Lunch ‘n’ learn: soup

Soup procedure

I notice that by following this general procedure and varying the vegetables, grains, legumes, broth and spices, you can get a wide range of simple, delicious soups on the table any day of the year.

1. The fat. Whether a hearty winter stew or a light summer gazpacho, every soup needs a little boost of flavour and nutrition from some healthy fats. I add as much as I need to cover the bottom of the pan so that I can sauté the flavour base ingredients, and that’s usually enough. If I’m cold or feeling festive, I might stir in a few glugs of olive oil towards the end of cooking for an splash of decadence. This is almost mandatory when making Ribollita; in our house we say the soup requires “Tuscan” amounts of olive oil 🙂 For soups, I usually stick to these basic options:
   1. Olive oil, not cold-pressed
   2. Raps oil, not cold-pressed
   3. Coconut oil: unrefined oil brings its unique flavour to the dish which works with Asian-style soups. Refined coconut oil has been processed to remove its scent and a is a good option when the coconut flavour would otherwise dominate.
2. The flavour base. Fry together any combination of the following until soft and fragrant:
   
   1. onions
   2. leek
   3. garlic
   4. dried/fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, bay leaf… Leave more delicate herbs like parsley, dill, fresh coriander, etc as toppings at the end.
   5. spices like paprika, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dried whole chili… or spice pastes like Thai curry
   6. ginger
   7. tomato paste
   8. raisins or other dried fruit such as apricots
3. The liquid. Add any of the following, or a combination, and bring to a boil:
   
   1. water
   2. vegetable broth
      1. The Foodoo Bouillon Paste from Mein Küchenchef is cool because it is made from food waste veggies and has no added fat, but as mentioned in class, it is quite salty.
      2. I sometimes make my own veggie stock along these guidelines. I like the trick of saving vegetable trimmings like the tough, green part of leeks, parsley stalks, carrot trimmings, etc in a freezer bag and throwing them in with the stock. I even save onion peels sometimes, but last time I over-did and my stock was very bitter 🙂
      3. I just saw a post about mushroom broth on 101 cookbooks which sounds like a delicious, versatile thing.
   3. coconut milk
   4. unsweetened plant-based milk such as soy, oat, or almond
   5. tomato juice (Passata)
4. The veggies. Any seasonal veggies. The size and shape you choose to cut the veggies will affect the final consistency of the soup and the cooking time. Play around! Here are some examples, randomly categorized 🙂
   1. orange: pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots — these cook relatively fast, and are all good as blended soups or chunks
   2. roots: parsnip, celery root, jerusalem artichokes, parsley root, potato, beetroot — blended or chunky
   3. green / spring: broccoli, fresh peas, sugar snap peas, asparagus, leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach — these cook fast so add towards the end of the cooking process. I usually leave them whole, but you can also make a bright green soup by shortly cooking greens and then blending
   4. summer: aubergine, paprika, zucchini, tomato — blended or chunky
5. The protein/carbs. Add any of the following in order of cooking time. Use a mix of different types of lentils/beans to make the consistency more interesting, e.g. lentils and chickpeas.
   1. Soft lentils like red or yellow hulled lentils will fall apart when cooked and make a creamy, hearty purée
   2. Green or black lentils hold their shape when cooked
   3. Yellow or green split peas
   4. Cooked chickpeas
   5. Cooked beans
   6. Millet
   7. Wholegrain wheat/spelt/barley, soaked overnight
6. The texture. Leave the soup chunky or purée if desired. You can also choose to blend some of the veggies (e.g. a creamy root vegetable base) and then throw in some fast cooking veggies after (broccoli/cauliflower/leafy greens) after for just a couple of a minutes to add texture and colour. If you go the creamy route and want an extra boost, add any of the following while puréeing:
   1. soy/oat/coconut cream
   2. almond/peanut butter, tahini
   3. cooked white beans
7. Final touches. Brighten up the final flavour by stirring in any the following after removing from heat:
   
   1. lemon juice/splash of vinegar
   2. chopped fresh herbs
   3. miso paste
8. Toppings. Even a somewhat plain and boring soup can be brought to life by loading it with delicious toppings such as:
   1. chopped fresh herbs for flavour and colour
   2. roasted nuts/chickpeas for crunch
   3. croutons for crunch
   4. sprouts for crunch and nutrition boost
   5. drizzle of oil or balsamic reduction for flavour and because it looks pretty
   6. a few slices of avocado, when in season in Spain

Most important: use all your senses (smell, taste, hear, touch) and taste often!

If cooking has been an intimidating prospect, I think this soup procedure is a good place to start. It is forgiving and does not demand exact quantities and if you are mindful and taste along the way, it is rare to end up with something truly inedible at the end. At the worst it will be just “okay” and at best, a delicious, nourishing, home-cooked meal.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of soups I like that are generally simple, delicious and nourishing: