Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (6 page)

Soup is, generally speaking, ingredients simmered with water or broth—sometimes puréed, sometimes not—served hot (or sometimes cold). It’s about that simple. So, if you have a large heavy pot, a ladle, and something to purée with, even the tiniest apartment can be home to a great soup kitchen.

READ BEFORE YOU LEAP

There’s no single way to make soup, and some recipes involve a little more advance preparation than others. That’s why it’s important to read through any recipe in this chapter (and really, any recipe at all) before you start cooking—and especially before you decide to make it for the first time. That way, you’ll be able to gauge the timing, check what ingredients you need, and decide if this is one for tonight or something to try next weekend.

PURÉEING SOUP

Many soups are made by cooking ingredients like potatoes or vegetables in broth or water until they’re soft, and then puréeing them to achieve a thick, smooth consistency. A regular stand blender works well for the purpose, but an immersion blender is even better. Whichever way you go, before you purée any soup, let it cool down a bit so you don’t get burned if any accidentally spills or splashes.

Blender
Ladle some of the soup into the blender, filling it no more than two-thirds full so the steam doesn’t blow the lid off when you turn on the motor. Put the lid on the blender, and then fold a kitchen towel in half
and drape it over the lid (another very helpful safety measure to keep hot soup from splattering you). Put one hand on the towel and hold the lid down firmly before you turn on the motor. With the other hand, turn the blender on, setting it to its lowest speed (cranking it to “high” right away will probably pop the lid). Then increase the speed gradually to the highest setting.

After a few seconds, turn off the blender and check to see if you’ve reached the consistency you’re looking for. If you want a chunky soup, it’s usually best to purée some of the soup completely and then combine that with the remaining unblended soup. (You can also simply purée all of the soup, “pulsing” the motor on and off a few times so the soup doesn’t get completely liquefied.)

Because you’re puréeing in batches, you’ll need a large container, bowl, or a second soup pot to hold the blended soup as you work. When you’re done, pour everything back into the original cooking pot to reheat the soup; or for cold soups or ones you’re making in advance, let the soup cool in the container and then cover it and chill it in the refrigerator.

Immersion blender
Immersion blenders (also known as stick blenders) are among a handful of game-changing kitchen tools. So if you’re liking the idea of making soup a more regular part of your life, I highly recommend you rush out and buy one. They’re not that expensive, and they have several advantages over a conventional blender: There’s no second bowl or pot to dirty up, because the puréeing happens right in the soup pot. They’re easy and fast to use, because you don’t have to work in batches. They allow you to see just how puréed everything is getting, so you can stop the minute you’ve achieved the texture you want. And they’re easy to clean and don’t take up much space. Convinced?

To use an immersion blender, take the pot off the stove and set it somewhere stable. Submerge the business end of the immersion blender completely into the soup, holding it straight up with the base flat against the bottom of the pot. To avoid splattering and over-blending, turn on the motor to the lowest setting and then gradually increase the speed. Then simply move the blender around, always keeping the base flush with the bottom of the pot and the blade submerged.

Food processor
You can use a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment to purée some soups, but for very liquidy ones it really doesn’t do as good a job as a blender or immersion blender. If you do use one, work in batches and avoid filling the bowl of the processor more than two-thirds full.

Potato masher
Yes, the lowest-tech option of all works quite nicely when you want a somewhat puréed but still fairly chunky texture. Just mash (gently, to avoid splashing) until you like what you see.

GET THIS SOUP SUPPLIES

Keep these staples around so you can make soup any time by rounding up a few good vegetables:

• Broth in boxes (various vegetable broths, plus maybe some chicken)
  
• Bouillon cubes
  
• Canned beans
  
• Canned tomatoes
  
• Tomato paste
  
• Dried thyme, oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes
  
• Olive oil
  
• Garlic and onions
  
• Soy sauce
  
• Toasted sesame oil
  
• Parmesan cheese
  
• Rice
  
• Soup pasta (such as orzo or little stars)
  

STOCK OPTIONS

When a soup calls for stock or broth, I recommend using the kind that comes in boxes because it tastes much better than canned. Look for a good organic brand. They’re all quite different, so shop around until you find one you like. For those emergencies when you run out of broth, keep some bouillon cubes on hand.

STORING SOUP

To store soup, let it cool, transfer it to an airtight container, and put it in the refrigerator. Stored in this way, most soups will keep for 3 to 4 days.

