From Eastern Europe to the South Pacific or into Great Britain, on the West or East Coast of North America you can always find a good bowl of soup. There are many places I have not yet travelled to but I am sure that one day I will be able to try soup in many new destinations. Soup that is creamy or a clear broth, full of vegetables and/or meat, seafood chowders, cold or hot in temperature - there are so many ways to create a great bowl of soup.
Soup is one of those all purpose kind of dishes. You can have it for a light meal, commence a larger meal with a bowl of soup, try it when you are not feeling well, have it when you are in a hurry, or create it will all the leftovers in the fridge! It is a highly versatile kind of dish that comes all in one bowl! And I love soup in any variation I can find. Making it yourself you know exactly what is in it and a healthy meal can be created. It is also a very economical meal when you have a little of several ingredients combined to create a larger quantity that can do for a number of meals.
A good stock is helpful when making soup. If you can make your own and freeze it in zip lock bags then you are set with the base ready to go at any time - chicken or turkey stock or vegetable stock are the most common to have on hand. An organic, low salt stock cube is also a good thing to keep in your pantry but I suggest reading the label and knowing what the ingredients are as MSG comes in many names. Also keeping a supply of carrots, onion, celery and potatoes on hand is a good idea as they are base ingredients for many soups as well as the carrots, onion and celery being the base for vegetable stock making.
Butternut squash soup was on the menu in our house last week as there was a lovely squash in the fridge and it needed using up along with carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. There were several bags of chicken stock in the fridge as well. The seasonings you add become the way to make any dish your own unique creation. I like to add a little curry powder and cumin with a hint of cinnamon to this particular soup which seems to bring out the rich flavour of the squash. You can add coconut milk and ginger for a more Asian flavour if you like. And I like exotic spices with richly coloured foods.
Bright bold coloured foods remind me of silk fabrics in rich luscious colours that the women of India and Pakistan wear and somehow I connect those colours with the strong aromatic flavours that are released by exotic spices blending with the dishes being cooked. Bold colours and flavours always seem to speak to me of LIFE!
The best flavour in soup seems to arrive when you firstly sweat your vegetables and then also let the soup refrigerate for 24 hours after cooking to allow the mingling to continue even further.
Simple soups are great for a quick meal that is satisfying. When I lived in Italia, Signora Giulia often brought some chicken broth to a boil, added Pepe Bucato pasta, which is a very tiny pasta, looking like pearl barley. When your broth comes to a boil add some pasta and some finely chopped green onion and let it boil for a couple of minutes till your pasta is soft. Squeeze in the juice of a half lemon and throw in some finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and you have a great lunch, or a simple supper ready in no time.
If you have ingredients in your fridge you don’t know what to do with just look up the ingredients and soup on the internet and see what you can find. You could have a great surprise dish coming to dinner tonight! The fragrance of the cooking will let them know that “Soup’s On”.
No comments:
Post a Comment