The Soup Topic (2013–)

[marlaine]

leeks and potato soup...just plain delicious

[Darienne]

leeks and potato soup...just plain delicious

When you said 'leek', it suddenly made me remember a soup from about 50 years ago. It had leeks and lamb in it. Fantastic. That's the end of my memory...

[ePressureCooker]

Just in case you think I like only Chinese soups, I like lots of Western-cuisine soups - they just need to be relatively light, flavorful, clear in taste profile and not overly heavy or cheesy. (A clear, purely liquid (no solids) classically-prepared consommé intense in its flavor would be a wondrous thing) For that matter, when I am in the mood the classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (from the can, with the requisite one can of water added) is *just perfect*. ;-)

Gotta disagree with you there, I can easily make much better than Campbell's chicken noodle soup in my pressure cooker. ;D

[kayswv]

leeks and potato soup...just plain delicious

When you said 'leek', it suddenly made me remember a soup from about 50 years ago. It had leeks and lamb in it. Fantastic. That's the end of my memory...

Would that have been Scotch Broth soup?

Kay

[liuzhou]

Check out The Soup Topic threads. Hundreds of soups.

Scotch Broth soup

Broth = soup. It's just Scotch broth. Often lamb or mutton. But must have barley. Sometimes leeks.

[ChrisZ]

I have a special place for pumpkin soup.
The first pumpkin soup I tried was basically a thin,watery, blended boiled pumpkin which I didn't like at all. Then one day my sister made a soup with 50/50 pumpkin/carrots that was sweet, thick and delicious and changed my mind. I evolved my own pumpkin soup recipe that was crammed full of flavour - starting with 50/50 carrots and pumpkin boiled in chicken stock, but including caramelised onion, smoked bacon, red capsicum and fresh ginger with a splash of port.
I thought my recipe was great but then I had a flatmate who made a pumpkin soup by roasting the pumpkin first, adding a dash of coconut milk and a teaspoon of peanut butter. The result was something with a subtle hint of Asia that was totally and completely different to mine and every bit as delicious.

My wife's favourite is leek & potato. I have always wondered if vichyssoise is just cold leek & potato soup or if there's some special element to it to make it unique...

[huiray]

Just in case you think I like only Chinese soups, I like lots of Western-cuisine soups - they just need to be relatively light, flavorful, clear in taste profile and not overly heavy or cheesy. (A clear, purely liquid (no solids) classically-prepared consommé intense in its flavor would be a wondrous thing) For that matter, when I am in the mood the classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (from the can, with the requisite one can of water added) is *just perfect*. ;-)

Gotta disagree with you there, I can easily make much better than Campbell's chicken noodle soup in my pressure cooker. ;D

Oh? I'm sure your pressure cooker soup would be better in the absolute sense but there's no beating the plonking of that can of stuff + water into a bowl in the microwave when you're tired or cranky or sick or "just feel like it".

Did you get a chance to have a look at the "soup thread(s)" ?

[ePressureCooker]

Just in case you think I like only Chinese soups, I like lots of Western-cuisine soups - they just need to be relatively light, flavorful, clear in taste profile and not overly heavy or cheesy. (A clear, purely liquid (no solids) classically-prepared consommé intense in its flavor would be a wondrous thing) For that matter, when I am in the mood the classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (from the can, with the requisite one can of water added) is *just perfect*. ;-)

Gotta disagree with you there, I can easily make much better than Campbell's chicken noodle soup in my pressure cooker. ;D

Oh? I'm sure your pressure cooker soup would be better in the absolute sense but there's no beating the plonking of that can of stuff + water into a bowl in the microwave when you're tired or cranky or sick or "just feel like it".

Did you get a chance to have a look at the "soup thread(s)" ?

I have started looking at it, but its a lot to go through, especially with multiple parts going back years, so I'm not finished yet. But both these threads are giving me ideas, many ideas.

[Franci]

I like a lot

"Ris e erborin", rice and parsley in the tradition from Lombardy (with beef stock, rice cooked in the stock, potatoes and finely chopped parsley)

Minestrone with rice, to serve lukewarm or cold, you can also pour in a bowl when hot and unmold in a plate. It's great in the summer.

