im thinking of making a vegetable soup from scratch any ideas on how i do it ?

Question

i brought loads of vegetables do i just stick them in a saucepan and add water etc seasoning ? how do you make soup ?

Answer 1

Don't just stick them in a saucepan and add water!

Use basic stock vegetables as a base, i.e. 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot and 1 chopped stick of celery. Fry these off in a little olive oil - add a spot of butter if you aren't scared of butter, it will only make the sauce taste better.

What you have right now should be a bunch of chopped and softened basic vegetables which will give your soup body and depth. Next, think of what you want the main flavour to be. Don't just chuck a whole load of indiscriminate vegetables together, different veg have different characters.

Mix ingredients with complementary ones. Peas are sweet and have an affinity with mint, which sharpens them and makes them less cloying. Parsnips and swedes and squash are bland and therefore like spice and heat (chilli/cumin/curry powder), which make them earthy and sexy. Broccoli is essentially dull and healthy but has a thing about cheese, which gives it a sense of sin, and so on. Fennel is astringent and could probably use something salty and meaty, if you eat meat at all, like pancetta. Celeriac tastes like celery, and therefore doesn't need to meet something equally clean-tasting.

Add enough water or stock to your frying chopped veg to make up almost the quantity of soup you want to make. Bring it to a simmer. Next, add your main vegetable or two. If they are large, chop them into bite-size chunks, it'll make them cook quicker. If, like peas, they're small, watch them until they are just right.

When the veg are tender and it all tastes kind of okay but just slightly too watery, scoop out roughly two-thirds of your soup mixture and puree it in a blender. Return the puree to the pan. The flavour will be way better once you've pureed it.

Don't forget salt and pepper. Good luck.

Answer 2

Cut up all your vegetables, put them in a large saucepan , add some broth mix (dried peas, barley etc, you can get it at most super markets) then pour over vegetable stock, (made with mixing stock cubes with water) fill the pot till the veggies are covered by a good few inches of stock. Bring to the boil, then ,leave to simmer for a few hours. If you want your soup to be thicker, add some cornflour mixed with a little water whilst simmering. This is how I make soup, and it always tastes good! x

Answer 3

A few pointers from my french friends
The stock:

-- Homemade chicken or vegetable stock is best. Make a big batch on the weekend and freeze it in quart containers.

The foundation

-- Lay your aromatic foundation: In your chosen fat, saute your choice of chopped onion, shallot, leek, spring onion, green garlic and/or garlic. Cook until softened.

The vegetables

-- Add your vegetables, trimmed and chopped. Figure on about 1 1/2 pounds of vegetables to 4 cups of stock. If you add a thickener like rice, as in the asparagus soup, you'll need more stock.

-- Mix complementary vegetables: peas and turnips; carrots and celery root; spinach and fennel. If you have leftover cooked vegetables that would harmonize, add them near the end of the cooking time. They only need to heat through.

-- Green vegetables such as asparagus and peas will keep their color better if you cook them uncovered.

The technique

-- Better to make your puree too thick than too thin. You can always adjust a thick soup with stock.

-- A blender does a better job of pureeing than a food processor, although a processor will work. When pureeing, put the solids into the blender jar or work bowl first, then add just enough liquid to make a thick puree. With the motor running, add more liquid until the soup is the consistency you like.

Substitutions

-- A little half-and-half, cream or creme fraiche can add richness and body but is rarely essential. If you are fat-conscious, leave it out.

-- I prefer the flavor of butter in most of these soups, but you can substitute olive oil.

Answer 4

Personally I would start with an onion or two, fried in (very little) olive oil, then add some chopped garlic, then about q pint of water and the longer cooking veg: carrots and other root veg, peppers, etc cut up how you want them, and when they are starting to soften, add things like tomato. Taste the soup and add a veg stock cube if you think it needs it.

In my opinion, potatoes do not work in soup unless pureed, but you can add a can of beans - baked beans in tomato sauce works well, or a tin of cannelini or kidney beans. Basically, it's your soup, darling; you put in what you want!

Answer 5

Get soup bones from your butcher. Put in carrots celery and onions as a base with a pot of water and simmer for about an hour. Use pepper and salt to your own taste. Add the veggies you like the most. Remove bones after the hour.

Good luck

Answer 6

Ok let's see how many I can think of... Lasagna Chicken Pot Pie Steak & Potatoes Homemade Mac N Cheese Beef Stew Meatloaf Homemade Pizza Chicken Tacos Caesar Salad Grilled Cheese and Soup Gnocchi and Cheese (Gnochi is a pasta, really good and super easy to cook!) Nachos Chicken Alfredo Pesto and Mozzeralla Pizza or Pasta Burgers Pulled Pork Ribs Buffalo Chicken Good Luck

Answer 7

Make the tastiest stock ever by frying chopped fresh tomatoes and onions until soft, then add oxo cubes and water, dependant on how much you need to make. Simmer for 20 minutes or so and then sieve or liquidise. Then... the final ingredient, a huge splash of Bovril stirred in makes this the most delicious start for soup or just use as gravy. For soup, dice onions, carrots, swede, and or any other favourite veg, add to stock and simmer for another 20 minutes or so.

Answer 8

For simplicity I just dice or chop up whatever vegetables I can lay my hands on, add water or stock, seasoning (not salt) and herbs and cook, add salt to taste.
Potatoes are a good thickener.
Serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt for a creamy soup.
Add small bits of pasta for a change.
I don't usually bother to blend or liquidise as I like my vegetable soup chunky country style.

Answer 9

Start off with a pan full of stock....you can use vegetable stock cubes for this. Eventually, add all of your vegetables, diced or sliced howerver you prefer it, add seasoning to suit yourself, and add a good handful of lentils to thicken it. Bring the whole lot to the boil, and then cover and simmer for a couple of hours, stirring it occasionally.

Answer 10

Buy ready prepared stock (chicken or beef) from Supermarket, dice vegetables add them to stock, bring to boil and then let simmer for one and a half hours. Season to taste.
It is delicious.
Serve in a deep bowl and eat with a fresh crusty roll or crusty bread.
Can anyone beat that?