Classic
Minestrone
Pizza Soup
Potato Soup
Creamy Vidalia Onion Soup
Giving Your Vegetables Their Day in the Sun
Is your soup missing something?
To help your vegetables reach their full flavor potential, you should saute or roast them before you add them to your soup pot. This process caramelizes the naturally occurring sugars in the vegetables, giving them a much richer, deeper flavor. To caramelize your vegetables, chop them into the size you desire for your soup, then, over a medium-high burner, heat a nonstick pan that's just the right size to contain your vegetables in a single layer (this is important-your vegetables will steam instead of caramelize if they're stacked on top of each other), pour in a small amount of oil or butter, and add your vegetables. Stir or toss them often enough to keep them from burning, but be patient. Really good browning can take some time.
Another way to add flavor to your vegetables is by pan-roasting them in a hot (450 degrees F, 230 degrees C) oven. Toss them very lightly in oil, place them on a sturdy baking sheet in a single layer, and DO NOT COVER THEM. Stir occasionally, and remove when golden-brown. If you have a gas stove, you can fire-roast your fresh chiles and peppers by simply placing them on the burner with the flame on high and turning them as their skin becomes charred and blistered. When the flesh is completely black, wrap the peppers in plastic wrap and let them steam for about 20 minutes. The charred skin should come off easily now. Remove the seeds, dice the peppers, and add them to the soup.
Open up your vegetable bin and work some more soup magic!
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Classic
Minestrone
3
tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Onion, sliced
2 Carrots, chopped
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
4 oz. Green Beans, cut into 1 inch
pieces
2 stalks Celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 quarts Vegetable Stock, can be
made from beef bouillon cubes
1 can Chopped Tomatoes
1 tbsp. chopped fresh Thyme
1 can small Kidney Beans
1 (15 ounce) can Cannelloni Beans, with
liquid
1/4 cup Elbow Macaroni
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Heat
olive oil in a large saucepan, over
medium heat.
Add leek, kidney beans, carrots,
zucchini, green beans and celery.
Cover, and reduce heat to low.
Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan
occasionally.
Stir in the stock, tomatoes and thyme.
Bring to a boil, then replace the lid,
and reduce heat to low; simmer gently
for 30 minutes.
Stir in the cannelloni beans with liquid
and pasta.
Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or
until pasta is al dente.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
before serving.
Pizza Soup
From Bunko Club.
1 tbsp. Vegetable
Oil
1 medium slicked Onion
1 large Green
Bell Pepper
(cut into 1-inch
pieces)
1 large Red
Bell Pepper
(cut into 1-inch
pieces)
2 cloves of finely chopped Garlic
2 C. Water
2 cans (14
1/2 ounce each) Diced
Tomatoes with Garlic
(undrained)
1 can (6 oz.) Tomato
Paste
1 cup (3 ounces) Sliced
Button Mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp.
dry Italian Seasoning
1 can (15-16
ounces)
Red Kidney Beans
(rinsed and
drained)
1 can (15-16
ounces) White
Beans (rinsed
and drained)
6 slices French
Bread
(half inch thick)
1 1/2 C. Shredded
Mozzarella
Cheese
Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Cook
onion, bell peppers and garlic in oil
until onion is tender.
Stir in water, tomatoes and tomato paste
until blended.
Stir
in all else
remaining except the
bread and the
cheese.
Heat to boiling.
Reduce heat
and cover for 10
minutes.
Heat oven to 425°.
Place bread on ungreased cookie sheet.
Toast bread in oven about 6 minutes,
turning over once until golden brown.
Spoon mixture over bread and
serve.
Potato Soup
8 Potatoes, peeled and
cubed
4 Onions, chopped
6 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
6 tbsp Butter
2 C. Milk
3 tbsp chopped fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a
large pot over high heat, combine the
potatoes, onions and water.
Cover and boil for 30 to 45 minutes or
until tender.
Drain the mixture, reserving 3 cups of
the water.
Transfer in small amounts to blender and
puree until smooth.
In
the same pot over medium heat,
combine the flour and the butter,
stirring together well, to form a roux.
Slowly add the milk, stirring
constantly, until well blended.
Reduce heat to low and add the pureed
potato mixture.
Let simmer, stirring occasionally for 5
to 10 minutes.
Add the parsley and season with salt and
pepper to taste.
Creamy Vidalia Onion Soup
This
recipe comes from a Vidalia pamphlet I
sent away for when ordering my Vidalia
onions online at
http://www.vidaliaonions.com
4 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. Margarine or Butter
1 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 C. Chicken Broth (can be canned)
1 C. Milk
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
Pepper to taste
In a
saucepan, melt butter or margarine over
medium heat.
Add onions and sauté until golden brown,
about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour and salt and mix
thoroughly. Gradually add chicken broth,
stirring constantly. Cover and simmer
over low heat for about 10 minutes.
When
onions are very tender, stir in milk and
cream. Heat through. Remove 1/2 cup soup
and mix in egg yolks. Slowly stir egg
yolk mixture into soup in pan. Heat
through -- do not boil!
Stir in paprika, black pepper and red
hot pepper sauce.
Serve hot, and garnish with chopped
parsley.
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 A good vegetable stock is useful in a huge variety of dishes. It is not only an excellent substitute for chicken stock , but is ideal used in all vegetarian fare. To make 4 cups of vegetable stock we used 2 large onions, 2 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 1 whole bulb of garlic, 10 peppercorns, and a bay leaf.
1 In order for the stock to take on all of the flavors of the vegetables in it, it will need to simmer for a full hour. Because of the long simmering time, it is in the stock's best interest that the vegetables be chopped into large chunks rather than small dice . Cut a peeled and halved onion into large chunks.
2 Celery leaves, especially those on the outside of the bunch, are extremely bitter and should not be added to the stock. Remove and discard these leaves from the celery stalks.
3 Slice the celery into large pieces.
4 Peel and chop the carrots into large pieces. If you would like to preserve more of the carrot's natural nutrients, do not peel it as the nutrients are in the carrot's skin. Instead, scrub the carrot under cold running water, then chop the carrot into large pieces.
5
Break up the whole bulb of garlic into individual cloves. Peel the
garlic. There is no need to chop the garlic. A full bulb of garlic is used because garlic is the base flavor in vegetable stock.
6 Once all of your ingredients have been prepared, combine them in a stockpot large enough to contain all of the ingredients (including enough water to cover all of the vegetables).
7 Add aromatics
to the vegetable medley. We used peppercorns and a bay leaf. Often
people also add other herbs or scraps leftover from other dishes.
Potato scraps can be added as the starch will help thicken the stock a
little. Other common additions are stems from herbs like parsley,
thyme, or rosemary. If you are planning on using this stock in an
Asian recipe, adding fresh, peeled ginger would be appropriate.
8 Pour water into the stockpot. The vegetables should be immersed in water.
9 Turn the stove to a high temperature, and bring the stock to a quick simmer. Once the water has begun to boil, turn the stove down to low. Allow the vegetables to simmer for an hour. Any longer than an hour and the vegetables will begin to turn mushy and begin to lose all their flavorful vibrance, lending a wilted taste to the stock.
10 Strain your stock while the stock is at its peak (about an hour after it was placed on the stove). Strain your stock through a fine mesh straining device. A cheesecloth placed in a colander would also work well.
11
The stock should be light in color, sweet, and translucent. If you
want a darker colored stock, caramelize the onions and carrots before placing them in the stockpot. Alternately, roast the vegetables until caramelized, then add them to the stockpot. Another interesting trick to making a delicious and thick vegetable stock is to use potato water that was strained from mashed potatoes in addition to (or instead of) water.
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