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October 08, 2005
Autumn Soup
We had a soup buffet for dinner tonight. I didn't plan it -- it just happened. DH made cheeseburger soup for dinner last night (I know it sounds weird, but it's really yummy!) and we had lots left over. Then today was such a nice cool fall day that it put me in the mood for making soup. I still had the last of the few butternut squash our garden produced this summer, so I set to making some butternut soup (pictured). I was past the point of no return with that batch of soup when DH announced that he thinks he's coming down with a cold. Well, that can only mean one thing -- we must have chicken soup! So, while the squash was still simmering, I pulled some chicken out of the freezer and threw another pot on the stove, and before long soup #3 was simmering in the kitchen.
Now that it's dark out, the house feels cozy, warm and still smells of cooking. And the best part is that I won't have to cook for the next few days, because it'll take at least that long for us to eat our way through it all.
So, as long as I'm thinking of it, here's where we get the soup base we use: Redi-Base. While DH and I love to make soup (that's pretty much all we eat when it's not summertime), we're not so much into the tedium and mess of the soup base. So, we've tried a lot of bouillons, broths and bases and just about all of the commercial ones are way too salty. But these are tasty, convenient and we've been using them long enough so that we're now buying them in bulk (the chicken, seafood and vegetable bases especially!).
I love the fall...
Posted by alice at October 8, 2005 08:41 PM
Comments
Mmmm..pumpkin soup. (I call all orange winter squash soups this, though I recognize that butternut has its unique flavor.) I'm guessing that that's nutmeg sprinkled on top in yer nice photo.
Posted by: joe public at October 8, 2005 10:20 PM
Mmmm. Home-made soup. I almost have to eat nothing else because manufactured soups have soy in them, and I'm allergic.
'Round here I use 1 can No-salt added Vegall + 1 of some form of canned or fresh diced tomatoes (+onions, +basil, etc.) as my base. Hamburger soup (one of mom's ideas) is done by simply browning about 1 lb. ground low-fat burger in the pot first, then adding base. I sometimes add tomatoes, okra, and a tuna can size (with the juice) each of crab meat, shrimp, and chopped clams. Yesterday, I just added some canned chunk chicken. Makes about 4 servings. I simmer it down to a nice thick stew.
When I'm cooking on my Big Green Egg and have extra space, I use my cast iron dutch oven without the lid to add a smoky campfire flavor to my soup or stew. Any covered grill with smoking chips would work. A hint is to wrap aluminumn foil around the dutch oven to prevent having to scrub of the smoke residue later. Jack Daniel's chips, alder, and hickory are all good. Be sure to soak them 30 minutes to an hour, and place them on the cooler part of the fire.
Geez, I'm becoming my own soup nazi.
Posted by: TimL at October 9, 2005 10:49 PM