or large piece of beef on the bone, freeze the bones. Also freeze fish heads, bones and trimmings, and prawn/shrimp shells.
•Never let a fish, meat or poultry stock boil, or it will turn cloudy.
•Take care not to over-season stocks or your soup will be too salty. Use only a small amount of salt at the beginning of cooking to draw out the flavour of the other ingredients. Do not season it again. This is especially important if you intend to reduce the stock before freezing.
•Add the flavouring ingredients, such as chopped vegetables, herbs and spices, after you have finished skimming the surface.

Skimming soups and stocks – Stocks cook largely unattended, but your attention is most required toward the beginning of the process. As meat, seafood or poultry bones and trimmings are slowly heated to just below the boil, impurities are released and a grey scum appears on the surface. Use a large metal spoon, a slotted spoon or a round, perforated skimmer to remove this scum from the surface and discard it before adding the other flavouring ingredients. Take care not to remove too much of the liquid. Skimming can be a slow process, taking up to 30 minutes, but after you’ve finished this step you can leave the stock to gently simmer on its own. Pulses/legumes and vegetables also give off impurities while they simmer, but it isn’t necessary to remove these. After you purée pulses, however, the thick layer of ‘foam’ that rises to the surface should be removed.

Storing stocks – Stocks are ready to use immediately after cooking. Alternatively, leave them to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Adding flavour to soups with cheese rinds and ham hocks – Use natural hard cheese rinds to add an intense but subtle flavour to slowly simmered soups. Simply scrub off any markings, wrap them in cling film/plastic wrap and freeze them until you’re ready to use them. Add a piece of rind to your soup and simmer for anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours – the longer the rind simmers the more likely it is to totally dissolve into the soup. When ready to serve the soup, use a slotted spoon to fish out the soft rind, and either discard it or cut it into small pieces to sprinkle over the soup. Parmesan, pecorino, mature Cheddar and any other hard cheese with a natural rind all work well. Do not use wax-covered rinds.

The end of a Parma/prosciutto or Serrano ham also contains lots of flavour, even if not enough meat for cooks to bother slicing. They can be used to add ‘meatiness’ to soups without the expense. You will find these at meat counters and delis, and often you will be given them for free. After gentle simmering, remove the meat from the rind and any bones and finely shred it over the soup. Most cheese rinds and ham hocks are salty, so don’t add extra salt until the end of the cooking process.

Making a bouquet garni – A bouquet garni is a bundle of fresh herbs, and often other ingredients, used to flavour soups. Tying the herbs together in a ‘bouquet’ with a piece of string makes it easier to remove them at the end of cooking. Always lightly crush the herb stalks with the back of a knife because they usually have more flavour than the leaves. If you don’t have fresh herbs available, put dried herbs in a square of muslin/cheesecloth and use a piece of string to secure it closed.

Chargrilling, roasting and peeling peppers – To chargrill peppers, preheat the grill/broiler to high and lightly grease the grill/broiler rack. Halve the peppers lengthways and remove the cores and seeds. Put the peppers, cut-sides down, on the grill/broiler rack and grill/broil until lightly charred. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a clean, folded dish towel and leave to cool, then peel.

To roast peppers, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Prepare the peppers as above, put them in a baking dish and roast for 40–45 minutes until lightly charred. Remove from the oven and prepare for peeling as above.

Peeling, deseeding and grating tomatoes – Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife, put them in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 2–3 minutes, then drain. Use a small knife to peel off the skins and discard them. To deseed the tomato, cut it in half lengthways and use a small spoon to scoop out the core and seeds.

A quicker way to peel tomatoes is to grate them on the coarse side of a box grater, pressing firmly, and then discard the skin and core. The disadvantage, however, is that the tomato pulp will also include all the seeds.

Toasting nuts and seeds – Toasting gives nuts and seeds a deeper flavour. Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat until hot. Arrange the nuts or seeds in a single layer and dry-fry, stirring continuously, for about 2 minutes until they start turning golden and you can smell the aroma. Immediately transfer to a plate to prevent them from overbrowning or burning. Toasted nuts and seeds can be stored in airtight containers in a dark cupboard for up to 3 months.

Judicious seasoning – You can always add extra seasoning, but it’s very difficult to mask the flavour of too much seasoning. Most of the recipes in this book season at an initial stage of cooking to draw out the flavours of the ingredients. Do this very lightly because you will adjust the salt and pepper again before serving. Always cook potatoes and rice in salted water, but season dried pulses/ legumes after cooking so the salt doesn’t draw out the moisture acquired during soaking.
If you accidentally over-season a soup, add a little sugar or, if suitable, boil a peeled and chopped floury/russet potato in the soup.

Taste soups before puréeing – you can always discard half the stock and replace it with fresh, unseasoned stock for a less salty taste, if necessary, at that point.

Written by Beverly LeBranc in "I Love Soup", Nourish (an imprint of Watkins Media Limited-London), UK/USA, 2016. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.