Please post your best soup recipe

[Seedersandleechers]

I've been wanting to make homemade soup and am looking for a tried and true recipe. Thanks in advance.

[HopeHoops]

1. Easiest thing ever - red lentil dahl.

You can use brown lentils, but they aren't as sweet.

Put whatever quantity of lentils in a pan (rinse them first) and add water to cover by about an inch. Boil the piss out of it. Add water if needed (nuke it and pour it in to maintain the boil). When the lentils are soft and it has the consistency of pea soup, you've got a lot of options. Number one is to serve it because you're hungry after smelling it cooking for so long.

I like to melt a little butter in a pan (Indian cookbooks will say "ghee" which is clarified butter - I just use butter) and add yellow or black mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, you can either just spice it then or add mushrooms, chopped peppers, onion, or pretty much whatever veggies are in the fridge. The best spicing is garam masala (sp?), but if you don't have any just add paprika and parsley flakes. The stuff is yummy without spicing or extra veggies but I tend to build it up a bit.

The BEST way to serve it is with pita bread wedges and, if inclined, a small lump of sour cream. I usually just eat it as is or maybe with a few soda crackers (lazy).

On Edit: We made all of our own baby food for our three daughters. Their favorite was un-spiced red lentil dahl. I'd put it in ice cube trays, freeze it, and put the cubes in plastic zip-lock bags. Same with split peas, etc. All we had to do was take out a cube or two and nuke it for a short time and there was a meal ready. The girls are 16, 18, and 20 now and that's STILL one of their favorite meals.

[Seedersandleechers]

3. Sounds yummy

I was looking for a good lentil recipe and this one I will try. I just got a new/used refridge and am looking to freeze a lot of different soups. Again thanks.

[HopeHoops]

6. It's fucking addictive. I eat WAY too much of it at a sitting.

Speaking of sitting - Do NOT eat too much of it. :hurts:

[surrealAmerican]

23. I'm about as fond of dahl as anyone, but it's not exactly soup.

You can make it with almost any kind of bean too. Split peas work quite well. The real advantage to those "red lentils" is that they cook faster than almost any other dried bean.

If I get really ambitious, I make paratha with this.

[HopeHoops]

26. OH yeah, they cook quickly! No pre-soaking necessary. But they're also one of the yummiest.

Creamy, slightly sweet, good flavor - what's not to like? Red are called "masoor".

I use a lot of different legumes. The next two in line of favorites are chana (split chick pea) and toor (yellow pigeon peas). Still, the red lentils take the least time to prepare. The biggest problem I've found is getting the larger ones (which are easier to clean of rocks and slightly sweeter). Most of the red lentils I encounter are about half the diameter of the ones I like the best. Minor detail, but still.

[elleng]

2. Here are some DU soup recipes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x11341

[freshwest]

17. Thanks for the link. Perfect soup weather here.

[Hotler]

4. Start with one whole frying chicken...

throw in a big pot with 3-4 carrots sliced, 3-4 sticks of celery sliced, an onion cut in chunks, 3-4 bay leaves, salt, pepper and 3-4 cloves of garlic sliced, cover with water and simmer till meat starts to come of the bones. Take out the bones taste for seasoning, I add a few shakes of worcestershire, tabasco. If a tad bland add a little chicken bouillon or stock. Throw in a handful of wide egg noodles cook till noodles are done. enjoy.

[Seedersandleechers]

7. Great...

It's got everything I love about soup...

[Bunny]

8. That's pretty close to my recipe, but I use chicken stock instead of water.

And, I boil the noodles separately before I put them in the pot. I find that throwing uncooked noodles into the soup makes the broth too starchy.

It's perfect for a cold day, or if you're under the weather. Mom really was right about the restorative powers of chicken soup.

[Hotler]

5. Does green chile count as soup???

[OriginalGeek]

9. tagging

for future reference. Already in love with the red lentil thing and I haven't even got any idea what a red lentil is or where to find them but Imma go look at Publix first and then maybe an Indian market place near my work.

The problem with places like that is I have no idea if it's for real or for tourists (I live in Orlando so most everything is for tourists lol). I don't know what to look for that would indicate I'm buying authentic good stuff and not just mass-produced crap all dressed up to look authentic. OR even if it is authentic, how do I know how long some things are supposed to be good? If it came on a slow boat from asia but has a shelf life of a couple years with no preservatives then that's cool but how do I know what is and what isn't still good? OR full of preservatives.

