The post 10 Drinkable Soups for Outdoor Gatherings appeared first on CIA Foodies.
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During these cold winter months, our gatherings are typically indoor and out of the elements. But this year is unlike others, and many of us are taking our socially-distant get-togethers outside.
Eating outside can be a challenge, since your hands are cold, your face is cold, and your food gets cold so quickly! Which is why we’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about soup—particularly spoon-free soup that is smooth enough to sip.
If you and your bubble need a little face-time with friends and family, try some of these drinkable soups to keep everyone warm and cozy (skip any garnishes that may get in the way).
For a little extra soup know-how, check out these videos about making cream soups and purée soups.
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]]>The post All About Roux appeared first on CIA Foodies.
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If you’re feeling the spirit of Mardi Gras, you may be inspired to try your hand at a Cajun or Creole recipe, like gumbo or shrimp etouffee.
The key to many of these flavorful, complex dishes is the roux, a cooked flour and fat mixture that thickens, colors, and flavors a number of your favorite dishes.
Roux thickens sauces, soups, and stews and lends those dishes a special flavor. Cooking flour in fat before using to thicken renders inactive an enzyme that, if not destroyed by high heat, interferes with the flour’s thickening ability. Cooking flour also changes the flour’s raw cereal taste to a toasty or nutty flavor. Both the flavor and the color become deeper the longer the roux cooks.
In addition to thickening a dish, roux will change the color of a sauce and, if a dark roux is used, lend it a nutty or toasted flavor. For example, dark roux is particularly important in Creole and Cajun cuisines, where it gives gumbos and stews their unique character. Another advantage of using roux is that the starches present in the flour do not break down as easily as some others, creating a more stable thickened sauce.
Roux can be prepared with any type of white wheat flour; however, the most desirable is all-purpose flour due to its starch content.
Clarified butter is the most common fat used for making roux, but whole butter, vegetable oils, rendered chicken fat, or other rendered fats may also be used. Each fat will influence the finished dish’s flavor.
To make a roux, heat the fat over medium heat and add the flour, stirring to combine. The basic formula for a roux is 60 percent flour to 40 percent fat (by weight). The roux should be very smooth and moist, with a glossy sheen—not dry or greasy. It should look like “sand at low tide.” Adjust the roux’s texture by adding more flour or fat.
Stir the roux as it cooks to keep it from scorching and continue to cook it to the desired color. To reduce the chances of scorching, large quantities of roux may be placed in a moderate oven (350° to 375°F) to complete cooking.
The four basic colors of roux are white (barely colored or chalky), blond (golden straw color with a slightly nutty aroma), brown (deep brown with a strong nutty aroma), and dark (dark brown with a pronounced nutty flavor and aroma).
Once the roux is cooked to its desired doneness, it is ready to use, or it may be cooled and stored for later use.
Roux can be combined with liquid in three ways. Cool roux may be added to hot liquid, cool liquid may be added to hot roux, or warm roux may be added to liquid of the same temperature. For any approach, though, follow these general guidelines:
- Avoid temperature extremes to prevent lumping.
- Cool or room temperature roux can be incorporated into hot liquid more easily than ice-cold roux because the fat is not as solid.
- Very cold liquid should not be used, as it will initially cause the roux to harden.
- Extremely hot roux should be avoided, because it may spatter when combined with a liquid and cause serious burns.
The full thickening action of the roux becomes evident when the liquid has reached approximately 200°F. Long-cooking sauces and soups are further thickened through reduction.
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]]>The post Basic Method for Puréed Soups appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>Cooking onions and garlic in a little oil or a bit of bacon fat infuses the soup with savory richness. The way you purée your soup can have almost as much influence on the way the soup tastes as the ingredients you choose. The instructions we offer here give you all the options from chunky to coarse to silky smooth.
- Sweat the aromatics and add liquid: Sweat the aromatic vegetables and, if appropriate, the main flavoring ingredient. Add the liquid, which may be prepared broth, stock, or even water, and bring to a full boil; establish a gentle simmer. Add the main flavoring ingredient, if it was not added with the aromatics, and continue to simmer.
