Hello! I'm looking for easy soup recipes for a beginner trying to kick the fall blues! What are your favorite fall recipes when you are feeling under the weather?
1 bag frozen peeled and cut butternut squash
1 can/box low-salt chicken stock
small pinch cayenne
1/2 cup sour cream
Put the squash, stock, and cayenne in a deep pot. Add enough water barely to cover the squash. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer fast about 30-35 minutes. Purée with a stick blender or in batches in a regular blender; alternatively, process with a food mill on the finest blade. Strain if possible. Return the soup to the pot, bring to a simmer, and season to taste with salt and pepper (white pepper is nice because you won't see it). Just before serving, stir in the sour cream.
The better the squash and stock, the better the soup. So if you cut your own excellent squash, and use wonderful homemade chicken stock, it'll be much superior. But it's very good with basic stuff grabbed at the supermarket.
I was going to suggest the same thing as Chris. Squash is about as simple as it gets. You can puree a little apple in it for sweetness if you like. Maple syrup is great with it.
Clam chowder is pretty quick. A bit of bacon, onion and dice potatoes, a can of clam broth and, if you're feeling flush, buy some fresh clams to dress it up. Finish with cream.
Split pea doesn't take too long. If you use canned beans, just about any bean can make soup in no time at all.
Chicken noodle is pretty easy and not too challenging for a beginner. Diced onion, celery and carrot. Poach a skinless chicken till the meat falls off the bones. Take out the bones. Chop the meat. Cook the vegetables in some butter till soft, add the broth and chicken meat. Add your favorite noodle. When the noodle is done, it's ready to eat. You can also cook the noodles separately if you prefer.
Corn chowder is a good fall soup. A bit of cream and a biscuit on the side just because.
Tomato soup is a classic, especially in fall with all the ripe tomatoes. Cook tomatoes, strain out skins if desired, add some vegetable or not, puree, add a bit of cream.
One of the easier soups to make is cabbage soup. Sauté cabbage and onions until soft. While this is happening heat a chicken stock and thicken with a roux. take the sautéd cabbage and put into the thickened stock and season with S&P. You can add cut up hot dogs, German sausage or Kielbasa chunks........ Here are a few more, navy bean and chix noodle....
I love long, slow simmered soups, but there is also something to be said for quick soups. I love Creamy Cauliflower soup and it doesn't take long. Sweat some chopped onions, add a head or 2 of chopped cauliflower and some peeled potato (for a bit of added body), barely cover with vegetable stock and heavy cream and allow to simmer until soft-approximately 20-25 minutes then puree and season. I'll do that with a lot of root vegetables also. Doesn't take long, and you get a lot of flavor.
I quite enjoy my butternut squash & pear soup - simple to make, too...my 4 & 6 y/o boys love making it with me.
1kg squash
(I've used canned pears - drained - and my own roasted pears...the cans are sweeter and the soup's a different sort of flavourful - according to the tastebuds of my family).
1 onion (though I often use less...it can be overpowering...
If you're a beginner then do potato and leek or a basic tomato soup. Sweet potato, butternut squash, kale, carrots are all good soup flavours. Start by frying off onion, carrot, celery and garlic and then add spices (my favourites are cumin, star anise and lemongrass for soups) then add your veg and stock and cook out for at least an hour. You need to learn how much veg to stock to use for the perfect thickness when you blend it. Also taste and then season as with everything.
With butternut squash you need to peel it, i do it with a knife because of the strength of the skin a peeler isnt as easy. Cut the pumpkin where the narrow and thick part meet. The narrow part can be diced like a potato but the thick part needs the seeds removed, get someone to show you how or search it on youtube
Split the squash and remove all the seeds and strings. Cut it in chunks. Put it in a pot with the stock; if possible, put in a pressure cooker. Add cayenne. Cook half an hour or so (full pressure if you can). Purée the living XXXX out of it, and strain to get out any remaining bits of skin or whatever. Heat to serving temperature, serve, and add a nice dollop of sour cream. A pinch of chopped chives is nice but unnecessary.
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