Most soups also freeze well. A handy way to do this is to let the soup cool and then put individual portions in resealable plastic freezer bags. That way you can put one in the refrigerator to thaw in the morning (never thaw soup, or anything, at room temperature—it’s not safe, bacteriologically speaking) and it will be ready to heat up when you come home from work. Press most of the air out of each bag and lay it flat in the freezer until it has frozen solid.

You can also freeze soup in plastic containers with airtight lids. Liquids expand when they freeze, so leave about half an inch of space at the top. Always label bags or containers with the kind of soup and the date (permanent markers work best). If a soup has lived in your freezer for more than 6 months, throw it out.

Soups that tend to be freezer-challenged are those made with dairy, eggs, and/or lots of puréed potatoes. Freezing tends to make them break apart and take on a mealy or watery consistency. So don’t freeze these.

STYLE IT

The aesthetic and psychological impact of a simple garnish can’t be overstated. Set aside some of the herbs used in making a soup to top each serving. Or add a dollop of sour cream, yogurt, crème fraîche, or salsa, or a drizzle of good olive oil. Grated Parmesan or crumbled feta or goat cheese works well with many soups. And for crunch, sprinkle a few croutons or crumbled tortilla chips on top.

GO-WITHS ROUNDING OUT A SOUP MEAL

Soup can definitely be a one-bowl meal. But depending on your appetite and your mood, you might want to add a little something to round out the menu.

• SALAD
  Match the dressing to the style of the soup. I’ve given you some recommendations with the recipes (kind of like wine-and-food pairings, except it’s soup-and-salad pairings), and you can take it from there.
  
• For a filling, nutritious, and inexpensive dinner, simply ladle some soup over a bowl of cooked rice.
  
• A vegetable or potato side dish
  
• SLICED TOMATOES
  Drizzle with olive oil, feta, olives, and herbs.
  
• GREAT BREAD
  Warm or toast a few slices of crusty bread or cornbread—store-bought or homemade (see Chapter 4: Vegetarian Entrées).
  
• Sliced deli meats
  
• Some good cheese
  

roasted garlic paste

A GREAT INGREDIENT FOR SOUP

Roasting garlic completely transforms its flavor. It’s still pungent, but the sharpness is greatly softened. Use Roasted Garlic Paste for mashing into soups, potatoes, sauces, or dressings—also for spreading on crackers or little toasts as an appetizer; topping grilled chicken, fish, or steak; or tossing into cooked vegetables. This will keep well (packed into a small, tightly covered container and topped with a slick of olive oil) for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator—or indefinitely in the freezer. (Never store it at room temperature—it needs to stay cold.)

3 whole heads of garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra

1.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position (if using a full-size oven) and preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 375°F. Line a small baking pan with foil.

2.
Slice off and discard the very topmost tips of each garlic head. Stand the heads, cut side up, on the foil. Carefully pour about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil onto the cut surface of each head. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bulbs feel soft when gently pressed. (Larger bulbs will take longer.)

3.
When cool enough to handle, break each bulb into individual cloves and squeeze the pulp onto a plate. Use a fork to mash the garlic, gradually adding the remaining olive oil as you mash. Use right away, or refrigerate or freeze with a little olive oil until use.

homemade chicken noodle soup

Makes 4 to 5 servings

C
anned chicken noodle soup is about to become a thing of your past. This straightforward version is all about making (and keeping) it real: big chunks of chicken, wide noodles, plenty of carrots and celery. For the broth, go for the kind sold in boxes, and choose a good-quality brand, preferably organic. To make this soup even easier, you can replace the chicken breasts with some leftover rotisserie chicken or other cooked chicken meat. Just shred enough to make about 2 cups and add it to the soup along with the noodles.

1.
Place a soup pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.

2.
Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

3.
Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and turn the heat all the way down to the lowest possible setting. Cover and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. (You can check by cutting into the meat with a sharp knife.) Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the broth. Put it on a plate and let it rest for about 5 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle comfortably.

4.
Meanwhile, using a large spoon, skim off and discard any foamy residue that might have shown up on the surface of the soup. Bring the soup back to a gentle boil over high heat, and add the noodles, stirring to keep them from sticking together. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.

5.
While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken (use two forks, a small knife, or your fingers) into bite-sized pieces.

6.
When the noodles are tender, add the shredded chicken to the soup and season to taste with a few grinds of black pepper. Serve hot, topped with a sprinkling of parsley.