How to Make Super Soup - Tips to Make It Tastier

1. It's comfort food.

2. You can probably cook the whole thing and have to wash only one pot. If you really hate doing dishes and you live alone, you can save even more dish-doing by eating right out of the pot. Heck, just drink it so you don't have to wash the spoon.

3. Your mother told you it's good for you.

4. You can tell something about people's true character by watching them eat soup.

5. You can clear out the fridge and make something wonderful from last week's leftovers.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Makes 4-6 servings

2 cups dry lentils
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 large carrot, chopped
2-3 potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Rinse the lentils and "look" them for pebbles and debris. Don't skip this step. I always find at least one little rock.

Place in pot with stock or water, onions and garlic. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Add carrot, potatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, cumin and paprika. Continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I found this recipe at Farmgirl Fare. Check it out. She says the soup is better if you make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge overnight. You can freeze it too.

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 onions (about 2 pounds), coarsely chopped
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained (about 1 heaping cup)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (about 3 cups)
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 14-ounce can artichokes (packed in water), drained, rinsed & coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup heavy cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat, then add the onions. Stir to coat with oil, cover, and cook until onions are soft and starting to brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add a splash of water to soak up any flavorful brown bits sticking to the pot.

Make a space in the center of the pot and add the garlic, stirring so it all touches the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring, about three minutes. Add the red peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, artichokes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid barely cracked for 30 to 45 minutes.

Purée with an immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender and very carefully purée, then return to the pot. Stir in the cream if desired, let cook a few more minutes, then salt and pepper to taste. Serve plain or dressed up with whatever you like, such as chopped scallions, a dollop of sour cream; fresh parsley or cilantro; some cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese; or a few big fat croutons

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Makes 6 servings

1 medium onion, chopped
1 each sweet yellow, red and green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) diced or crushed tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 can (15 oz.) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 flour tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
6 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

In a saucepan, saute onion, peppers and garlic in oil until tender-crisp.

Add chicken. Cook and stir over medium heat for 8-9 minutes until no longer pink.

Stir in flour, cocoa and seasonings.

Add tomatoes, lime juice and lime peel. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.

Stir in beans and heat through.

Meanwhile, place tortilla strips on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Serve chili with sour cream and tortilla strips.

My Wooden Spoon

Wokkingmum.com

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Farmgirl Fare

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 cups diced potatoes
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoo pepper
2 cans cream-style corn
1-1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

What to Do:

Combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in milk. Gradually add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and chowder is heated through, but do not bring to a boil.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile

Here are some secret ingredients you can add to your soup at the end. They can be used to zip up sauces and gravies too.

Lemon Juice - good in almost any non-creamy soup, especially chicken soup and bean soup.
Balsamic Vinegar - just a few drops can add amazing depth.
Wine- red or white depending on your soup.
Worchestershire Sauce
Tomato paste - a tablespoon or so of tomato paste can balance saltiness and create more interesting flavor. Of course, the old standby for oversalting is potatoes.
Cognac or brandy
Honey
Cinnamon - try in spicy soups and tomato soups.
Nutmeg - good in creamy soups, but in tomato-based soups.
Boullion cube - if the soup is just a bit weak, this is not a gourmet ingredient, but it might do the trick.
A few chopped anchovies - chop them up well; your soup won't taste fishy.

Some of these Soup Savers can be used in combination. Honey, cognac and a dab of tomato paste can really add depth to many clear soups, particularly chicken.

Beans benefit from lemon or vinegar, but don't add any acids to the beans until they are cooked. The beans won't become tender if you add lemon juice, vinegar or even tomatoes early in the cooking process.

Remember to add a bit at a time and taste, taste, taste. The trick here is to experiment to see what works best for your tastes. Consider adding a Soup Saver to a small sample bowl if you have never tried it in that particular soup before.

GARLIC My family is nuts about garlic. I almost always add a good measure of it to pretty much any soup and pretty much any food except maybe ice cream. Mince 1-3 cloves of garlic and add to the mixture with the corn.

CUMIN and WHITE WINE I'm eager to check out this chowder recipe

BACON That sounds like a real winner to me. Add about 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon when you stir in the milk.

BROTH Using chicken broth or ham broth instead of water gives the finished product a more complex flavor. As an alternative, add a teaspoon or so of soup base or bouillon to the water.

PACKAGED GRAVY MIX I admit I haven't tried this one yet, but it might have possibilities. Stir it into the milk before adding to the pot. Try this recipe.

ONIONS Onions are always appropriate at our house. Do you think this and the garlic might be why we never get invited to the neighborhood singalongs? This chowder recipe also uses sherry to flavor it. Saute 1/2 to 1 cup of onions in a bit of butter or olive oil as your very first step, then add water, potatoes, carrots, celery and seasonings and proceed as usual.

VELVEETA Okay, how many of you have Velveeta in the house, but keep it hidden because you're embarrassed? Come on, 'fess up. It can make a creamy chowder if you don't add so much that it turns into nacho dip. Cube about a quarter of that big ole block and stir it in with the "real" cheese or maybe instead of it.

Photo courtesy of Flickr


I have discovered a soup that is a little exotic but uses everyday pantry items. It is fairly low in fat for such a filling soup, and it can be made even skinnier by using cooking spray to saute the onions and garlic. Pair it with a crusty bread, and you have a satisfying meal.

This unusual soup combines tomatoes and peanut butter to create a surprising and tasty soup. The extra-crunchy peanut butter gives this delicious soup a pleasant crunchy texture.

I have also made this without the peanut butter. It makes a delicious, simple tomato soup. This is a good example of the beauty of soup-making. You can get away with lots of experimentation, and sometimes you come up with something spectacular.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, with juice

8 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

2/3 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat.

2. Saute the onions and garlic until translucent and tender.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, pepper and chili powder.

4. Reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

5. Stir in the rice, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender.

6. Stir in peanut butter until well-blended.

7. Serve hot. Makes about 10 servings.

You might try adding chopped red or green peppers with the onions. Try a dollop of sour cream on each bowl of soup. Enjoy!