by Kristen Smith
Scripps Howard News Service
It's the comfort food one reaches for when feeling ill.
It's also the food of choice when searching out new tastes, textures and flavors.
Soup is it.
Every culture does soup. It may not taste the same, it may not look the same and it may not be eaten in quite the same way, but it's on the menu.
Hot or cold, spicy or mild, thick or clear, meaty or vegetarian, there is a soup for every taste.
There really is no one definition for soup as there are too many kinds of soup, from the Spanish gazpacho to vichyssoise--both of which are served cold-- to French onion, often served smothered in baked cheese and tomato, both served piping hot.
Then there is the sorta-soup land, the chilis, the gumbos, the chowders and the stews, all sorta-soups, but distinctly different.
Chili is often chunky, red in color, spicy and most often contains chili powder. This one can be, and often is, lumped in with the stews.
So that brings us down to stew. Stews are made by slowly simmering meats and vegetables together in a liquid. Stews are heartier, thicker and more stick-to-your-bones than soups. Soups are often served as a first course (in a restaurant, at least) while those offering stews can get away with serving it as the entrée.
Okra, that's what makes a gumbo a gumbo, say those in the know. What else? A gumbo, like a stew, is thicker, more meal-like with bigger chunks of meats and vegetables. It also usually contains something called gumbo file.
What makes a chowder? Simple--potatoes and it's a thicker-based dish also usually served as a first course.
Here is a basic guide to soups:
- Cream soups--These are basically based with milk thickened with a roux and finished with heavy cream. They are often garnished with whatever adds flavoring to the soups, such as florets of broccoli for cream of broccoli soup or chucks of potatoes for cream of potato soup.
- Puréed soups--These are grittier, coarser and thicker than cream soups. The most commonly seen purée soups include peas, beans or squash.
- Bisques--The most common bisques are based on seafood, such as lobster and shrimp, which have been cooked in oil. They share many of the same characteristics of the purée and cream soups, but bisques often have small pieces of the meat floating in the thick soup. Over time, the soup has changed and can now be served in many different variations, including with sherry added at the last minute for more flavor.
- Vegetable soups--Clear-based broth soups that can include any number of vegetables and meats cut into bite-size pieces. Pastas, rices and other starches are also often added. Vegetable soups may also be cooked using a single vegetable, such as mushroom or onion, or for flavor, chicken.
- Broths--Clear soups that can often be used the same way as stocks, made from simmering vegetables or meats. Broths often serve as the base for other soups.
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes with chilies
2 small cans chicken broth
1 onion chopped; sautéed in olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
Chihuahua cheese, shredded
taco chips, crushed
1 cup chopped or shredded chicken, cooked
a variety of the following: black beans, matchstick carrots, fresh cilantro, 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Preparation:
Purée the stewed tomatoes, the chicken broth, the onion and the cumin. Add the chopped chicken and the rest of the ingredients. Heat through. Top with the cheese and taco chips.
--Recipe by Martha Mugford, North Naples, Fla.
Fresh Tomato and Ginger Soup
Ingredients:
meat from 2 to 3 chicken breasts
Ingredients for the marinade:
2 Tbs. water
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. dry sherry
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
Remaining ingredients for stock:
4 cups chicken stock or canned
2 Tbs. fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cubed
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or 3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbs. sesame oil
Preparation:
Combine chicken and marinade in bowl, then marinate while bringing stock to a boil. Bring stock to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat, add ginger and simmer for five minutes. Add chicken and tomatoes. Stir. Cook until chicken is done. Add dry sherry, salt, pepper, cilantro or green onions and sesame oil. Stir.
Remove chicken from stock and shred. Return to pot and heat briefly. Serve immediately. Water chestnuts and Chinese pea pods may also be added.
--Adapted from recipe by Pat Chelsky, submitted by friend Carolyn Hammis
Tomato-Scallion Soup
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 cup scallions, chopped
3 tsp. garlic, minced
3/4 cup pimento (roasted sweet red pepper) drained
1 cup water
2 cups nonfat, reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes in purée
1-1/2 tsp. dried basil
1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
one 16-oz. can tomatoes with no salt added
1/3 cup skim milk
Preparation:
Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium low, add oil and roll it around the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Add the chopped scallions and cook about for eight to 10 minutes or until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook one minute.
Meanwhile, purée the pimento with the water in a blender or food processor. When the scallions and garlic have cooked, add the puréed pimento mixture, two cups of the broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, thyme and parsley.
Drain the juice from the canned tomatoes into the pan. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add to the pan. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add the milk and cook a few minutes more to heat through. Do not allow to boil or the milk may curdle.
Makes four servings.
--Recipe by the American Institute for Cancer Research
Oyster Basil Chowder
Ingredients:
1 pint container oysters
3 cups milk
1 cup chopped onions
5 slices sourdough bread
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1-1/2 cups yellow corn kernels
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Preparation:
Remove any remaining pieces of shell from the oysters, set aside. Combine the milk, onion and bread in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place the mixture in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and add salt, pepper, corn and drained oysters. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add sherry and basil, mix well and serve immediately.
Makes six servings.
--Recipe by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Red's Hot Chili
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground chuck, venison or any combination of pork, sausage and beef mixture
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cans chili beans including liquid or 2 cans dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans diced tomatoes (any flavor)
1 can condensed tomato soup
3 cans beer or 2 cans beef broth
2 small cans mushrooms, chopped
6 Tbs. chili powder
2 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. paprika
3 large cloves garlic or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. crushed thyme
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
For added bite, add 2 to 6 hot banana peppers, chopped, or 2 to 6 jalapeno peppers, chopped
Preparation:
Brown the meat and drain, add onion, mushroom and all peppers. Cook until vegetable are soft. Place all ingredients in a large pot and simmer uncovered for two to four hours. For maximum flavor, cook one day ahead.
--Recipe by Ken (Red) Eagleton, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups dried black turtle beans
14 cups chicken stock
4 ham hocks
2 cups onions, finely chopped
2 cups celery, finely chopped
2 cups carrots, finely chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
6 Tbs. tablespoon red hot pepper sauce
6 bay leaves
juice of one large lemon
one 15-oz. can stewed tomatoes
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. chili powder
parsley sprigs or fresh watercress
thin lemon slices
Preparation:
Place the ham hocks in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for six to eight hours until they fall apart. Skim off all the fat and discard the fat, bones and meat, saving only the broth.
Wash the beans in cold water until the water runs clear. Sauté the onions, celery, red pepper, carrots and garlic until slightly brown. Add beans and browned vegetables to the ham broth. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, bay leaves, balsamic vinegar and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir well and reduce to a simmer. Cook until beans are tender--about two to three hours.
Remove bay leaves and add freshly ground pepper, cumin, allspice, chili powder and red hot pepper sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes more.
Crush approximately half the bean mixture with the back of a large spoon and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings to taste. If you wish, you may purée the soup. If the soup is too thick, add water a small amount at a time until reaching desired consistency.
Warm up the soup and garnish with parsley or watercress and float thin lemon slices on top. Droplets of sour cream may also be placed on top of each bowl. The flavor of the soup improves after the second day. Recipes serves about eight and may be halved.
--Recipe by Howard Camden, West Bloomfield, Mich.
(Contact Kristen Smith of the Naples Daily News in Florida at www.naplesnews.com.)
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