Pantry Soups
A Real Meal Without a Microwave
from Washington Woman
A Real Meal Without a Microwave
from Washington Woman
Like a lot of things though, if you want soup done right, you've got to do it yourself. And there are plenty of good reasons to make your own. It's healthy. You don't need cream, fats, or lots of salt to make a rich, savory soup.
Soups can also be infinitely varied, and since you're cooking, you get to eat what you like. If you don't like lentils, use chickpeas. If supermarket zucchini looks a little worn, substitute green beans. In their latest book Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford recount a Thai street vendor spooning up soup to the diner's preference, balancing lime, chilis, lemongrass, and ginger. If he can do that on the street, you certainly can in your own kitchen.
Homemade soup is also economical. Prepared foods take a lot of, well, preparing, and that costs money, along with the advertising and packaging. Why pay for all that when you can have a better dish, with just a bit of effort, and can enjoy the leftovers the next day. Most offices and schools are equipped with microwaves and the aromas of your steaming soup will make you the envy of co-workers stuck with soggy and expensive tuna sandwiches.
It just takes organization. Pantry soups sounds dry and dusty, recalling dessicated packets of dried onions and cans with their labels missing, but with a stocked pantry, dinner can be a matter of minutes. Open a few cans, chop a few vegetables, throw in a handful of rice, then go open your mail, read the newspaper, or play with your kids. In twenty minutes you can all sit down to a good dinner.
Homemade pantry soups with full flavors, a balanced mix of vegetables, carbohydrates, and meat are a satisfying and healthy meal in a pot. If you're feeling energetic mix up some biscuits or spread pita bread with oil and herbs and stick it under the broiler. Add a glass of wine, finish with a bit of chocolate and a handful of nuts and you've got the culinary equivalent of the little black dress: elegant and always right.
Stocking the Pantry
Start with the basics: broths. Sure, it's nice to have homemade stock and as you've read in many a French cookbook, a good stock is the foundation of cuisine. But we're talking dinner, cuisine will have to wait for the weekends. Supermarket stocks, canned or boxed will do. Just avoid those envelopes of powdered broths. They're too processed, you might as well shake msg into a glass of hot water.
Make it easy on yourself and rely on your freezer as a source for vegetables. Freezing garden and farm market surplus is economical, tasty, and better than store-bought. Shredded zucchini stored in plastic containers can be dumped right into the soup, bringing a bit of liquid with them. Cubes of frozen pesto stirred into a minestrone brings welcome scents of summer in the dead of winter. But don't stop there. Take a close look at the supermarket freezers. A block of frozen squash melts quickly into a rich soup and kale or spinach add body to a thin broth.
But don't forget the impact of a few simple greens. You can freeze sections of fresh lemongrass and capture the sting of fresh ginger by brewing it into a broth that can be frozen. In Simple to Spectacular, Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten add chopped parsley tossed with fresh lemon juice and salt to a warm chicken broth. The result is explosive with the warm broth releasing the parsley's often overlooked flavor.
Up in the cabinets keep canned tomatoes. Canned chick peas, canellini, and black beans can inspire cultural experimentation. Dried red, green, or yellow lentils don't have to be picked for stones, just rinsed and simmered for about a half hour. A variety of starches: rices, grains, or pasta will adapt to cultural and seasonal preferences. Different types of rice will add body and flavor. Basmati and Jasmine rices are so perfumed they are almost spices in themselves. Pasta varies from delicate shells to a few broken handfuls of spaghetti. Look for rolled barley in the health food store, as Lorna Sass recommends in her book, Complete Vegetarian Kitchen. It takes only about ten minutes to cook. Start with sauteed onions, add some shreds of leftover lamb, simmer it all in some beef broth, and Scotch Broth suddenly becomes fast food.
When creating pantry soups, think thematically. Asian suggests one set of flavors, Italian another. A fruity olive oil and grated Parmesan finish a minestrone. Celery seeds, a bit of perfumed thyme, or a stir of red pepper spread will add color and bite to clam chowder. Black bean soup gets a lift from sliced onion that has been doused in olive oil and salt, and microwaved until soft and sweet. Chick pea soup is brightened by fresh lemon and chopped parsley. (You may have to stop at the supermarket, but chopped parsley freezes well). Oriental-style chicken soup takes on layers of flavors as each diner adds searing chili sauces, snappy ginger, and bright lime juice to taste.
Poke around gourmet stores keeping your soup pot firmly in mind. Italian mushroom cubes are intense in a risotto but with a little broth, some barley, a few reconstituted shitake, and a splash of sherry you'll want to get out the candlesticks. Minced garlic in a jar could be just the lifesaver you need. Experiment with spices and sauces, miso pastes and dried fish and vegetables. They are unusual variations on salty, sour, bitter, and sweet, and are simple ways to a big flavor.