- Simmer gently until ingredients will purée easily: Simmer until all the ingredients are soft enough to purée easily. Because most puréed soups are fairly starchy, they should be stirred frequently during cooking to prevent scorching. A gentle cooking speed and a heavy-gauge pot will also help to prevent scorching. If the soup does begin to scorch, it should be immediately transferred to a cool, clean pot and the flavor should be checked. If the soup does not taste scorched, the process may be continued.
- Add the spice sachet: Add the spice sachet or bouquet garni approximately 1 hour before the end of the cooking time. Check the flavor as the soup develops; remove and discard the sachet or bouquet garni when the proper flavor extraction is reached.
- Purée the soup: Purée the soup using one of the methods described below, garnish as desired, and serve. Soups that have become too thick during cooking, or if you have made them ahead, can be thinned with stock or water after they have returned to a boil. It is rare for puréed soups to be too thin, but if your soup is, simmer it over low heat to evaporate some moisture and concentrate the flavor.
Puréeing the Soup
You can purée soups by a variety of means: using a handheld blender directly in the soup pot, with a sieve or a food mill, or in a countertop blender food processor. Follow these guidelines to avoid scalds and burns.
- For all soups: The first step, regardless of what piece of equipment you intend to use, is to pull the pot off the heat and let the soup cool for at least 10 minutes.
Using a handheld blender: Be sure that the soup pot is not too full. You should have at least 4 inches of space between the top of the soup and the top of the pot. If the soup fills the pot more than that, transfer some of the soup to another bowl or pot. Put the head of the blender under the surface of the soup before you turn it on. Then, run the blender until the soup is smooth. You can strain the soup through a fine sieve after you purée it this way to remove any strings or fibers from the vegetables, if necessary.
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]]>The post Cream of Broccoli Soup appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>Ingredients
- 2 lb broccoli, separated into stems and florets, stems peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 leek, white and light green parts, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warm
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
Directions
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Reserve 1 cup of the nicest-looking small broccoli florets for garnish. Coarsely chop the remaining broccoli florets and stems.
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Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, celery, and chopped broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
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Add the flour and cook to make a blond roux, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the flour is well-coated and the mixture is lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the stock or broth to the pot, whisking well to work out any lumps. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until flavorful and thickened, about 45 minutes, stirring frequently and skimming as necessary.
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Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Add the reserved broccoli florets to the boiling water and cook just until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the florets from the pot and plunge them into the bowl of ice water. When cool, drain and reserve.
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Strain the soup and reserve both the solids and the stock or broth. Purée the solids in a blender or food processor, adding broth as needed to facilitate puréeing. Combine the purée with enough of the reserved broth to achieve the consistency of heavy cream. Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve, if desired.
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Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve immediately, garnished with the reserved florets.
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]]>The post Cream of Mushroom Soup appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>More “exotic” varieties of mushrooms, such as cremini and oyster, work well in this soup, as do regular white mushrooms. Use a combination or a single variety, depending on your taste and what’s available. You may also opt to season the soup with a touch of sherry instead of the lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 8 cups chopped mushrooms (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (white part only)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, heated
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, celery, and leek. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Whisk in the broth gradually. Add the thyme sprig, bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
- Remove and discard the thyme. Purée the soup, then strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Return the soup to the soup pot and place over low heat. Add the heavy cream and season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Heat the soup, but do not boil.
- Serve in heated bowls, garnished with the reserved cooked mushrooms.
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]]>The post Cream of Tomato Soup appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 quart vegetable stock
- One 28-oz can plum tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Ground white pepper, as needed
- Basil chiffonade, as needed
Directions
- Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the stock, chopped basil, and tomatoes, reserving a little bit of the juice from the tomatoes. Simmer until the onions and tomatoes are completely tender, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the cream has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- Purée the soup using an immersion blender, or in batches using a blender or food processor.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Return the puréed soup to the pot, if necessary, bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, and stir in the reduced cream. If necessary, thin the soup with the reserved tomato juice. Season with salt and white pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with the basil.
Chef’s Note: The consistency of the soup may be adjusted to suit your taste. Leave some chunks of tomato, if desired, or continue to purée until the soup is completely smooth.
