Skip to main content

Soup's on!

The time changed this weekend. Fall back. It's only one hour, but now I drive home from work in the dark. Not only are days shorter, they are colder, too. There is a chill in the air that signifies the coming of winter. This is the time of year when I pull out the soup pot and soups become a dining table staple for the next few months.

So, I wanted to share some soup-making secrets. Well, they aren't exactly secrets, but they are tips to help you make some delicious, seasonal, and filling dinners.

Start with a Mirepoix, pronounced mirh-pwah. It's usually a mixture of carrots, onions, and celery - finely diced, and used as an aromatic seasoning base. But I use whatever I have in the fridge. It might be leeks and carrots one night. Fennel, onion, and carrots another night. Make the mirepoix sweat! Before you add any liquids to the pot, cook the mirepoix at a low heat until it begins to soften but not brown. It softens their texture and blends their flavors. Mirpoix au gras includes fat, maybe chopped bacon or pancetta. Bacon makes everything better, right?!

Flavorful Fluids are also key. Since soups are a majority liquid, make sure you're using something that tastes delicious! Use homemade stock, if you can. If not, many butchers and delis sell stock or bone broth. If you must purchase broth at the store, try to buy it in tetras versus cans; you can avoid the metallic taste that way.

Mix it up! While soups gain depth of flavor through long simmering, hit them with something fresh to shake up the tastebuds. I usually sprinkle in handfuls of fresh herbs - or even the green off my carrot bunch. A splash of fresh citrus juice brightens up the pot. Or a dollop of fresh sour cream can turn a soup from satisfying to sublime.

Some of my favorite soups...




What are your favorite soups for the season?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir