Are you craving a warm meal? A tasty bowl of soup may be just what you need.
Some soups contain high amounts of sodium and saturated fat, but a few tips and tricks can help create a nutritious yet delicious soup.
While making soup is not a new idea, soup recipes give you the ability to create a filling and simple one-pot meal.
When making a soup from scratch, use creativity to help guide the process, such as adding more or less of any ingredient or using up what you have on hand.
If you have not been getting it all perfect, here are a few tips to help make your home-made soup taste better.
1. Use fresh vegetables
I use fresh and seasonal vegetables to make soup as they are a storehouse of nutrients. For making vegetable soup use the best and fresh vegetables that you can purchase at the local market and preferably on the same day as some of the nutrients tend to degrade on storage. Make sure you wash the vegetables thoroughly before using them.
For clear soups or chicken soup, you could add finely chopped vegetables to the soup to make it more healthy.
2. Use the right quantity of liquid
All soups require some form of a liquid. Water alone is fine for most vegetable soups. For an extra flavour boost use a stock cube, but if you want to make a rich meaty soup then I recommend you make your own stock from meat bones.
Boil up any remaining bones following a roast along with an onion, a few peppercorns, and a bay leaf inadequate water and simmer until it has reduced by at least half. Strain and use for soups.
3. Build as you go
To make a great soup it is important to build the flavour as you go. Sautéed vegetables like garlic, onions, and peppers are some of the key ingredients used as a base to most soups, and releasing their flavour is often the first step in making a soup with depth.
4. Let it rest
As hungry and tempted as you may be and as desperate as the smells coming from the kitchen make your family; try to let soup rest for at least 20 minutes. If you want to serve soup for dinner, make it around lunchtime and go do something nice for yourself. By the time you get hungry, your dinner will be ready and waiting for you to warm it up on the stove.
5. Do not overcook
Nutrients, especially vitamins, break down on exposure to heat, and overcooking your soup can destroy all the vitamins in the soup. Once the soup comes to a boil, simmer it for a few minutes.
6. Adopt a tasteful presentation
Keep some chopped herbs for decoration for instance. Garnish like a chef. Go beyond chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper (although they make great garnishes for many soups). Chefs know that the best soup garnishes offer a contrasting flavour or texture to compliment and highlight the soup.
7. Finishing touches
As mentioned, presentation is everything. And while that is not always true, it is pretty important for soups. Grated cheese, cream, and yoghurt look stunning sprinkled on top, but they can also add a great component to the soup’s flavour profile.
