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Soups Tips
Veloute DŽasperge
For a lovely, elegant, yet easy soup, try this upscale Cream of Asparagus recipe.
For the finest texture, puree very well in a blender and then strain through a sieve before adding the cream.
Veloute DŽasperge
1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and chopped 1 white potato, peeled and cut in 1/2" pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped 3 cups chicken stock or broth 1/2 cup whipping cream, evaporated milk or half & half
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. 2. Add asparagus, potato and garlic and saute for about 8 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in parsley.
3. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegeatble are very tender, about 30 minutes 4. Working in batches, purees soup in a blender until smooth; return to saucepan. Add cream and bring to a simmer. 5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For a nice presentation serve this in a shallow white bowl. Place three or four lightly steamed asparagus tips in the center of each bowl and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
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Clear Stock #2
To make sure your stock is clear remove the scum that rises to the top while simmering.
Quarter tomatoes and remove all seeds; reserve any juice from tomatoes.
Cook celery and carrots in butter for a few minutes until soft. Stir in flour. Add tomato juice, water, and seasonings. Stir mixture until it comes to a boil and simmer 1/2 hour.
Put in blender, add basil and puree. Add cream. Return to pan and reheat. Sprinkle with additional basil and serve.
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Creamy Onion Soup
Soup Ingredients: 4 Tablespoons butter 2 pounds onions, thinly sliced 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock 3 cups whipping cream salt and white pepper Stilton Toast: Sliced French bread 2 ounces Stilton cheese 2 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated 2 Tablespoons butter
Toast 6 thick slices of French bread in a 300 degree oven until crisp. Blend the Stilton with butter, spread on the toast. When ready to serve the soup, pop one of these on top of each serving bowl and sprinkle with lots of cheddar cheese.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add onions, cover, and cook until translucent--stirring occasionally--for about 30 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken slightly--about 15 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with Stilton Toast, and run under the broiler until the cheese is melted and brown. Serve immediately.
Mix well and drop in boiling soup in tiny little balls.
Cook about 5 minutes.
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Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Sprinkle this soup with homemade toasted croutons, if desired.
2 teaspoons butter 1 cup onion, chopped 3/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 tablespoons flour 4 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 Tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and cubed (about 1 pound) 1 cup apple, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk Sage sprigs, optional
Over medium heat melt butter in a Dutch oven. Add onion and saute three minutes until softened. Add sage, curry powder, and nutmeg; cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour; cook 30 seconds. Add broth, tomato paste, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.
Stir in pumpkin and apple; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until pumpkin is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
In batches place mixture in a blender and process until smooth.
Return mixture to Dutch oven, add milk and cook over medium heat until heated through.
Garnish with sage sprigs, and croutons if desired.
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Real Cream of Mushroom Soup
Once youŽve had real Cream of Mushroom Soup, youŽll never open another tin again. The soup has great flavour, is rich and filling without being heavy. I use regular button mushrooms, but you could easily use any combination of exotic mushrooms that you like for an even more decadent dish.
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/4 cup chopped onions 2 cups chicken stock/broth 1/4 cup butter 4 Tablespoons flour, (more if needed) 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning 3 cups milk
In a medium saucepan, combine mushrooms, onion, bouillon cubes and water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan.
Blend in flour, salt and poultry seasoning. Gradually stir in milk. Cool over medium heat stirring constantly until smoothly thickened and mixture comes to a boil. Stir in mushroom mixture, undrained. Serve hot.
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Creamy Vegetable Chowder
Creamy Vegetable Chowder
2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen 1 cup chicken broth 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the onion, celery and carrot. Cook about 5 minutes until softened, but not browned. Stir in the flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Place corn (even if still frozen) in a food processor or blender. Coarsely puree. Add to saucepan with the milk, broth, salt, pepper and parsley. Whisk to combine ingredients thoroughly. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Cook over low heat to 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to boil soup.
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Cream of Spinach Soup
A not to rich version of Cream of Spinach soup ~ this had great flavor and a beautiful color.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Cream of Spinach Soup
Recipe By :Craig Claiborne Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : **Posted to RecipeLu *Posted to TNT Lifetips Pureed Soups Tried Vegetable Soups
Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and cook the onions until translucent. Do not brown.
Pick over the spinach, wash, and pat dry. Shred roughly with a knife. Add spinach to the saucepan and cook until leaves are just wilted.
Sprinkle with flour, stir and add in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 5 minutes.
Put soup through a food mill, a food processor or in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Return the puree to the pan and season to taste with pepper and salt (if needed).
In a small mixing bowl beat together egg yolks and cream. Add a spoonful of the hot liquid to the cream mixture, stir.
Add this cream mixture to the hot soup stirring constantly. Do not let it boil or the soup will curdle.
Add a grating of nutmeg and stir in last Tablespoon of butter - serve immediately.
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Squash Soup with Stilton
Easy, elegant and excellent. A great combination. This is a good soup to use for effortless entertaining.