And don't stop with savory herbs. Root around in the baking cabinet for cinnamon, cloves, and allspice to give bean soups a middle eastern perfume, as Mollie Katzen does with Tunisian Tomato Soup from her book Vegetable Heaven.
Copyright Claudia Kousoulas
Recipes
I've created, collected, and altered these soup recipes because my family, like everyone else's, gets home tired, hungry, and ready for a hot meal. These recipes have been tested to make sure they are understandable and will work, but they've also been tested in the home kitchen cauldron. They are meant to be cooked in that roiling moment when you finally get get home, the rest of the family is about to walk in the door, and you're all dizzy with hunger and distracted by the day's events. These recipes are simple and tasty enough to become habit-forming.
Some of these recipes will require a trip to the supermarket for fresh vegetables, so plan ahead, and always keep the basics: garlic, carrots, celery, and onion on hand. These recipes serve four people.
Clam Chowder
Bacon gives a distinctive flavor to clam chowder, but a bit of ham would work as well. Try frozen clams too.
3 strips bacon (or ham)
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice or 1 cup chicken broth
2 cans ( 6.5 oz. each) of chopped clams and their juice
1 cup milk
1 tsp. thyme
Saute the bacon until lightly browned, but not crisp. Add the potatoes, celery, carrot, and saute until tender, about two to three minutes. Add the broth and clams with their juice and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the milk and thyme and simmer until warm.
Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
(adapted from Hot, Sour Salty, Sweet)
The beauty of this soup is not only its speed, but that it can be personalized by each diner at the table. Use broth you've made on the weekend, punched up with ginger. Alford and Duguid recommend a slowly simmered chicken stock flavored with charred ginger and onion and a dash of fish sauce. But in a pinch you can quickly simmer the same flavors into a canned broth while you soak the noodles and wedge a few limes. A good broth makes a real difference in this soup, so you may want to use some of your own homemade, frozen stock.
Broth:
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups water
2 chicken breasts
2 slices of ginger
6 peppercorns
1 tbs fish sauce
Ginger paste:
1 knob of ginger, peeled
2 sliced shallots
salt
Garnish:
1 pound thin rice noodles, soaked and drained
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup each chopped cilantro and mint
1 - 2 wedged limes
Simmer broth and water with chicken breasts, ginger, peppercorns, and fish sauce. When chicken breasts are cooked remove, cool, and shred.
Char the surfaces of the ginger in a hot, dry skillet, and mince it finely with shallots, salt and a spoonful of water to form a paste. Divide noodles among bowls, adding bean sprouts and shredded chicken. Pour over hot broth and garnish with limes, mint, cilantro, and ginger paste.
Black Bean Soup with Tortilla Strips
Black beans are rich and creamy and take on spicy sausage to create a hearty soup. Add more garlic, if you like. A splash of sherry, Spanish cooking wine, or balsamic vinegar adds tartness to the broth.
3 oz. sausage (kielbasa, linguica, or chorizo), chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 can (15 1/2 oz.) black beans
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper, and sherry to taste
4 corn or flour tortillas
salt, pepper, chili powder to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Saute the sausage over medium high heat until just browned, about 3 minutes. Drain most of the fat, add the chopped garlic, and saute for just a minute more. Add the black beans, broth and bay leaf and simmer until heated through. Add salt, pepper, and sherry to taste.
While the soup is simmering, stack and slice the tortillas into half inch strips and spread them on a baking pan. Toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder, and bake them for 7 minutes at 350 degrees until brown and crispy. Pile on top of each bowl of soup and serve.
Butternut Quinoa Soup
Squash makes a creamy, bright and flavorful broth for lightly crunchy quinoa. With a swirl of balsamic vinegar, this soup captures autumn colors and warm flavors.
1 package (12 oz.) frozen, cooked squash
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup quinoa
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, cooking wine, or sherry
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Place the block of frozen squash in a large saucepan or dutch oven, pour 1 1/2 cups of broth over it, cover, and simmer until the squash is melted, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa and the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, until the quinoa grain's tails uncurl and it is tender. Let sit for five minutes, for the flavors to blend, and serve with a splash of vinegar and grated cheese to taste.
Egg Lemon Soup
Avgolemono is a Greek grandmother's secret weapon against colds and hunger. You can use it to recall the summer sun in the dead of winter, or with the addition of sliced artichoke hearts, as an elegant spring lunch. But remember, this traditional recipe can be adjusted to suit your taste.