Minestra con i grattini (with are like little pasta crumbles you can make in a mixer)

Pasta e patate in the Neapolitan style

Meatballs soup with wild chicory

Fish soups with all the Italian regional variations but I also like cataplana style or bouillabaisse

[FrogPrincesse]

Leek and fennel soup from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy. I liked what the fennel added to this traditional potato + leek combination. I prefer it blended and warm. I garnished it with chives from my little herb garden.

[Plantes Vertes]

Curried carrot and parsnip.

I do not love parsnips as they come but in soup they are so light and sweet that I forgive them. This time I added coriander and it made the soup.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[Plantes Vertes]

*cough* 'Thai' *cough* soup:

Ginger, garlic, red chili, coriander, lemongrass, shallots, lemon and lime juice, coconut milk, vegetable broth.

[huiray]

*cough* 'Thai' *cough* soup:

Ginger, garlic, red chili, coriander, lemongrass, shallots, lemon and lime juice, coconut milk, vegetable broth.

Heh. Well, it *is* sort-of, uh, Thai, in inspiration... :-) It looks like a nice soup.

[heidih]

*cough* 'Thai' *cough* soup:

Ginger, garlic, red chili, coriander, lemongrass, shallots, lemon and lime juice, coconut milk, vegetable broth.

Heh. Well, it *is* sort-of, uh, Thai, in inspiration... :-) It looks like a nice soup.

Gosh I was being a sweet little old lady and thought the poor thing had a cold - that seems like a soup to cure ills - no judgement on style

[Plantes Vertes]

Heh. Well, it *is* sort-of, uh, Thai, in inspiration... :-) It looks like a nice soup.

Thanks, it was!

Gosh I was being a sweet little old lady and thought the poor thing had a cold - that seems like a soup to cure ills - no judgement on style

No, if anyone's sick it's probably the Thai people ... But there's nothing wrong with me, so I'm pretty sure that soup does work!

Edited June 1, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[annachan]

Got a lovely wagyu tail at the market today. Oxtail soup is being made as we speak.

[sachieauckland]

i like carrot,leek and rice soup.

[Plantes Vertes]

Celery.

It was just a celery, an onion, five cloves of garlic, parsley and stock.

[FrogPrincesse]

Celery.

It was just a celery, an onion, five cloves of garlic, parsley and stock.

009 (640x480).jpg

I have a bunch of celery that I could turn into soup. But what about the texture? Celery can be very stringy, so how do you prevent that? Do you blend the soup longer, or is it sufficient to peel the celery? Thanks!

[Plantes Vertes]

I have a bunch of celery that I could turn into soup. But what about the texture? Celery can be very stringy, so how do you prevent that? Do you blend the soup longer, or is it sufficient to peel the celery? Thanks!

I find that the strings disintegrate if you cook the celery sufficiently. I normally sautee the onion and garlic, then add the celery (chopped roughly, say into 1" lengths) and put the lid on and leave it for a good 10-12mins. The celery should become somewhat translucent. Then I add the stock and boil for about 5mins more, then puree. I use quite a powerful immersion blender that seems to make short work of cooked vegetables. I should have added the parsley before pureeing as well but I forgot.

However, the celery that I had was of a particular kind that we get here in supermarkets. It seems paler and more closely packed than the celery that grows naturally and I wonder whether it's forced - that might make a difference. If your celery is the dark and open kind you could try pulling off the outer strings - I've read about that but not tried it as the soup turns out very light and smooth with the method I described.

I hope you try it and enjoy your soup!

Edited June 5, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[sachieauckland]

look good and yummy. I usually make spaghetti squash.I like it so much.

[Plantes Vertes]

I made watercress soup in a broth with garlic, shallots, ginger, chillies, kaffir lime leaves, coriander and salt. It was very refreshing.

[heidih]

PV - I am a big fan of watercress soup but generally puree mine with the stick blender. Did you leave yours unblended?

[Plantes Vertes]

Yes, I've been rather inspired by huiray's broth soups with bitter greens, so I thought I'd try it out. It cooked to very soft in a few minutes and I chopped it up a bit so I could cope with it and a spoon. It's not a type of soup I've tried much before - I usually do the blended type too, but now I like both

[Plantes Vertes]

I finished making a beef consomme that I will serve to my mother at a surprise dinner to thank her for being very kind to me recently.

I don't love anyone but her enough to bother doing this ever again...