Stocks are
really easy and cheap to make… all you need is a little time.
Stocks are basically
the flavour base that make sauces, soups, casseroles & risottos taste
fantastic!
Veggie Stock
1 large
carrot, chopped
1 large
parsnip, chopped
2 medium
onions chopped
6 sticks of
celery chopped
1 bunch of
mixed herbs for example - thyme, bay, parsley
1 tablespoon
of black peppercorns
3 litres of
water
Pop all of
the above ingredients into a large saucepan, simmer, uncovered for 1 ½ hours,
strain through a large colander. Discard the veggies and leave liquid to cool
before popping into the fridge or containers in the freezer.
Chicken
Stock
2kg chicken
bones
2 medium
onions, chopped
2 sticks of
celery chopped
2 medium
carrots chopped
1 bunch of
mixed herbs
2 teasp of
black peppercorns
5 litres of
water
Pop all of
the ingredients into a large saucepan, simmer uncovered for 2 hours, strain
through a large colander, and discard the chicken bones and veggies. Leave liquid to cool and store for 1 week in
the fridge or in containers in the freezer.
When you’ve
made the soup why not get cracking at brewing up some batches of Heartwarming
Soups..
A soup is
basically Soup is basically a warm food that is made by combining
ingredients such as veggies or
meat + veggies with stock, juice or water. Traditionally, soups are
classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups. So
you’ve got the French Classification of clear soups buillion and consommé.
Thick soups are more filling soups and in some cases there is little to
distinguish soups from a stew except a soup will have more liquid, therefore
making soups extremely good on the pocket.
Some ingredients used to thicken & make more robust soups include,
potatoes, rice, eggs, lentils, beans, grains, pasta, milk, cream, coconut milk.
Soup or Chowder - Chowder is a generic name for a wide variety of
seafood or vegetable stews and thickened soups, often fortified with diced
potatoes, milk or cream however some healthier varieties use a mixture or
cream and tomatoes.
Were not sure where the name ‘chowder’ came from, however it is possible
it came from the French Chaudière, the type of pot in which the first
chowders were probably cooked.
Examples: Seafood Chowder, a mixture of diced potatoes, sauted onions,
mixed seafood, milk & cream
Smoked Haddock & Leek Chowder – mixture of leeks, butter sautéed,
with a little flour, milk, cream and smoked haddock…
Trivia… The
Campbell Soup Company invented condensed soup in 1897, in the US.. Americans consume 2.4 billion bowls of Tomato,
Cream of Mushroom, & Chicken Noodle each year!!
But we are going to make our own satisfying homemade
healthy & thrifty soups!
Heartwarming Soups
The great thing about making soups is that you do
not have to follow any recipe you can make it up as you go along with
the ingredients & leftovers you have at hand…
The Very Basics..
Mixture of Veggies + Liquid which
can be water or stock or tomato juice+ flavourings = herbs, spices, seasoning.
Pop the mixture of veggies into a pot completely cover
with a liquid, bring to the boil, simmer until tender, blend with a hand
blender. Soups can be lumpy, very thick
in consistency or simply very drinkable.. its your choice, just add some more
stock or water if you want it to be thinner in consistency…..
Additional Flavourings – honey, ginger, fresh
chilli, chilli powder, cumin, coriander fresh & ground,
·
Carrots, potato, veggie
stock, honey, salt & pepper
·
Leeks, 2 potatoes,
veggie stock, salt & pepper
·
Sweet Potato,
carrots, veggie stock, pinch of chilli.
·
Thai Curry Paste,
coconut milk, leftover chicken
·
Can of tomatoes, 3
cups of water, 1 pinch of chilli powder, 1 cup of pasta, 1 cup of Bolognese
meat
Dress them up….
Croutons, toasted pita bread, a scattering of
chopped herbs, roasted pine nuts, toasted almond, a spoon of yoghurt, or crème
fraiche and serve with our fantastic brown bread for an extremely economical dinner.
Soups have great keeping properties, in the fridge
for 4 days or freeze and have anytime….simply heat and serve.
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