Soup anyone?

[Lovemybrood]

I have never made soup and would really like to have a go at making a basic one.

Does anyone have any good ideas to start with please?

I just made a watercress one.

1 litre Chicken stock
2 bags of Watercress
1 large potato

some bacon pieces if I have them in

Fry off potato (diced up small) and bacon if using it.
Add stock and bring to boil in saucepan.
Bung in watercress till wilted down
Cook for 10 mins on low heat
Blend

Lovely thanks, I will get some watercress tomorrow and try that

My simple favourite is Red Lentil, Tomato and Bacon

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic (optional), crushed
4oz red lentils
2 or 3 thick rashers of lean smoked bacon, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
olive oil
A can of chopped tomatoes
water or chicken stock
black pepper

• Heat the olive oil in a big saucepan and add the onion, garlic, carrots & bacon bits. Stir well and then allow to 'sweat' over a low heat for about 5 mins to extract maximum flavour
• Add the lentils, tomatoes and then fill the empty tomato can twice with either water or chicken stock and add this to the pan. Season with plenty of pepper (no salt because bacon is salty)
• Bring this to the boil and simmer for about 20 - 30 mins or until the lentils have disappeared into the soup. Check the seasoning. Serve as it is or, for a smoother result, blend with a hand blender.

You can jooshie this up with the addition of some chopped parsley and a blob of plain yoghurt swirled into the top...

My favorite is roasted tomato soup -

1kg tomatoes
an onion, chopped roughly
2x cloves garlic
some fresh thyme (dried if you don't have it or put rosemary instead)
fresh basil (optional)
1 litre veg stock (I use marigold reduced salt)
olive oil
salt, pepper

Put the tomatoes (whole), garlic (whole), onion, thyme in a roasting dish. Pour on some olive oil and season. Roast until the tomatoes are beginning to fall apart.

Pour the contents of the roasting dish into a pan and pour over the stock.
Remove the thyme stalks from the pan. Bring the pan back to almost boiling, turn it off then whizz it up with a hand blender. Add the basil just before blending if you are using it.

It is lush.

Fantastic all, I shall be trying all of these out on the family. Money is tight and soup is the way to go, DD2 and DH however will NOT touch the stuff.

Stick to your guns. If money is tight and you put a perfectly nourishing, tasty soup on the table DH should grow up and eat it.... DD2 will follow his lead.

agree with Chil - stick to your guns! Is it worth trying to find out why they won't eat it? DH used to say that he wouldn't eat soup but when I probed it turned out that he didn't like smooth blended soup, and will happily chow down on chunky ones (and I have convinced him of the merits of lentil soup too now that he thinks he could do with losing a bit of weight ).

I always use either proper stock (v easy to make chicken stock if you've been cooking thighs on the bone - much tastier and cheaper than breast) or stock cubes to make sure that it's not too bland - think that can be another reason why people don't like it. And nearly all of my soups start with a base of sauteed onion, carrot and celery - lots of lovely flavour in there.

I made a sweet potato & butternut squash soup. Had recipie from come dine with me website - there are loads on there

We love soup in our house, dh and ds take flasks in to work and school in the winter, and we often have it for dinner with lots of cheese and bread. I always used to think I didn't like soup, I think I didn't like the consistency of it being liquid food, and I don't like ones with meat cooked in, but having experimented, I have found what I like and we eat loads now.

this one is delicious in the winter, almost like a stew. I get Polish kabanos sausage to put in it.

another nice lentil soup I never bother roasting the tomatoes, I just used tinned.

butternut squash

Yesterday we had bean soup, fried off some diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Chucked in a tin of tomatoes and stock, with a bay leaf and sprig of rosemary, flat leaf parsley and seasoning. Added a tin of borlotti beans and tin of chickpeas. Simmered for a while, removed rosemary and bay leaf, blended a cupful of the soup, added it back in, and dinner was served.

Carrot and coriander soup-
Finely dice 1 onion and on potato. Sweat [ie cook in a little butter/oil over a very low heat, with lid on] for a few minutes. Add a few chopped up carrots and sweat until carrots start to soften. At this point I like to add some grated fresh ginger. Add stock [I use vegetable as I don't eat meat] and simmer till carrots are really soft. Add some chopped fresh parsley. Liquidise, add more stock if too thick. A little fresh orange juice really goes well at this stage too. Season to taste, add more coriander and a blob of yoghurt/ creme fraiche.

roasted red pepper and tomato... yum yum

1. roast 2 or 3 red peppers in olive oil with some garlic

2. put roasted peppers in saucepan with 2 cartons passatta and some basil, heat through

3. liquidise and serve

i have this for lunch nearly every day

really simple,quick and tasty veg soup

1 large onion
1 red pepper
2 large carrots
1 potato
2tsp swiss boullion powder or veg stock cube
1 half pints water

chop and lightly cook onions in tbsp olive oil
chop and add rest of veg
pour in water and stock
boil for half hour or so
hand blend in the pot to smooth or lumpy whichever you prefer and serve.

[[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soup-Occasions-Covent-Garden-Company/dp/0752226797/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=bo oks&qid=1280336194&sr=8-2 Covent Garden soup book]

Picked it up in The Works for about £2, and it's brilliant, loads of lovely easy recipes.

Sorry, I don't add parsley. I meant more coriander. I always add a little sugar to carrots as well.I also like a root vegetable soup. Buy a stew pack, chop up and sweat, then add a little curry powder. Cumin also goes well, or experiment with your own choice of spices. Add stock then simmer and liquidise.
Really, making soup is just a matter of chucking stuff in a pot and adding a few extra flavours.
If you eat meat then a good quality stock will add to the flavour a lot.
Happy simmering!

honestybox - I'm making that tomato one right now - spook-o.

Soup can make a really hearty meal - I serve it up with loads of crusty bread with hummus, guacamole and the like.

Soups are really one of the easiest things to make

I do mushroom soup, leek & potato, chicken & veg and recently started making spicy butternut and carrot soup which is just LUSH!

I tend to just wing it when I make them though, so can't post recipes

DP makes a fab fennel soup as well.

Oh and one tip - if you're making a soup with meat or chicken in it - add the bones to the soup and leave them in there while it simmers. Really give a fab flavour.