I THINK I need to try and find foods that are not so high in preservatives and I have no idea where to look.

Red lentil and easy are a good place to start though. I'm pretty sure I like lentils - I think I had some lentil soup at a German restaurant once...

And why is GD having a huge conniption fit over aspartame/amino sweet? I got lost in some long-ass thread where OP stated a company that makes aspartame is changing the name to amino sweet and then arguments came from everywhere about how it's not "aspartame" but just that one company's brand of aspartame and I don't know what's the difference?

lol it doesn't matter. I have always hated artificial sweeteners and when I finally was forced by my doctor to eliminate sweets (especially refined sugar) I just went straight sugarless. plain tea and black coffee and water and no more soft drinks and no more desserts except on special occasions. Thanksgiving being one of them.


I'm sorry I tend to ramble off the topic of the original post. I know I do it and I can't stop it. It doesn't bother me to be put on ignore lol. I deserve it more often than not.

[GoCubsGo]

13. Red lentils...

These be they:




I would go to the Indian market first. Odds are, they'll be cheaper than they would be at Publix. You can probably find them in the bulk section at Whole Foods/Earth Fare/Sprouts or other health food stores. My local Kroger sells them in bulk in their "green" section.

BTW, as far as lentils and dried beans go, they tend to last indefinitely, so no real need to worry about shelf life.

[OriginalGeek]

21. Awesome!

Thanks for the info!

I was just chatting with my wife on g+ and I am pasting all this info so she won;t be surprised when I come home with a big bag of shit she never had lol...

[GoCubsGo]

24. Note the name on the bag.

"Masoor Dal". If you search "Masoor dal recipes", you'll no doubt find some wonderful Indian dal recipes using the red lentils. I have an Indian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey, and her Masoor dal recipe is one of my favorite meals. Wishing I was having it tonight...

[freshwest]

16. i'm with you, I don't romance the stuff I'm not supposed to eat.

[Brickbat]

10. Split pea soup, potato soup, chicken wild rice soup

* Fry up a pound of bacon and dump some of the bacon grease into your pot. Sautee carrots and onions in the grease until soft. Add a cup or two of dried green peas and a big box of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until peas are smushy and the soup is thickened. This can take like an hour. Crumble the bacon and add. You also might have to add more broth as the peas soften.

You can use smoked ham hocks if you don't want to use bacon. Put the ham hocks in with the peas and broth. After about a half hour of simmering, take out the ham hocks and pick the meat out. Discard the hocks and put the meat back in the soup.

* Sautee onions, garlic, carrots and celery in butter in a soup pot. Peel and dice a bunch of potatoes, add chicken broth and potatoes to pot. Add a bay leaf and black pepper (white if you prefer). Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are soft and you can break them with a fork. You can either run this through a blender to make a veloute-like soup, or simply mash some of the potatoes to make it more chunky, or do it half and half.

Pretty much any potato works for this one.

* Sautee onions, carrots and celery in butter in a soup pot. Meanwhile, rinse your uncooked wild rice several times until the water runs clear. Add about a cup of rice, cooked chicken, bay leaf and broth to pot. Throw in a splash or two of white wine if you feel like it. Bring to boil, then simmer until the wild rice has split, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Add more broth as needed. I either cook the chicken in advance or, if I'm in a hurry, I will buy a rotisserie chicken or a few pieces of fried chicken and use that.

A nice variation on the wild rice soup is to use smoked salmon instead of chicken, lower the amount of broth, and add a cup of cream. Om nom nom.

[ForeverFlashy]

19. I love potatos

I love potatoes, and I will be definitely trying that potato soup maybe this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

[Brickbat]

29. It's very simple, and you can dress it up or down as you feel like it. Some chopped chives as a

garnish, or different kinds of potatoes. It goes well with grilled cheese or even just crackers and cheese, or crusty bread and butter and jam. Enjoy!

[Seedersandleechers]

27. I will be making this on Sunday.

Plus, I have a bunch of chicken parts in the freezer to make broth. Making real chicken broth is so easy and cheap it's a shame not to. Again, thanks for the recipe.

[Brickbat]

30. Enjoy!

[MilesColtrane]

11. Crock Pot Chicken Corn Chowder

(Not entirely homemade, but tastes good and is really easy)

In your crockpot put 1 large can of cream of chicken soup, 48oz carton of chicken broth (I use the low sodium kind), half of one chopped onion, garlic (3 cloves, minced), and a couple of healthy glugs of white wine

Whisk together.

