Volume 12, Issue 016 - January 22, 2007

Good Day Friend,

A Week of Soup:

It has been unusually cold this past week or so and that just makes us think of soup. There are few things more satisfying than sipping on a good bowl of soup. I had a most hearty Hot and Sour Soup the other night with a group of friends. It was richer, in a beefy sort of way, than most soups of its type. Even in the crowded restaurant, you noticed how quiet our table became as we sipped away.

Soup is a typically savory liquid food, although sometimes it can be sweet. It is made by combining ingredients like meat, seafood, vegetables and/or beans or pasta in water or stock, and then cooked to form a broth. This flavored broth can then take on many forms. It can be left clear, it can be puréed, ingredients can be added to it, it can be thickened or enhanced with delicate cream. The combinations are limitless.

This week we will look at different types of soups and how they have become some of the classics we know and love.

Let's get started...

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As I said, it has been cold in our part of the country this year, and I like a bowl of hearty soup when the chill sets in. Split Pea Soup comes to mind when I think of classic hearty soups. It is also one of the easiest soups to make. From start to finish, it can be made in a little under three hours, and with very little supervision.

Peas have been around for more than 20,000 years, according to some archaeologists. When buying yours, look for bags with clean, colorful dried peas and very little dust or debris.

Split Pea Soup

I like ham in my split pea soup, so I've included it in this recipe. Carrots are almost always an ingredient in this soup—they add a natural sweetness lost in the drying of the peas.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 quarts vegetable stock or water
1 pound split peas
4 pounds ham bones or hocks
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
3 sprigs parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy stock pot and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 2 hours, or until the soup has thickened and the meat is "melt in your mouth tender," falling off the bone.

Remove the bones and any loose meat from the soup and allow to cool until they are easy to handle. Pick through the bones and meat and return the meat back into the soup.

The soup should have enough salt from the ham bones or hocks. If not add a bit at the end.

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Sopping Up Soup

Soup and bread just seem to go together. In medieval Europe bread was not only a staple food item, it was also used at table service. Stale bread would be sliced thick and actually used as an absorbent plate, which might be eaten or tossed off to the domestic animals. The use of bread to sop up soup is still a tradition today.

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Classic French Onion Soup

Everyone calls their French onion soup "classic," and I guess that is okay. Typically it is made from caramelizing onions in butter which brings out the sweetness of the onions, the pot is deglazed with either brandy or sherry and then a rich beefy broth is added. The soup is then topped with a crouton and cheese before the whole thing goes into the oven or under a broiler. Just sounds "classic," doesn't it?

This is my simple version of this soup. I use both beef and chicken stock for a less beefy, sweeter onion flavor.

Ingredients:

6 each white or yellow onions
1/4 pound butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sherry
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 quart beef stock
1 quart chicken stock

Garnish:

crouton from baguette
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
Gruyere, sliced
parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Cut the tops and bottoms off the onions and slice them in half through the center, from top to bottom. Remove the outside skins and discard them.

Take each onion half and slice it along the natural lines on its surface in julienne fashion. Repeat until done.

In a large stockpot, melt the butter and add the onions. Sauté them for about 15 to 20 minutes until caramelized. Add the sugar, sherry and the black pepper and stir.

Add the beef and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat. Cool as quickly as possible and store in the refrigerator, covered, until use.

When reheating, always bring it up quickly and to at least 140 degrees.

To serve the soup...Ladle it into a soup crock, top the soup with a crouton, sprinkle either grated Parmesan or Romano on top of the crouton and cover all with a slice of gruyere cheese.

Heat under an overhead broiler until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley and serve on a saucer.