It’s
Time for Soup
No matter
where you live, it is probably a very good time to make soup. I love soup.
There are many styles of soups and stews. I thought it would be fun to give you a few
examples of all the soups and stews you can serve to your family and
friends. While researching for this
posting, I learned a lot about something I thought I knew a lot about
already. Over the years, while cooking
in the many kitchens I worked in, I have made thousands of gallons of soups and
stew. Soups and stews are by far some of
my favorite things to create. In the
postings at the beginning of my blog you can find all the seasonings you can
use for just about any soup or stew you want to make. One of them tells you what goes with each
meat, fish, vegetable or any combination.
Also, if you have a favorite type of cuisine there are lists to tell you
which spice or herb goes with each cuisine.
All of these tips can be used if you making soup, as well. So, go forth and create. Explore all the possibilities. Your taste
buds will thank you. Your family will
thank you. ENJOY !!!!
Note: If you prefer what would be called a pot
roast (a stew with larger pieces of meat and vegetables) just cook it longer in
your oven or crock-pot to allow the juices to thicken and the meat to be more
tender. You can also make a roux
(thickening agent of butter and flour) to create a thicker, richer sauce.
Below is a glossary of soups and stews. This is the info I found and I want to pass along to you all. Have fun. Thank you all for letting me share with you.
Glossary
of Soups and Stews
Bisque –
A thick, rich soup usually made up of pureed seafood and cream. New recipes may
use poultry or vegetables instead of seafood.
Billy bi
– French soup made with mussels, onions, wine, cream, and seasonings. Some
recipes strain the mussels to have a smooth soup, but the mussels can be left
in for extra flavor. (also called billi-bi).
Bird’s
nest – Chinese soup made from the black or white nests of a small Asian
bird. They are difficult to harvest,
thus expensive.
Borscht –
Russian/Polish soup made with fresh beets, assorted vegetables, and sometimes
with meat or meat stock; served with a dollop of sour cream; served hot or
cold.
Bouillabaisse
– French seafood stew made of fish, shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine,
olive oil, garlic, saffron, and herbs.
Bouillon
– Broth made from cooking vegetables, poultry, meat, or fish in water.
Bourride
– Mediterranean fish broth made with garlic, onions, orange peel, and sometimes
saffron, thickened with egg yolks and flavored with garlic mayonnaise.
Broth –
Liquid resulting from cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in water (same as
bouillon)
Brunswick
Stew – Hearty squirrel meat and onions stew. Newer versions substitute chicken
or rabbit and sometimes add other vegetables like okra, lima beans, tomatoes,
and corn.
Burgoo –
A thick stew made with a combinations of meats, including pork, veal, beef,
lamb, and poultry with various vegetables, including potatoes, onions, cabbage,
carrots, sweet green peppers, corn, okra, lima beans, and celery. (This was
originally made with small game, such as, rabbit and squirrel.)
Callaloo
– Caribbean soup made with callaloo leaves (from taro roots), coconut milk,
okra, yams, and chiles.
Chowder –
Thick, chunky seafood or other rich soup containing chunks of food.
Cioppino
– Rich Italian fish stew made with tomatoes and a variety of fish and
shellfish, usually highly spiced.
Consommé
– Clarified meat or fish broth.
Coulis – Juices
from cooked meats. It can also be a thick pureed shellfish soup. (Also thick
purees of vegetables and fruit mixtures)
Court-Bouillon
– Broth made from cooking various vegetables and herbs, usually an onion
studded with a few whole cloves, celery, carrots, and a bouquet garni (parsley,
thyme, and bay leaf), perhaps with a little wine, lemon juice, or vinegar; used
as a poaching base for fish, seafood, or vegetables.
Fumet –
Concentrated stock made of fish or mushrooms, used to add flavor to less
intensely-flavored stocks or sauces.
Gazpacho
– Uncooked soup made of a pureed mixture of fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers,
onions, celery, cucumber, bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and
sometimes lemon juice which is served cold; also served chunky. (You may see it
spelled “gazpacho”.
Menudo –
Hearty, Spicy Mexican style soup made with tripe, calf’s feet, chiles, hominy,
and seasonings reputed to be a hangover cure.
Minestrone
– Thick Italian vegetable soup made with pasta, peas, beans and sometimes other
vegetables.
Mulligan
Stew – Stew made from “what’s on hand”, meat, potatoes, and vegetables in any
combination.
Mulligatawny
– Rich meat or vegetable broth highly seasoned with curry and other spices with
bits of poultry or other meats; can include rice, eggs, coconut shreds and/or
cream; originally from India.
Irish
Stew – Stew made of seasoned lamb or mutton chops, potatoes and onions, covered
with water or broth and stewed for several hours.
Pepper
Pot – Thick soup of tripe, meat, vegetables, pepper and seasonings also known
as Philadelphia Pepper Pot.
