Soup

This time of year, well, truthfully, any time of year, I love soup. I love to make a pot of it and eat it all week. There is something very comforting and nourishing about a bowl of soup.

Did you know you don't need a recipe for soup? There is a basic formula for homemade soup. So, what this means is you don't need a recipe. Just learn the formula and you can make soup!

THE FORMULA:
Step 1 -
Choose your fat: butter, olive oil, bacon fat, ghee, etc.
Choose your aromatics: onion, leeks, carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, shallots, fennel.
Saute aromatics and hard veggies and season with a little salt.

Step 2 -
Choose your proteins: chicken, beef, turkey, beans, sausage, ham, etc.
Brown proteins, if using.

Step 3 -
Choose your liquid base: chicken stock, beef stock, vegetable stock, tomatoes,
Add the cooking liquid and any herbs you want (start with salt and pepper), season again and simmer.

Step 4 -
Choose your add-ins: veggies - corn, peas, broccoli, spinach, kale; starches – potatoes, pasta, rice, barley; extras – canned tomatoes, squash, roasted peppers.
Add soft veggies, delicate ingredients, heat through.

Step 5 -
Choose how to finish your soup: cream, coconut milk, cheese, cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Adjust seasonings.
Choose garnish: cheese, croutons, citrus, herbs.

Now, here is a soup made with this formula....

HOMEMADE SOUP WITHOUT A RECIPE

Step 1 -
Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan. Turn on heat to medium-high.
Chop equal parts of onion, carrots, and celery (called a mirepoix). For this recipe, I am using 1 cup of each.
Add to hot oil and sprinkle with salt. Saute until the onion is translucent.
Add several cloves of chopped garlic to the pan and cook for about one minute.

Step 2 -
Add protein - chopped chicken breast (I am adding 1 pound) to the pan and saute until browned.

Step 3 -
Add cooking liquid - chicken broth – about 1 cup per serving (I am adding 8 cups). Add any herbs or other seasonings that you want to use (I'm adding two bay leaves, some oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes). Simmer.

Step 4 -
Add delicate ingredients – pasta – 1 cup. Heat through until pasta is al dente.

Step 5 -
Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper), and garnish (I am using a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped parsley).

YOU'VE MADE SOUP!

You are only limited by your imagination.

Some variations:
1 – hamburger, beef broth
2 – ham, beans
3 – bacon, potatoes