The Importance of Soups
Where do I start? I mean, everyone knows how important soup is, don’t they? The best thing about soup is, there’s no waste. Everything goes in and you get the benefit of every ingredient. I think that about every culture has soup on the menu. What more could you ask for? I am posting several different types of soup for different tastes. I hope you all enjoy soup as much as I do.
Thai Squash Soup
Ingredients:
6 - Shallots (unpeeled)
1 - 14 oz. can - Coconut Milk
2 - cups - Chicken Broth
1 1/2 - pounds - Butternut Squash (peeled and cut into
1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 - cup - Cilantro (packed)
1 - Tablespoon - Cilantro (chopped for garnish)
1/4 - teaspoon - Sea Salt
2 - Tablespoons - Fish Sauce
1/4 - cup - Scallions (green parts only) (minced)
Directions:
1) Preheat broiler
2) Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil
3) Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
4) Put shallots on sheet and broil, turning occasionally;
about 5 to 7 minutes; until softened and blackened.
5) Remove from broiler, let cool, then peel and halve lengthwise.
6) In large pot, over medium heat, combine shallots, coconut
milk, broth, squash and 1/2 cup cilantro.
7) Cook just until mixture begins to boil.
8) Reduce heat, add salt and simmer about 15 minutes or until
squash is tender.
9) Stir in fish sauce and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
10) Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of scallions and chopped cilantro.
11) Serve with black pepper (to taste)
You can find “fish sauce” in any Asian / Chinese market. There are many unique sauces to be discovered. Don’t be shy in trying new things. There are so many new tastes to experience and enjoy.
Caramelized Onion and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients:
2 - Tablespoons - Butter
5 - large - Onions (thinly sliced)
1 1/2 - Tablespoons - Sugar
4 - Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 - quarts - Chicken Broth
1/2 - teaspoon - Allspice (ground)
1/2 - teaspoon - Fresh Thyme (chopped)
1/2 - teaspoon - Nutmeg (ground)
1/2 - teaspoon - Sea Salt
1/2 - teaspoon - Pepper
Directions:
1) In large Dutch oven, heat butter.
2) Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes,
until browned.
3) Add sugar and cook 3 minutes, stirring.
4) Add sweet potatoes, broth, and all spices and bring to
a boil.
5) Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered 15 to 20
minutes, until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
6) Adjust seasonings and serve.
Caramelizing the onions is a very important step in this recipe. Cook them until browned but not burned. Make sure that you stir constantly to assure the outcome. The difference in the taste is amazing. Anytime you are using onions in a recipe, try caramelizing them first. You will enjoy the difference.
Chicken - Squash Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1 - pound - Chicken Breast (skinless and boneless)
1/2 - teaspoon - Poultry Seasoning
1 - Tablespoon - Olive Oil
1 - Onion (chopped)
1 - Stalk - Celery (chopped)
1 - Carrot (washed and chopped)
2 - cloves - Garlic (minced)
1 1/2 - quarts - Chicken Broth
1 1/2 - cups - Noodles (dried)
1 - Zucchini (coarsely chopped)
1 3/4 - cup - Fat Free Milk
1/4 - cup - Flour
Small Bunch Parsley (snipped)
Directions:
1) Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.
2) In large bowl, combine chicken and poultry seasoning; toss
to coat.
3) In large Dutch Oven, heat oil over medium heat.
4) Add chicken; cook 3 to 5 minutes; until browned.
5) Transfer chicken to bowl; set aside.
6) In same Dutch oven, cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic about 5 minutes.
7) Add broth; bring to boil.
8) Add chicken, noodles, and zucchini; return to boil.
9) Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes.
10) In medium bowl, whisk milk and flour together until smooth.
11) Add to chicken mixture; cook and stir until bubbly.
12) Stir 1 minute more.
13) Add parsley just before serving.
Root Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
2 - Carrots (washed and cut into 1 inch chunks)
2 - Sweet Potatoes (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1 - Parsnip (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1 - Red Onion (cut into wedges)
3 - Cloves - Garlic (thinly sliced)
1 - Tablespoon - Olive Oil
1/8 - teaspoon - Black Pepper
1 - teaspoon - Thyme (dried and crushed)
3 - cups - Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1/4 -cup - Flour
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) In a 13 X 9 baking pan, combine carrots, sweet potatoes,
parsnip, onion, and garlic.
3) Drizzle with oil, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 the thyme.
4) Cover with foil.
5) Bake 20 minutes; remove foil; stir vegetables.
6) Bake 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.
7) Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, whisk together milk,
broth, flour, and remaining thyme until smooth.
8) Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
9) Add vegetables; cook and stir 1 or 2 minutes; until heated
through.
If you want to add protein to this soup, just add leftover chicken, beef or pork. Add this when you add the vegetables to the soup and be sure to heat through. You can also change up the types of root vegetables by using white potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, or yams. Just use you imagination. You can also experiment with the spices used by using tarragon, sea salt, sage, or savory. The sky is the limit. Check out the first couple of postings about spices. You can see what spice goes with which ingredient. IMAGINATION !!!!!
Enjoy !!!
Amah
I'll be back soon with a few salad recipes that will excite your taste buds.
Amah
No comments:
Post a Comment