This is a great way to use up bits and pieces of certain leftovers, vegetables that may not be up to snuff for a stir-fry or side dish, and items you have kicking around that you do not know what to do with. Like that really small container of leftover taco meat you keep moving out of the way of the ice cube trays.
You will want to use your biggest pot as this soup can get away from you and grow quite large as you add what you find lying around the kitchen. Make sure your counters are cleared away so can you put everything out for inspection and decide what you will use.
First thing is the stock. I save the drippings and jus from roasts and poultry after cooking. If I do not use it for gravy, I put it in a container, let it cool to separate, then freeze it for later use. When I need it, I take it out and skim off the layer of fat, which I may or may not use to fry up onions or other veggies. You can even use gravy that you forgot about and is lying in the back of the freezer or leftover soup that is not worthy of a meal on its own. Even leftover fondue broth, if you roll that way.
Throw the liquid in a pot and then heat it up. It is usually strong, so it gets cut with water as I cook and I am careful with any potentially strong seasonings, like paprika and cayenne, adding it much later in the cooking process. If I do not have any jus, I will make stock from bones and carcasses or use store bought stock or just water with or without some bouillon; this is when you may have to be more generous with the seasoning. Throw in a couple/few bay leaves too if you have them.
While the stock is heating up, start sorting your other ingredients and cut away any nasty bits and cut the good stuff up for the pot. Do not be shy cutting away the undesirable bits, just do not go super crazy either. Rinse everything thoroughly. Chop everything up to be spoon-sized, not so small that you cannot recognise what it is, but not so big that you need a fork and knife to eat it either.
I have never made anyone sick serving this soup, by the way. A friend of mine whose father is a chef told me once something his father passed on to him: you can cook the "bad" out of raw foods, it is already-cooked ingredients you need to be careful of. I more or less knew this before, and I have always found it to be true when I have been in such situations, such as in the bush or as a very poor student making do.
Anyway, I do not use the bad bits. So, no worries.
As you are cutting everything up, keep those little crumb-like bits that come away when you chop veggies. They will all but dissolve and add another layer of flavour to the soup. For this particular soup, I have cauliflower, broccoli, kale (way too much for the boy's lizard to eat up before it goes off, so most it will be used), shanghai bok choy, a little bit of limp celery. I also have some potatoes from my garden that I harvested last November a week before we got dumped on. Incidentally, that is when I planted my garlic too, same patch the potatoes came out of. I rooted around in the bushel and found a half-dozen-odd smallish potatoes that took the brunt of the spade when digging them up. Perfect for "thoup", as one of my former Warrant Officers in the Army would say.
The first bits in the pot are root vegetables and the stems from your various vegetables. Yes, use the stems from your kale, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, and the like. And you know those little leafy bits hanging off the stems of your broccoli, throw them in too. People pay stupid money to buy it bagged as a salad ingredient. It does quite well in soups, stews, and stir-fries. Oh yeah, throw in the celery too. Leafy bits and all (not the nasty brown nub on the bottom though). People will tell you that the leafy part of celery is (mildly) toxic. Pshaw that is beaver turds, I have never died eating it. Besides, if it is actually true (depends on where you get your info), the heat from the cooking process neutralises the toxicity. Another tidbit, everything can kill you, knowledge and moderation are key people!
Speaking of leafy bits, other than the celery, put them in later, you do not want them too soggy. You can even throw them in 5-15 minutes before serving, with or without the pot on the element. Where are the potatoes I mentioned earlier, you ask? Well, a fatal (not really) error many people make is throwing them in right at the beginning. They do the same with barley and split peas and the like. Wrong! If you add them at the beginning, they let out all their starch and thicken the soup too soon. Your veggies will not soften to that right consistency. You will end up cooking the shizzle out of the soup to soften them. Remember, you are cutting up the potatoes to spoon size. They will be done in less than twenty minutes. Barley and split peas are a little different. Whether you soak them beforehand or not, you need more time. At least an hour or two, in my opinion.
So, if you cut the taters well before you put them in the pot, then cover them with water, they may brown otherwise. They will definitely dry out. When the time comes, dump in the potato water too, it has flavour in it. I do the same with the liquid from barley and split peas, if I soak them ahead of time. Ignore those who tell you to dump the water. Again, there is flavour there.
Before you start seasoning, and throughout the cooking process, monitor the taste, too strong, add some water or commercial stock. If it is bland, do not just add a bunch of salt and pepper. Use herbs and garlic and the like. If it is still bland, I have a secret weapon. Some time ago during one of the family's forays to Chilly Chiles, I came across a hot sauce that really helps bring the flavour up in bland foods. It is called The Evil One, and it comes from the UK of all places. The company that makes it is called Grim Reaper Foods. Now, I do not normally go for the kitschy type sauces, especially the ones with capsaicin extract (yes, the same stuff in "pepper" spray), but this one has that "je ne sais quoi" that helps food, not making it ridiculously hot either. Many hot sauces do not, many just add pointless heat, not flavour. This guy though, is not in my daily repertoire. (I will cover hot sauces at some future date.) At over twenty bones (at the time) for a 100 ml (3½ oz) bottle, I was not going to use it every day. It has come in handy a few times though, when I just could not get the flavour profile right.
pretty self-explanatory what this is
So, I have just a half an onion left and I want to save it for omelettes. No biggie. The stock is extremely flavourful this go-round, so I do not need any. Nor do I need garlic this time either. Usually, I use copious amounts of both. If I do discover that I need a bit of that allium oomph, I will used dried, granulated onion and garlic, not powder, that stuff is awful.
How long does this soup take to make? Depends. You can actually make it in about twenty minutes, start to finish. If you cook on high heat and ingredients are leftovers from frozen or tinned or the like. Even with fresh ingredients, if they are chopped pretty small. And you chop really quickly, keep on eye on your blade though, you do not want to lose any digits. Remember, soup-sized potatoes take less than twenty minutes from the boil, as little as ten minutes in fact. But really, plan for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half. Enjoy the process of cooking. Me, I do not like to chop quickly, unless I really need to. When it comes to soups, stews, and other one pot dishes, I like to take a relaxed pace. It can take several hours if you like. This batch, I will cook in the end for four-five hours. Low heat, doing little chores in between, typing this post.
So, the soup, it is almost done (said with a cheesy French accent). I have decided to add a big-butt can of Heinz Beans In Tomato Sauce to the pot for some protein. I am also adding some canned baby corn, sans the can juice and rinsed, chopped up for texture.
The beans and corn tamed out the flavour, so now I have added the granulated onion and garlic. Also, some Hungarian paprika and fresh ground white pepper.
So, you can put pretty much anything in this soup you want and you can make it at any pace. I know a lot of people do not keep stock on hand or save the drippings from roasts, and if you are not keen on water as your liquid base, use tomatoes in any form you have, that is what is in tomato soup. Right? Oh, and no, you do not need to de-seed or remove the skins if you are using fresh tomatoes. Just chop it up small and cook away. No need to make extra work.
Well, the soup is pretty much done. This time I spent four hours on it, but like I said, I like to take a relaxed pace. I have made versions in an hour and an hour-and-a-half, even quicker than that. I may yet add some frozen corn niblets for brightness and added crunch.
See, you can put anything in this soup! Anytime!!
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