What's Cooking?

S O U P . . . .


Soup is surely the ultimate food. From the

poorest of the poor standing in the street

beside a soup kitchen to the richest of the

rich at a posh dinner party, we can all eat

soup. Be it a hot Mediterranean summers

day or a cold wet Scottish autumn one there

is a soup that is just right. It will match your

mood – from comforting and warm to spicy

and exotic, full of unknown promise like a

first date. Feeling alone and miserable? Just

cuddle up to a bowl of soup by the fire,

watch the telly and stuff the world out there.

Or have friends round for lunch and put a

panfull of soup on the table surrounded by

bread, cheese and beer and let everybody

help themselves. In a hurry? Make it

instantly from a packet all glutinous and full

of strange plasticky vegetables. Or take

your time, like I will today and make a big

pan full of velvety pumpkin soup for the

family tonight. It will bubble away quietly

while I get on with other things and if

anybody is late, no worries, it only gets

better whilst sitting keeping warm.

Taste 

Nowadays we are so used to getting food pre-prepared, ready to eat, that we hardly

consider how it gets there. You order it over the phone or internet, or you open the tin

and warm it through, or you take it out of the freezer and microwave it, and hey presto

or “ding” should I say, there it is on your plate ready to eat. Even recipes are pretty

foolproof, you could probably go from start to finish without tasting and the end result

would be fine.

But that is not what we are after here. No, we are constructing something from scratch,

so taste everything all the way through. Watch how the flavours change, how the stock

overpowers everything at the beginning but then mellows during cooking as the other

flavours develop and come through.

And think about what you’re tasting, is it nice? Is it what you expected? Does it need

something else?

If it does you’ll know, you may not know what, but you will know that the taste is not

quite right. Here is where I experiment. I’ll take a spoonful and add a little bit to that

spoonful, say yoghurt perhaps or lemon juice or some feta cheese. Then I’ll taste that

and if it works – fine, if not I still have my soup. This way you’ll learn what works and

what doesn’t, and gather a whole lot of ideas that work (or don’t) for the future.

The Base 

You could make a soup with just carrots and water, and very nice it would be I am sure

but rather plain and one dimensional. This is where the base of a soup comes in. Along

with the stock, the base adds a depth and background to the flavour of those main

ingredients, subtly complementing and bringing out the best in them.

In the west most recipes use onions or something similar, leeks say or shallots or celery.

Bacon as well, if you eat it would go in as part of the base, to be chopped and cooked

slowly in a little oil or butter until it all becomes fragrant. This will usually take a good

ten minutes or more, the onions should become translucent and start to turn faintly

golden brown. Keep the heat low during this so that it does not burn, because burnt

onions will overpower the whole thing. If it does burn, because you know that the

phone will ring at just the wrong moment, then just throw it out, wash the pan and start

again, it is no big deal.

While the base is cooking I usually peel and chop my main ingredients ready to be

stirred in and allowed to cook for a few minutes before adding the stock. I say stock but

any liquid could be used, from water through to beer, wine, milk or a combination, it

all depends on what you feel like, what you are making.

Once the stock is in, bring it to simmer - a gentle bubble really and leave until it is all

cooked, twenty minutes to half an hour for most vegetables, but bite a bit to see.