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]]>The post How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup Without a Recipe appeared first on CIA Foodies.
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Hearty vegetable soups (broth + veggies + other ingredients, left chunky) are for more than the cold of winter, since they can showcase some of our favorite spring and summer veggies! Best of all, you don’t need a recipe to make a flavorful hearty soup, as long as you follow a few basic steps.
The Basic Steps for a Hearty Vegetable Soup
- Cook the aromatic ingredients in a little fat.
- Add the broth and ingredients that require the longest cooking times. Season the soup throughout cooking time.
- Add the remaining ingredients in sequence.
- Simmer the soup, skimming as necessary, until all the ingredients are tender.
- Add any final flavoring adjustments and serve, or cool the soup according to the preceding instructions, transfer to a storage container, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Reheat the soup and serve in heated bowls with garnishes as desired.
Ingredient Options
You can choose a wide array of ingredients to include in your own improvised vegetable soups. If you want to add precooked ingredients, remember that they only need to simmer in the soup long enough to get hot. Use the following as a guideline to determine when to add these ingredients.
Meats, Poultry, and Fish
Cuts of meat that are more mature and less tender or poultry should be added to the soup early in the cooking process so that it will flavor the broth properly and finish cooking at the same time as the other ingredients.
Add fish or shellfish to hearty broths close to the end of cooking time to prevent them from becoming overcooked. Add cubed or shredded cooked meats, poultry, or fish meant as a garnish during the final 10 minutes of cooking time, just long enough to heat them.
Grains and Pasta
Allow grains and pasta a little more time than would be necessary to cook them in boiling salted water. These ingredients also will give some body to the soup.
Legumes
Lentils and black-eyed peas are added to the soup along with the stock so that they will cook fully. Other beans should be cooked separately and added during the final 10 or 15 minutes of cooking time, just long enough to fully heat them. Add drained and rinsed canned beans at the same time as you would cooked dry beans.
Dense or Starchy Vegetables
Turnips, carrots, potatoes, winter squash, rutabagas, beets, parsnips, and potatoes cut into small dice typically require 30 to 45 minutes to fully cook through.
Green Vegetables
Peas, green beans, and leafy vegetables such as spinach or kale are added during the final 15 to 20 minutes of simmering time for the soup. Some chefs prefer to blanch these vegetables to help set the colors before adding them to a soup.
Tomatoes
In some cases, tomatoes may be added at the beginning of cooking time, along with the aromatic ingredients, to act as a broth flavoring. A tomato garnish may be added during the final 5 or 10 minutes of simmering time.
Herbs and Spices
Dried herbs and most spices are added to the aromatic vegetables to release flavor into the broth throughout cooking time. Fresh or dried herbs and spices also may be added in the form of a sachet or bouquet during the final 15 to 20 minutes of simmering time, or as a final addition of fresh herbs just before service, for the freshest flavor.
Aromatic Options
The first step when you prepare hearty vegetables soups is to build a flavorful base out of a variety of aromatics. The ingredients you choose as the aromatic base will influence the entire soup. Members of the onion family, including leeks, shallots, garlic, and onions, are universally appreciated.
Combinations of vegetables, like mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery), the Cajun Trinity (onions, peppers, and celery), or Asian-influenced mixtures, are usually cooked gently in a bit of oil or fat. Mushrooms, both fresh and dried, scallions, ginger, galangal, and other intensely flavored ingredients typically are cooked in fat as the first step in soup making. Not only does the fat help to cook the aromatics, it also helps to distribute flavor throughout the soup.
The degree to which the aromatics are cooked has a strong influence on a soup’s final flavor and color. Some recipes ask you to cook the aromatics until they are just limp and translucent; professionals refer to this as “sweating” the vegetables because the vegetables actually start to release some of their own moisture. If you cover the pot, it helps to cook the aromatics a little more quickly; this technique is known as “smothering.” Other recipes may instruct you to cook the aromatics until they develop a golden color or even become a rich golden brown.
