We have now officially moved into soup weather, so get the pot on to the hob
There are a few things in life, at this time of year, that signify it’s officially soup weather.
The temperatures are still very pleasant but the leaves on trees are changing colour, the evenings are on the turn and there’s an autumnal feel in the air.
There are a few key things to remember when making soup. A good soup relies on fresh ingredients. There’s no point in using wilted, on the turn vegetables.
The fresher the better.
A good stock is essential. We are lucky now that there are a few good varieties of fresh stock on the market.
When I was training to be a chef stock pots were essential parts of the kitchen and culinary repertoire. Bones would be roasted and vegetables added.
The better the place the better the stock pot. I remember being horrified watching a chef peel dirty parsnips into the stock pot…..I left soon after that incident.
One of my favourite soups is a proper French onion. Onions are slowly melted in oil and then stock, wine and brandy added. The recipe here deviates from the classic in that the stock is a slowly cooked shin of beef broth.
The meat from the shin is shredded and added to the soup at the end before being topped with slices of baguette piled with cheese and grilled until golden and bubbling. The absolute height of comfort.
At the other end of the spectrum I’ve added a recipe for a vegan broccoli soup. Broccoli soup is one of the most abused of soups.
Another horror kitchen story was the time a chef used the broccoli stumps to make a soup. He just boiled them in water with a bit of onion.
By the time they’d cooked through they were grey and emanated a very unpleasant smell. He decided the answer was to add green food colouring.
I left there too soon after…..The key is to cut or shred the broccoli as small as possible and finish it off in hot liquor.
In the recipe here cashew nuts are boiled and then allowed to sit for an hour. The base of the soup is slowly cooked onion, celery and garlic.
You then add stock and cashews. Simmer for 25 minutes then add the broccoli for a couple of minutes and blend.
You end up with a creamy soup that’s nutritious and tasty and no food colouring required……