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt, pepper, and nutmeg or dill, to taste
Add the rice and salt to the boiling broth and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the lemon juice. Add a ladle-full of hot broth to the beaten eggs, stirring quickly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Return the eggs to the broth and rice, stirring until the soup is blended and a bit foamy. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Books
Simple to Spectacular
by Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Broadway Books, 2000
Vegetable Heaven
by Mollie Katzen
Hyperion Books, 2000
Complete Vegetarian Kitchen
by Lorna Sass
Harper Collins, 2002
I've created, collected, and altered these soup recipes because my family, like everyone else's, gets home tired, hungry, and ready for a hot meal. These recipes have been tested to make sure they are understandable and will work, but they've also been tested in the home kitchen cauldron. They are meant to be cooked in that roiling moment when you finally get get home, the rest of the family is about to walk in the door, and you're all dizzy with hunger and distracted by the day's events. These recipes are simple and tasty enough to become habit-forming.
Some of these recipes will require a trip to the supermarket for fresh vegetables, so plan ahead, and always keep the basics: garlic, carrots, celery, and onion on hand. These recipes serve four people.
Clam Chowder
Bacon gives a distinctive flavor to clam chowder, but a bit of ham would work as well. Try frozen clams too.
3 strips bacon (or ham)
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice or 1 cup chicken broth
2 cans ( 6.5 oz. each) of chopped clams and their juice
1 cup milk
1 tsp. thyme
Saute the bacon until lightly browned, but not crisp. Add the potatoes, celery, carrot, and saute until tender, about two to three minutes. Add the broth and clams with their juice and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the milk and thyme and simmer until warm.
Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
(adapted from Hot, Sour Salty, Sweet)
The beauty of this soup is not only its speed, but that it can be personalized by each diner at the table. Use broth you've made on the weekend, punched up with ginger. Alford and Duguid recommend a slowly simmered chicken stock flavored with charred ginger and onion and a dash of fish sauce. But in a pinch you can quickly simmer the same flavors into a canned broth while you soak the noodles and wedge a few limes. A good broth makes a real difference in this soup, so you may want to use some of your own homemade, frozen stock.
Broth:
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups water
2 chicken breasts
2 slices of ginger
6 peppercorns
1 tbs fish sauce
Ginger paste:
1 knob of ginger, peeled
2 sliced shallots
salt
Garnish:
1 pound thin rice noodles, soaked and drained
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup each chopped cilantro and mint
1 - 2 wedged limes
Simmer broth and water with chicken breasts, ginger, peppercorns, and fish sauce. When chicken breasts are cooked remove, cool, and shred.
Char the surfaces of the ginger in a hot, dry skillet, and mince it finely with shallots, salt and a spoonful of water to form a paste. Divide noodles among bowls, adding bean sprouts and shredded chicken. Pour over hot broth and garnish with limes, mint, cilantro, and ginger paste.
Black Bean Soup with Tortilla Strips
Black beans are rich and creamy and take on spicy sausage to create a hearty soup. Add more garlic, if you like. A splash of sherry, Spanish cooking wine, or balsamic vinegar adds tartness to the broth.
3 oz. sausage (kielbasa, linguica, or chorizo), chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 can (15 1/2 oz.) black beans
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper, and sherry to taste
4 corn or flour tortillas
salt, pepper, chili powder to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Saute the sausage over medium high heat until just browned, about 3 minutes. Drain most of the fat, add the chopped garlic, and saute for just a minute more. Add the black beans, broth and bay leaf and simmer until heated through. Add salt, pepper, and sherry to taste.
While the soup is simmering, stack and slice the tortillas into half inch strips and spread them on a baking pan. Toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder, and bake them for 7 minutes at 350 degrees until brown and crispy. Pile on top of each bowl of soup and serve.
Butternut Quinoa Soup
Squash makes a creamy, bright and flavorful broth for lightly crunchy quinoa. With a swirl of balsamic vinegar, this soup captures autumn colors and warm flavors.
1 package (12 oz.) frozen, cooked squash
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup quinoa
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, cooking wine, or sherry
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Place the block of frozen squash in a large saucepan or dutch oven, pour 1 1/2 cups of broth over it, cover, and simmer until the squash is melted, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa and the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, until the quinoa grain's tails uncurl and it is tender. Let sit for five minutes, for the flavors to blend, and serve with a splash of vinegar and grated cheese to taste.
Egg Lemon Soup
Avgolemono is a Greek grandmother's secret weapon against colds and hunger. You can use it to recall the summer sun in the dead of winter, or with the addition of sliced artichoke hearts, as an elegant spring lunch. But remember, this traditional recipe can be adjusted to suit your taste.
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt, pepper, and nutmeg or dill, to taste
Add the rice and salt to the boiling broth and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the lemon juice. Add a ladle-full of hot broth to the beaten eggs, stirring quickly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Return the eggs to the broth and rice, stirring until the soup is blended and a bit foamy. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Books
Simple to Spectacular
by Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Broadway Books, 2000
Vegetable Heaven
by Mollie Katzen
Hyperion Books, 2000
Complete Vegetarian Kitchen
by Lorna Sass
Harper Collins, 2002