The Secret to Making a Good Soup (vegetable soup base)

The Secret to Making a Good Soup (vegetable soup base)

vegetable soup base

The Secret to Making a Good Soup (vegetable soup base)

We all know what good soup is: it's a savory blend of multiple ingredients, spiced just right, that is both delicious and filling. In the winter we look for heartier soups and in the summer, more simple combos such as gazpacho, vegetable or raw soups. Around Thanksgiving we salivate over the very idea of taking that ripped up turkey carcass and creating a savory turkey soup. But creating a really good soup is an art; not everyone is successful at it.

vegetable soup base

What makes a good soup is the right combination of soup base, vegetables and fillers. For instance, if a soup is going to be reheated several times, pasta and rice don't really hold up well, but barley does. Likewise, certain vegetables such as onion and celery turn to mush rather quickly but beans don't. So to start with, first consider what kind of soup you want to make and if it is going to be eaten right away, reheated several times, or frozen and reheated.

vegetable soup base

For most soups, the base to start with is some kind of meat carcass. If one lacks the appropriate carcass, the meat itself can be thrown in, along with the matching stock. We can now get chicken, turkey and beef stock fairly easily from the local grocery store and fish stock from the local oriental market. For vegans, there is a soy-based imitation chicken stock available. The stock is the basic taste and provides the majority of the liquid part of the soup.

vegetable soup base

Next throw in some meat scraps that are the same as the stock. Then sauté some onions, garlic, celery, carrots, or whatever else you would like, vegetable-wise and throw those in the pot. The pasta, rice, potatoes or other things that would fall apart easily should be cooked and held aside until the final few minutes. Few people like mushy starches, so don't add those to soups that will be reheated. Anything that would become slimy or mushy with prolonged cooking should be held until the soup is served. A garnish of green onions, bean sprouts, or cheese makes a nice presentation and adds flavor.

vegetable soup base

Once everything is combined in the pot, start adding spices. The spicing needs to be a little heavy-handed if you want a really flavorful soup. Remember that the vegetables and starches will take a lot of spicing since they will take up a lot of that, as will the stock. But don't put too much in...taste as you go. You can always add more but it's really difficult to deal with if you put too much in...as I learned when I put too much habanero pepper in a large pot of soup. Yow! I had to quadruple that soup to be able to actually eat it. If the idea of making your own soup is still too daunting, get a soup cookbook. Soup is a great food and a wonderful addition to any meal.