What's in Your Soup Pot

Torey

I put this under Natural and Home medicine cause broths are an important way to add nutrition to our diets. The long slow cooking of a variety of ingredients extracts minerals and other nutrients that can help with our immune system and digestion, improve circulation and nourish us during illness.

However, I love soups of all kinds. I could live on soups. So let's share some of our broth ingredients as well as some of our favourite soups.

Today I am doing a veggie broth with all of those end of season garden goodies.

From the garden: Onions, garlic, celery (leaves, stalk & root), carrots (orange & yellow), parsnip, squash, broad beans, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, tarragon, lovage, sorrel greens, two kinds of kale, a large red cabbage leaf, horseradish leaf, nasturtium leaves, beet greens, carrot greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, green pepper and cayenne peppers.

From the pantry: Astragalus root, dandelion root, a couple of slices of dried reishi, dried stinging nettle, dried artichoke leaf, bay leaf, mustard seed, black peppercorns, a chunk of fresh ginger,

It will be simmering for the rest of the afternoon filling the house with a wonderful smell.

I will use this broth as a base for other soups, gravies, sauces, etc., or just to drink on its own as a nourishing beverage when ill.

I also make bone broth. I have some bison broth in the freezer as well as chicken. I usually will add the basics along with the bones; onions, celery, carrots, garlic, cayenne peppers, black pepper, bay leaf, herbs, etc. A bit of ACV will help to release minerals and collagen from the bones. A bit of left over wine will do the same thing. Again, bases for many other things.

What's in your pot?

judsoncarroll4

Good stuff! I'm doing potato. I cut up my potatoes, but leave the skin on - just cut out any bad spots. Then, I boil them with several cloves of garlic and some caraway seeds. Drain off the water and mash the potatoes and garlic together. Add heavy cream or whole milk and chicken broth, sour cream or buttermilk. Simmer. Add some chopped green onions or chives, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated cheddar and chopped bacon.

Ferg

I am also a soup lover. I could live on soup and salad. Or maybe soup and salad and cheese.

In the summer, cold soups. In the spring and fall, hot soups. In the winter, thick chunky soups/stews.

I was actually thinking just the other day that I wanted to make Tom Kha Gai. It's basically Thai Chicken Soup (-: It's been cooler and rainer here in Appalachia, so soup has been on my mind. Hmmm. Have to get my hands on some chicken though - although it is still wonderful without the chicken. So many good-and good-for you spices in Thai cooking.

Although... I might make a Palaak Paneer Soup - it's basically the same spices as Palaak Paneer, but a little more stock so that it can be eaten as a thick soup. Oh. Man. Decisions.

Palaak Paneer is basically spinach and peasant cheese, with the most wonderful aromatic indian spices. Start by flavoring the oil with cumin, coriander, cardomom - plus an inch of cinnamon: bring a little oil to temperature in a heavy pan. Put the spices in and allow them to cook and simmer until they darken. Add hot pepper, then add the Wet Holy Trinity :Ginger, Garlic, Onion. Add a pint of tomatoes - either fresh (skinned, chopped, deseeded) or canned. Bring to a simmer. Add fenugreek leaves (mehti) (if you can get fresh, best, but dry works as well). Add stock - chicken or veggie. Add dried ground coriander and cumin. Let this simmer on low for a while. If using fresh spinach, blanch and rince, then add to the pot. If using frozen, thaw and add to the pot. If desired, cube the paneer and toast it a bit, then add to the pot. Add garam masala. Cook just a little longer and serve with naan.

JodieDownUnder

Last week I made cauliflower and pea soup. 1 whole cauliflower chopped up, 1 potato, 1 onion, plenty of garlic, double handful fresh peas and plenty of white pepper. Just cover with enough vegetable stock or water, boil till tender and then stick blend. You could add cream but this time I didn't. This weekend I'll make a fridge clean out vegetable soup, whatever needs using up plus pearl barley, yummo

Torey

These all sound wonderful. Love potato soup. Love cauliflower soup. Love carrot soup. Carrot & bacon. Yum.

I usually make soup with whatever I have on hand in varying amounts. But I do have a couple of recipes that I follow the recipe, more or less. This link is for a vegan carrot soup, but with the smokiness of the wild rice and the umami of the mushrooms, it tastes quite rich and you don't miss the meat. https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/carrot-and-wild-rice-soup-with-thyme/53306 It was served in a high end restaurant that I worked in.

This next one, I don't know who to credit. The original recipe came from an unknown newspaper clipping many years ago and was called Arkansas Mountain Soup. I altered in a bit and renamed it. Very thick, kind of like bacon and beans.

CARIBOO MOUNTAIN SOUP                           

1 Pkg Dried Pinto Beans

8 Cups Water

Wash beans and add to water. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes and turn off heat. Cover and let stand 2 hours. Then simmer till fully cooked. Drain & reserve liquid. Add enough extra water to make 8 cups of liquid.

1 Med-Large Onion, finely diced

1 Lb. Bacon, finely diced

2-4 Cloves Garlic (or more to taste), finely chopped

1 – 28 oz. Can Tomatoes

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

1 – 2 Tsp Salt (to taste)

1 Tsp Pepper (to taste)

1Tsp Thyme

1 Tsp Savory

2 Tbsp Sweet Paprika

Cayenne, to taste, if desired

Fry the bacon till nearly done. Add onions and cook till softened. Add garlic and fry for another minute. Add to drained beans. Add broken up tomatoes, rice and spices. Add reserved bean liquid. Simmer till flavours are well combined. About ½ hour. More liquid may be added if necessary. 

RustBeltCowgirl

Currently have chicken stock in the crockpot simmering away.

karenjanicki

I make a bean dish in the crockpot sometimes. I like to use bone broth as the base. The last time I made it I roasted a chicken a few days before, then boiled the leftovers with some ACV. I soak beans the night before I make the dish, then add them to the bone broth and some water. I usually add salt, pepper, rosemary, bay leaves, garlic or onion powder and sometimes sage. I also like to add honey to give a hint of sweetness. I let it cook all day and then when it's close to done I add rice and cooked ham or bacon. It's nice with cornbread or rye :).

OhiohillsLouise

This time of year my soup is whatever the garden is giving me...potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, variety of greens, leeks, beans etc. Usually a broth of chicken, beef, or goat but sometimes just the tomato juices. I like beets in my soup too.

RustBeltCowgirl

Rather than start a new topic, I'm bringing this up and adding on. With Fall knocking on the door, Insteading had this article about fall soups. There's even a venison recipe if you scroll all the way to the bottom.

https://insteading.com/blog/fall-soup-recipes/

Tave

You can tell it's turning fall in the Northern Hemisphere. We're heading into a hotter than normal spring, but I still make soups. I just made a lamb stew with bone broth. It's so easy and doesn't require a lot of thinking when I'm overly busy. Just throw everything in the pot and let it simmer while I work.