If your recipe calls for spices, you may be instructed to add them to the aromatics and cook. This step helps to open up the flavor of the spice. Since the flavor in most spices is carried by fat better than it is by water, we recommend you add most of the spice at the start of cooking time. Dried herbs also are added at this point, although fresh herbs are best added near the end of cooking time.
The broth is added to the pot once the aromatic base is prepared, along with the remaining ingredients. You may add everything all at once, but very often these soups contain a selection of vegetables. The sequence you follow when you add the ingredients depends upon their individual cooking times. Some vegetables are very dense, starchy, or fibrous. Those vegetables are added near the start of cooking time. Tender or quick-cooking vegetables, like peas or corn, are added in the final minutes of cooking time. Make sure you taste the soup occasionally as it simmers so you can make small adjustments to the seasonings as you go.
Hearty vegetable soups like minestrone are best when each vegetable is cooked until it is tender, but can still hold its shape. When you introduce long-cooking ingredients like dried beans or pasta, you may find it helpful to cook them separately. Doing so maintains a lighter, brothier texture in the soup.
Soups are very forgiving. The only important caution is this: Soups left to simmer for hours and hours lose nutrients, texture, and colors. Taste the soup carefully once all of the ingredients are properly cooked. You may find that you need a bit more salt and pepper, or you may want to add ingredients like lemon or lime juice, citrus zest, chopped fresh herbs, or a dash of wine.
Finishing and Garnishing Options
Many vegetable soups are made from a combination of ingredients. Some garnishing and finishing options include a dash of lime or lemon juice or a splash of vinegar, an addition of freshly chopped herbs, grated cheese, a drizzle of oil, or dice or shredded meat, fish, or poultry.
Beans, pastas, and rice (cooked directly in the soup or cooked separately and added at the last minute) are also common. Croutons are used to garnish a variety of different soups.
Now that you have all the information you need to freestyle your own hearty vegetable soup, you don’t need a recipe! But for some inspiration, here are a few of our favorites:
Ham Bone and Collard Green Soup
The post How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup Without a Recipe appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>Ingredients
- 1 lb Yukon potatoes, diced
- 1 lb leeks, thinly sliced
- 2 quart chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
Directions
- Simmer the vegetables, stock, and salt together, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside, uncovered, until just before serving, then reheat to a simmer.
- Off the heat and just before serving, stir in the cream. Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with herbs.
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]]>The post Minguichi (Chile and Cheese Soup) appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>This soup, from Michoacán in Western Mexico, is perfect at the end of summer when the tomatoes and corn are at their best, but it’s just as flavorful in the winter, and even quicker to make from canned tomatoes and frozen corn. If you wish, you can stir the cheese into the entire pot of soup just before you serve it, but we like the way the heat of the soup melts the cheese while you eat it.
Ingredients
- 3 cups seeded and quartered plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 cups minced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 roasted poblano chiles, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 5 oz queso manchego
Directions
- Purée the tomatoes through a food mill or in a blender and reserve.
- Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the corn and sauté until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the puréed tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the broth and continue to simmer until the corn is tender and the soup is flavorful, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the roasted poblano strips and simmer until they flavor the soup, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and cream and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Divide the cheese equally between 6 warmed soup bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the cheese and serve at once.
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]]>The post New England Clam Chowder appeared first on CIA Foodies.
]]>Ingredients
- 3 dozen chowder clams
- 2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice, or as needed
- 2 slices bacon, minced
- 1 1/4 cups diced onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups diced yellow or white potatoes
- 3 cups heavy cream or half and half
- 6 tablespoons dry sherry, or as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- Tabasco sauce, as needed
- Worcestershire sauce, as needed
- Oyster or saltine crackers, as needed
Directions
- Scrub the clams well under running water. Shuck the clams, reserving the juices. Cut the larger clams in half. Mix the reserved juices with enough bottled clam juice to equal 3 cups.
- Cook the bacon slowly in a soup pot over medium heat until lightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the clam juice, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, add more clam juice to adjust the consistency. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the clams and cream or half and half in a saucepan and simmer together until the clams are cooked, 5 to 8 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender, add the clams and cream to the soup base. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sherry. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Serve in heated bowls with crackers on the side.
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