Get Cooking_ 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen - Mollie Katzen [7]
ONION Remove and discard peel and ends • Cut in half from top to bottom • Slice into strips (thicker for chopped; thinner for diced; thinnest for minced) • Cut across the strips to chop, dice, or mince
PARSLEY/CILANTRO Remove and discard large stems • Chop the rest, picking out and discarding any larger stem remnants as you go (okay to leave in smaller stems)
SCALLION Remove and discard ends and any limp or damaged greens • Slice the white part lengthwise two or three times • Cut across to mince
For rounds or ovals, skip the lengthwise cuts, and make thin slices across (diagonal for the greens)
soups.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
CARAMELIZED BALSAMIC–RED ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE-TOPPED CROUTONS
CREAMY TOMATO-BASIL SOUP WITH PARMESAN FRICOS
CUBAN BLACK BEAN SOUP
CORN CHOWDER
WHITE CHEDDAR MASHED POTATO SOUP
HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH FRESH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
CREAM OF SPINACH AND BROCCOLI SOUP
NORTH AFRICAN RED LENTIL SOUP
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP
The How of Soup
If you want to master the art of making a good home-cooked meal for yourself and the people in your life, soup is a perfect place to start.
Soup fills your home with the welcoming smell of good things simmering, and in most cases it practically cooks itself, once you do a bit of initial ingredient prep. Why not just open a can? Well, when you’re pressed for time, there’s nothing wrong with that. But a little time making soup from scratch is a great investment that beats canned soup hands down.
Why?
It’s tastier because you’re in control of the ingredients and the seasonings, and you can choose what’s fresh and in season for the raw materials.
It’s cheaper, especially when you consider that a big pot of soup can last for several meals or feed a crowd.
It’s likely to be healthier, because the ingredients are freshly prepared and less chemically “enhanced.”
It generally freezes and reheats well.
It’s filling and soul-satisfying.
And, best of all, it’s something wonderful you can take pride in having created—often from next to nothing.
Soup is, generally speaking, ingredients simmered with water or broth—sometimes puréed, sometimes not—served hot (or sometimes cold). It’s about that simple. So, if you have a large heavy pot, a ladle, and something to purée with, even the tiniest apartment can be home to a great soup kitchen.
READ BEFORE YOU LEAP
There’s no single way to make soup, and some recipes involve a little more advance preparation than others. That’s why it’s important to read through any recipe in this chapter (and really, any recipe at all) before you start cooking—and especially before you decide to make it for the first time. That way, you’ll be able to gauge the timing, check what ingredients you need, and decide if this is one for tonight or something to try next weekend.
PURÉEING SOUP
Many soups are made by cooking ingredients like potatoes or vegetables in broth or water until they’re soft, and then puréeing them to achieve a thick, smooth consistency. A regular stand blender works well for the purpose, but an immersion blender is even better. Whichever way you go, before you purée any soup, let it cool down a bit so you don’t get burned if any accidentally spills or splashes.
Blender Ladle some of the soup into the blender, filling it no more than two-thirds full so the steam doesn’t blow the lid off when you turn on the motor. Put the lid on the blender, and then fold a kitchen towel in half and drape it over the lid (another very helpful safety measure to keep hot soup from splattering you). Put one hand on the towel and hold the lid down firmly before you turn on the motor. With the other hand, turn the blender on, setting it to its lowest speed (cranking it to “high” right away will probably pop the lid). Then increase the speed gradually to the highest setting.
After a few seconds, turn off the blender and check to see if you’ve