Soup For You! Or, a Thrad about Soup

[vremya]

I have no idea how to cook with lavender. Does the food end up smelling like a closet sachet?

[lisarea]

There is a hint of perfume, but I almost always use it in a Provence herbs blend so that it's only a part of it, like so:

2 Tbsp. + 1.5 tsp. dried Turkish oregano
2 Tbsp. + 1.5 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. dried summer savory
2 Tbsp. dried crushed lavender
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried crushed rosemary

I blend that up and keep it ready for things like soups and pot roasts and stuff.

I probably got that blend from somewhere on the internet, but I don't remember where. Apart from the proportions, it's the main difference between French and Italian "flavor profiles" oh god you guys made me say that but it's true.

It is subtle, but it's distinctive only when you know it's there. (TLM once told me he'd never tried lavender in food, and I was like, "LOL, only, like, weekly since forever." Then I LOLed again.)

[Vivisectus]

Originally Posted by lisarea

The weird thing is that I really don't like lavender* scented things at all. I only like it for cooking.

* And I cannot spell it. I know how it's supposedly supposed to be spelled but it always still looks wrong. Stupid lavender.

I think I was permanently scarred by a lavender sorbet. It really goes against my wiring: to me that scent is overwhelmingly washing-related. I have the same problem with rose-water. Loads of people use it in sweets or sorbets or icecreams to be all fancy but to me it is like adding a good dash of my grandma's facecream.

[Janet]

Maybe it's a quirk of mine, but it bothers me a little that you don't say 2.5 Tbsp. 1.5 tsp is the same thing as .5 Tbsp, so why clutter it up with two measurements?

My brother made us lavender shortbread once and it was pretty nasty and overpowering. I never cooked with it when I grew it because of that first bad experience.

[lisarea]

Yeah, that was how I know I got it someplace else. I honestly don't know why it's like that.

I GUESS you guys don't have to use the kind with lavender.

[livius drusus]

I'm contemplating making a butternut squash soup today or tomorrow, ideally in the slow cooker because I am lazy. Any suggestions?

[SR71]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

I'm contemplating making a butternut squash soup today or tomorrow, ideally in the slow cooker because I am lazy. Any suggestions?

Just make sure you don't let any cilantro get in it.

[Vivisectus]

I sometimes do a reeeeely simple one. it is not so much a recipe as the most basic of basic soups:

Onion, carrot, celery, potatoes - cut into small cubes
Squash, idem dito but also seeded

Soften your veg in butter for a few minutes, and then whack some veggie stock over the lot. Simmer for 45 mins or so (damn potatoes always take ages) and then blend it with a blender until smooth.

Salt, pepper, and a touch of cumin to taste.

[thedoc]

Originally Posted by Vivisectus

I sometimes do a reeeeely simple one. it is not so much a recipe as the most basic of basic soups:

Onion, carrot, celery, potatoes - cut into small cubes
Squash, idem dito but also seeded

Soften your veg in butter for a few minutes, and then whack some veggie stock over the lot. Simmer for 45 mins or so (damn potatoes always take ages) and then blend it with a blender until smooth.

Salt, pepper, and a touch of cumin to taste.

If you cook the potatoes seperately first then add the other veggies they won't get so soft till the potatoes get done.

[erimir]

A really delicious way to make ramen is to go to a ramen restaurant.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

I'm contemplating making a butternut squash soup today or tomorrow, ideally in the slow cooker because I am lazy. Any suggestions?

Sage. Craisins and chevre as toppings.

[thedoc]

Originally Posted by erimir

A really delicious way to make ramen is to go to a ramen restaurant.

Travelling to Japan for a bowl of soup is a bit much.

[thedoc]

My daughter tried to take my Grandson to the Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC, but found there was a 2 week waiting list, they only had the weekend, so that didn't work.

[thedoc]

My seafood bisque.
I made another batch, but I altered the recipe.

Creamy Mushroom soup - Progresso - 18.5 oz can,
Traditional New England Clam Chowder - Progresso - 18.5 oz can,
Light New England Clam Chowder - Progresso - 18.5 oz can,
Oyster Stew - Campbell's - 10.5 oz can
White Crabmeat - Chicken of the Sea - 8 oz (2 - 4 oz cans),
Chopped Clam - Bumble Bee - 6.5 oz can,
Tiny Shrimp - Chicken of the Sea - 12 oz (3 - 4 oz cans),
Minced Garlic in water - (the store brand - Giant Foods) 2 heaping tsp.

Use up to 1 cup of chicken broth to clean out the cans,
Jalapeno peppers to suit. I used some from Bell-View 'Hot Sliced. I pulled some out of the jar and cut them up. The more you add, the hotter it will get.
Mix all the soups together and cook, add Jalapeno pepper to suit.

I ended up with 7 540 ml containers, but the last one was not quite full.

[Vivisectus]

Mrs Sectus' Patent "Dreadnought" roast tomato and pepper soup

on a baking tray put ....
1 carrot
2 red onions,
8 stalks of celery
a full head of garlic with the top trimmed
lots of tomatoes - a tray to themselves basically.
3 red peppers

Rub with a little olive oil, and roast all this in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Then bring a liter and a half of good veggie stock to a simmer. Squeeze out the garlic into it, remove the skins from the veg if you want and use a stick processor to shred it all to a semi-liquid consistency. Add a few TS of Siracha / Sambal / your favorite hotsauce, half a TS of smoked paprika, and 2 TBS of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

run through a sieve before serving.

[Limoncello]

I had a real funky tasting cream of pickle soup recently - it was a promotion/sample and messed with my mind for days,