Squash Soup with Stilton
Ingredients: 10 oz. pkg frozen pureed squash (or make your own) 2 cups chicken broth 1 tsp. cumin 4 green onions, finely chopped 1/4 cup stilton cheese Pepper to taste Garlic Croutons (optional)
Instructions:
1.Combine squash puree and chicken broth in a saucepan. 2.Cook, covered, until squash melts completely, or if using homemade just simmer until heated through. 3.Stir in the green onions, cumin and pepper 4.Remove from heat, pour into bowls and top with crumbled Stilton cheese and garlic croutons.
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Cream of Celery
This is a delicious & rich cream of celery soup. I often make it after a party when IŽve got leftover celery from a crudite platter.
2 cups water 2 cups diced celery 2/3 cup chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed Salt and pepper to taste ***Bechamel*** 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 4 cups milk 2 cups chicken broth
Bring water to a boil. Simmer celery and onion in boiling water until tender, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside; do not drain. While the celery is simmering prepare the bechamel. Once bechamel is ready, stir in reserved vegetables and cooking water. Simmer on low 15-20 minutes; adjust seasoning as needed
***Bechamel Instructions:*** Melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Pour in milk and broth all at once; whisk well. Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a gentle boil and thickens to desired consistency.
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Pea Soup with Bacon
This pea soup is a snap to prepare and freezes very well.
1/2 pound bacon, finely cut 2 large onions, chopped 3 large carrots, thinly sliced 2 large potatoes, diced 1 cup split peas 6 cups water 1 10 1/2 ounce can beef consomme, undiluted 1 whole bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper Salt Vinegar
In a large kettle with cover, saute bacon until crisp.
Add onions and saute until limp. Add remaining ingredients except salt and vinegar. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring often.
Allow soup to cool slightly and then puree in a blender.
Reheat and correct seasoning with salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Pass vinegar.
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Corn and Crab Bisque Recipe
Corn and Crab Bisque
2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped 1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped 2 quarts heavy cream 2 quarts chicken stock 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 2 cups whole kernel corn, fresh or frozen 16 ounces cream-style corn 1/2 cup blond roux 1 pound crabmeat 1 tablespoon green onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
Melt butter in an 8-quart saucepan or stockpot; add onion and peppers, and sauté until soft. Add heavy cream, chicken stock, seasoned salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Tabasco. Bring to a simmer. Add whole-kernel corn and cream-style corn. Stir to prevent scorching. Add blond roux until desired consistency is achieved. Add crabmeat, green onions, and parsley. Heat just until crabmeat is warmed throughout.
Serve in warm bowls with crusty French bread. This cream soup is great with crawfish also.
This recipe will serve 10 people as a first course or 4-6 as a main course.
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Southwestern Corn Chowder
Make this chowder when corn in season for the best flavor.
6 large ears sweet corn 1 teaspoon corn oil 2 onions -- cut in medium dice 2 cloves garlic -- chopped 1 1/2 poblano peppers -- seeded and diced 2 serrano peppers -- seeded and chopped 3 cups chicken stock 2 cups heavy cream salt -- to taste 1 tablespoon lime juice -- approximately 1 small baking potato -- peeled and diced 1/2 cup jicama -- peeled and diced 1/4 red bell pepper -- diced 1/4 yellow bell pepper -- diced 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro -- finely chopped
Shuck corn, remove silk, and cut kernels from cob. Set aside 3/4 cup.
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining corn kernels and onions. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until onions are soft and juices have cooked down. *Do not brown.*
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in cream. Return soup to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly reduced.
Remove from heat. Pour soup into a blender and blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. Set aside and keep warm.
Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water. Bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt.
Add potato and cook for 2 minutes. Add reserved 3/4 cup corn kernels and cook for 2 minutes. Add jicama, bell peppers, and remaining diced poblano and serrano chilies; cook for 2 minutes.
Drain vegetables and immediately fold into warm soup. Pour equal portions into six warm soup bowls.
Sprinkle an equal amount of chopped cilantro on each and serve immediately.
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Ooops my stock is greasy!
To make sure that your home made stocks are not greasy you must remove the fat that rises to the top while it simmers.
Ideally, if you have time, once the stock is completely cooked allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will rise to the top and congeal. All the fat can then be easily removed.
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Chilled Coconut Pea Soup
This soup is delicious served chilled or heated. We like it in the summer with fresh peas, but find it works quite well with frozen as well. For the spinach I really recommend using fresh over frozen.
Soak the leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit. Meanwhile in a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the rice. Scoop the leeks from the water shaking off any excess and add to the pot along with salt, curry powder, cilantro and 1 cup stock.
Cook over medium-low heat at a vigorous simmer for about 12 minutes, so the rice is almost done. Add the remaining 3 cups stock, the peas, and the spinach and bring to a boil. Boil for about 3 minutes and turn off heat.
Add coconut milk and stir. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Taste for salt and season with pepper to taste. Chill. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro if desired.
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Pumpkin & Ginger Soup
Use up that left over pumpkin puree from your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast in this simple but tasty soup.
Pumpkin Soup with Fresh Ginger
1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 cup onion, diced 2 cups chicken stock 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger (more to taste) 1 cup evaporated skim milk
In a medium pot heat the oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, pumpkin puree and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree.
Add the evaporated milk. Do not boil; bring back to a simmer. Serve immediately.
