A Primer For Making Soup
Anyone can make a pot of soup. It may take some time and practice, but making it is an art that anyone can learn. Like anything else, there are tips you can learn to help you turn out perfect pot every time. These tips will make you an expert before you know it.
Homemade stock is best, but you may not always have time to make it. Canned broth or canned soups like creamed versions and tomato also make an excellent base to start. Fresh ingredients are best, but frozen vegetables can do in a pinch. While fresh ingredients do take longer to cook, they add so much more depth to your finished creations.
There are two ways to remove excess fat from your soup. If you are in a hurry, you can use unprinted paper towels to soak up the oil from the surface. If you are making it ahead of time, chill it and then remove the fat once it has solidified on the top. Savory versions are more flavorful on the second day anyway, so this method is used frequently.
When you taste your soup, you may feel it is too salty. This happens from time to time to everyone. Add a peeled potato to your soup. After fifteen minutes, remove it. The potato will soak up any excess salt. It tastes pretty good later, too, as it has soaked up some of the flavor of the mixture. When adding herbs, remember that herbs added towards the end of cooking will have a stronger impact than herbs added early. If you are using wine to add flavor, do not use as much salt. Wine will intensify the flavor of the salt.
Everyone loves noodle soups. For the best results, cook your pasta separately. This keeps the pasta from adding starch to your soup. Pasta will be the last ingredient you add. Other ingredients to add near the end of your cooking time include fast cooking vegetables like corn, leafy vegetables, and frozen peas.
Make your soup from ingredients you have on hand. If you have a chicken and some veggies, you have the makings for a delicious soup. Add in other ingredients like rice, potatoes, lentils and more. If you have pumpkins in your garden, make a delicious creamy pumpkin soup. You can make this one either savory or sweet… both versions taste great.
Speaking of creamed soups, if you want the creaminess without all the heavy cream, you can replace the cream with a combination of a quart of cold water, a half can of evaporated milk and two cups of powdered milk. These should not be boiled. If you have a double boiler, they will turn out even better.
Leftovers can be refrigerated, frozen in jars, freezer bags or in plastic containers. You can preserve it in serving size quantities so it is easy to heat up one or two servings as needed for a quick lunch. Now that you know some soup making basics, it will be much easier to prepare some soup the next time you feel the urge.
Every pumpkin soup recipe is different. Try pumpkin with nutmeg and spices or add some apple flavor for sweetness. Add curry for a spicy soup that would complement a Mexican meal perfectly. Make a bisque for an appetizer. Who knew pumpkin soup was so versatile?