What's YOUR favorite soup recipe?

[FutureSFFD]

My first post! Not much has been written in terms of Cantonese style soups. I know some Chinese family's who cook at least 1 or 2 pots of soup a week. Hot and sour soup, IMHO has become very westernized, I have seen them served at Chinese take out food chains (which many are owned by Koreans). I have never heard of using soy sauce in a soup..ever! ( sorry I don't measure..by use more or less to the flavor you prefer) Cantonese-style pork soup: -pork bones..cheaper cuts of meat..not sure how to explain it but it is cube shaped with a little meat and tendon. -dried goji berries..you buy these at the chinese market..I have seen these sell for over 10 bucks at some of these organic/health food markets! -dried red dates. you also get these at the market -dried mushrooms..shitake works fine -mustard greens -some peeled, thick sliced carrots. Place pork bones in a soup pot fill with water. Bring to a boil. Add goji ,red dates,mushrooms,carrots. Reduce heat to medium to low medium. Add in mustard greens, after about 30 minutes. Done in 1 hour to hour and half. The soup should be orange-brown in color. The soup will of course taste better later in the day. Often served before a meal or a meal in itself. Lot of cantonese restaurants will serve a variation of this. One of my perfect meals: -this pork soup -white snow fungus with bok choy. -steamed fish (with green onion,ginger,and that delicious liquid of soy sauce,sugar, and fish fat!) -steamed rice cooked with sweet chinese sausage(laap chong) -chicken feet -slices of duck and goose ( duck fat is a beautiful thing!) -scallops with pepper and onions in a light black bean sauce I'll stop there! Here is a food fact: beef and broccoli is actually a substitute for beef and gai lan. Looking foward talking food to you all!

[FutureSFFD]

sorry for the text..I originally written my post double spaced paragraphs/lines...ahhhhh too the pork soup recipe above: also add a few slices of ginger

[BombayBen]

hey KY - doing pumpkin and also a sweet and spicy parsnip on Saturday - it is carnival night - going to add the sausage too!! - will let you know how it goes!

[KYHeirloomer]

Ooh, ooh. Sweet & Spicy Parsnip sounds good.

You got a recipe?

[BombayBen]

I am trying to post a pic of the root soup but don't know how - the pic is currently in my pics folders - so if anybody can help - that will be great!! Yes KY have a recipe - usually calculate 1 large parsnip per person, so say for 4

4 large parsnips
1 large carrot
1 medium sized potato
cube all veges and coat thoroughly in honey and dark brown muscavado sugar and add to a good strong vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, coriander and half teaspoon turmeric. Add hot chilli powder to your preference, Simmer until vegetables are soft. Cool and pulverize. Place soup in a clean pan and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons Garam Masala and half a teaspoon ground cinnamon, bring back to boil then take off heat. Serve and enjoy!

[KYHeirloomer]

Sounds good, Ben. I'm gonna try it soon as the weather gets a bit colder.

Do you mix your own garam, or just go with a commercial blend?

[KYHeirloomer]

I was just referred to this great site:

SOUP OF THE EVENING...BEAUTIFUL SOUP

Lots of shtick. Lots of shlock. But also several hundred really great sounding soup recipes.

[BombayBen]

Mix my own - of course!! I can let you have proportions - but generally as any good cook will do - use the 'force'! (own judgment)

[KYHeirloomer]

I wouldn't mind hearing your proportions. Everybody does this differently.

[Tasty Thoughts]

My favorite soup is a butternut squash and broccoli soup. It is simple to make, healthy, and has a combination of flavors.

[shroomgirl]

Daniel Bouloud's Butternut soup.
Saute onions added peeled chunked butternuts, cover with water....yep water. ....salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook at a low boil for 25-30 minutes until squash is soft. Taste for salt and pepper. Puree, run through a sieve (pia and sometimes I eliminate if just for me.....but this step does give an amazing mouth feel).

Ok now you can top with sauteed chanterelles or my personal favorite is lardons, or a sherry redux.....


Bruce Cost....wow, you've got the good books.....Florence Lin's cookbook is pretty good too. Approx same time frame.


borscht, ummmm with tons of dillweed
ministroni
escarole with mini meatballs
tomato base veg soup
beef based (not base but beef stock) with chunks of tender beef veg soup
navy bean soup, pea soup....very similar flavor profiles
bouillbaise....with rouille
french onion with yep....dillweed and guyere....if made for me loaded with toasted french bread
cream of wild shroom soup..... dried morels, buttons, onions, thyme, cream, good bourbon
pho..not made it but would love to know how to work with tendons.

[BombayBen]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

I can picture the look of that, and it had to be spectacular.

I would have thought cilantro too overpowering. But a flag of deep-fried sage sticking up out of the rutabaga julienne would be just as pretty.

While I think of it, imagine reversing the colors, by making a butternut squash or pumpkin bisque, and garnishing with beetroot julienne.

Hey KY - posted a pic of the root soup - somewhere in the gallery!! don't quite know where but do a search abnd have a look - will post pics of fish pops when I get time!

[AndyG]

Hmmm, soup.

One of my favorites is Portuguese caldo verde, which I make with linguica and collards. One reason I like it so much is that collards are one of my favorite veges, and I love potatoes, which are also in the recipe. I just love all the ingredients in it.

Potato-leek soup is another, with the potatoes mashed and dissolved in the soup.

[KYHeirloomer]

So, Ben, went to the gallery, clicked on your name, and there it was, right on top.

Lookin' good!

[teamfat]

One of my favorites is something I usually call quick cioppino with sausage. Basically you brown about a pound of italian sausage with some diced onion and bell pepper, throw it in a pot with a couple cans of diced tomatoes, some rosemary, oregano and thyme, maybe a cup or so of red wine. Add about a pound or so of some lightly cooked seafood, like shrimp, bay scallops, firm white fish, crab, etc. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes and enjoy.

Years ago I made this while visiting my sister and her daughter, maybe 5 years old at the time, got a bit upset. Seems she heard me mention the name of the soup and thought I was cooking a Chia Pet!

mjb.