Posole –
Mexican thick, hearty soup made of pork or chicken meat and broth, hominy,
onion, garlic, dried chiles, and cilantro.
It is served with chopped lettuce, radishes, and onions. Cheese can be
added at the table.
Potage –
French soup usually pureed; often thickened with cream or egg yolks.
Scotch
Broth – Scottish soup made with lamb or mutton, barley, and vegetables.
Soup –
Any combination of vegetables, fruit, meat, and/or fish cooked in a liquid.
(water or broth)
Stew – A
dish containing meat, vegetables, and a thick soup-like broth made from a
combination of the stewing liquid and natural juices of the food being stewed.
Stock –
Strained liquid that is the results of cooking vegetables, meat, or fish and
other seasonings in water.
Vichyssoise
– Rich, creamy potato and leek soup garnished with chives; served cold.
Won Ton –
Chinese soup made of won tons (bite-size dumplings filled with minced mixture
of meat, seafood and/or vegetables) cooked in and served in a clear broth
(chicken or pork) flavored with scallions, celery, and soy sauce.
For a change of pace, I thought I would also post a couple of different recipes during the cold weather to warm you up. One is a gingerbread recipe that is especially good this time of the year. The other one is a little more for a warmer time but it is good any time. It is Lime Pie. Keep these recipes handy for whenever you decide to make them for family and friends. ENJOY !!!
Whole
Grain Gingerbread
Ingredients: DRY
¾ cup – Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup – Spelt Flour
½ cup – Brown Sugar (light is good
too)
¼ teaspoon – Baking Soda
½ teaspoon – Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon – Ginger (ground)
¼ cup – Crystallized Ginger (chopped)
1 Tablespoon – Fresh Ginger (grated)
½ teaspoon – Cinnamon (ground)
2 Tablespoon – Orange Zest (grated)
Ingredients: Wet
9 Tablespoons – Butter (separated)
(8 T.-melted) (1T.-for greasing the
pan)
½ cup – Molasses (black strap)
3 Tablespoons – Honey
½ cups – Almond Milk (plain or
vanilla)
¼ cup – Greek Yogurt (plain)
1 – large – Egg (beaten)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) Use 1 teaspoon (+ or -) to grease pan (9 inch
square). Put a little flour into pan and
shake to coat it.
3) In a
large bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, salt, 3 kinds of ginger, cloves,
cinnamon, and orange zest. Mix well.
4) In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt
the butter.
5) Add
the molasses, and honey and heat until the mixture is warm, but not boiling.
6) Pour
into flour mixture. Stir to combine.
7) Add
milk, yogurt, and egg. Fold together until combined.
8) In a
small bowl, put add 2 Tablespoons cold water.
Add the baking soda. Mix with a fork. Add to other ingredients.
9) Pour
batter into treated (greased/floured) pan.
10) Bake
until edges pull away from the sides of the pan slightly. Or until a toothpick
(inserted into center) comes out clean; about 35 to 40 minutes.
11) Let
gingerbread cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
Note: Left-overs can be covered and stored at
room temperature for up to 4 days, or wrapped tightly and frozen for future
use.
Mexican
Lime Pie
Ingredients:
7oz. – Graham Cracker Crumbs
7 Tablespoons – Butter
(unsalted-melted)
14oz. – Condensed Milk (sweetened)
12oz. – Evaporated Milk
1
teaspoon – Lime Zest (Mexican, Key or Standard Limes (grated)
1/3
cup – Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)
Directions:
1) Set aside 1 Tablespoon Graham Cracker Crumbs
for topping.
2) In a small bowl, add the rest of the crumbs.
3) Pour
the melted butter and stir with a fork until well mixed.
4) Press
the crust into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie dish (pan). Let it chill in
the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
5) Pour
condensed milk and evaporated milk into a blender; and mix on low for 2 minutes
until tiny air bubbles can be seen along the edges.
6) Add
lime zest and blend briefly.
The next part is where the
“magic” happens.
7) With the running on medium-low, pour in the
lime juice through the hole in the lid in a slow – thin stream.
The acidity of the lime juice
will cause the mixture to thicken about half-way through.
8) Mix
just until incorporated, increasing the blender speed if necessary. Do not over-blend or it will thin out.
9) Pour
filling into crust. Sprinkle with extra crumbs. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours before
serving.
Note: You can use a prepared crust if you
want. You can use bottled juice but
fresh-squeezed is better. The different limes are very different in size, so
the amount of juice will vary. Squeeze
the juice into a measuring cup to assure the correct measurements. Use the same
limes for zest and juice.
Extra note:
The type of pie will vary depending on which lime you use. (Mexican
Limes – Mexican Lime Pie, Key Limes – Key Lime Pie, etc.) There will be a slight taste variation as
well.
Happy New Year to All !!!