Add 2 tbsp. butter/margarine, 1/4 level tsp (each) sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme

Add three boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Cook on high for 3 hours.

Dice a couple of medium potatoes, throw them in and add some corn (doesn't matter if canned or frozen)

Cook an hour or so.

Take out the chicken and pull apart (will be really tender and will come right apart.) put chicken back in.

let it go for another 30 mins to an hour.

Add pepper to taste

[DebJ]

12. I make an enormous pot of homemade veggie soup and

then keep it in my freezer, after giving some away to friends. They asked me what my spices were because it smelled and tasted so good. My reply: none. Just vegetables, and water.

I just fill the pot 2/3 full with water, start it to boil, then add in this order (stuff that needs to cook longer goes in first):

1 lg can of unsalted tomatoes, diced, and 1 sm can of whole peeled unsalted tomatoes (I like the big ones, hubby does not)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped, or 1 bag of small boiler onions, peeled but whole
1 lb of fresh string beans
1 lb bag of organic baby carrots, peeled, whole (because they are one of the few affordable organic veggies)
1 broccoli crown, chopped
1 small bag of baby lima beans
A few cups of frozen corn (frozen veggies don't have added salt)
A few cups of frozen peas

I let that simmer a good while, then add:
1 medium zuchinni cut into bite size pieces (I like big pieces, not the microscopic ones that canned soups have)
1 medium yellow or crookneck squash cut into bite-size pieces
2 large or 3-4 smaller potatoes, cut into nice size chunks-small enough for the spoon, big enough to eat with a fork if you wanted

I think that's everything. Until I think of something else to throw in, LOL.
On Edit: Forgot I've been adding about 8 ounces of fresh spinach, torn into small pieces, and that has really improved the overall flavor.

[GoCubsGo]

14. My two current favorites....

Fabio's Creamless Creamy Squash Soup:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fabios-Creamless-Creamy-Squash-Soup-104547

I usually make this one with broth instead of water. It's up to you whether you use vegetable, chicken or beef. I also use cayenne in place of the peperoncinos/crushed red pepper on occasion. I also use more than they call for, because I like it spicy. You can also add diced red bell pepper, sauteed onions and feta cheese.

My other favorite, which somebody in the Cooking and Baking forum posted a while back, Martha Stewart's Curried Roast Cauliflower Soup:

http://www.marthastewart.com/313878/curried-roast-cauliflower-soup

Good hot or cold.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

15. Fish and Vodka soup

This is one of my favorites


You'll need:
1 pound fish fillets (I find Alaskan Cod works well)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vodka (I always use more :) )
Chives
4 onions, peeled
1 leek
2 carrots
4 or 5 Medium Potatoes
3 slices of bacon (I no longer use the bacon replacing it with
some veggi oil. The preservatives in bacon mess with my migraines)
4 cups beef broth or meat stock
pinch of Saffron
1/2 tsp Basil
1 bay leaf
some salt and pepper to taste
You can also add some parsley as garnish - I only do that part if I am entertaining guests.

Drain the fish and cut into 1 in pieces. Put them in a deep
dish then add the lemon and vodka. Cover it.
Finely chop the chives and onions
Cut the leek in half and then into pieces (I always make sure the leek is washed - they tend to have dirt and grit on them)
Peel and Dice the carrots and potatoes
Dice bacon and add to pot, cooking until it is transparent (This is where you would use the veggi oil)
Add the onions and chives - cook 3 min then let mix steam.
Add the leek, carrots and potatoes and steam for about 1 minute.
Add the Beef Broth and stir in the Saffron, basil and bay leaf.
Cover and let cook for 15 min.
Add the fish with the juice from bowl - simmer slowly for five minutes. (This is where I always add some more vodka - to taste)
Season with Salt and Pepper. Add the garnish before serving.
I always got 4 or 5 bowls out of this, but I also like bigger
bowls.

[Kali]

18. the best soups have no recipes

but one thing that WILL make a difference is homemade broth for the base of whatever you do.

[freshwest]

32. Rotel tomatoes 'cover many sins,' too. LOL.

[Arugula Latte]

20. This is a variation on potato soup -- Potato-Onion-Cheddar

Saute at least one whole onion & a few cloves of garlic in a big pot. Peel and chop up a bunch of potatoes, depending on how much soup you want to make and how big they are. Add to pot. Cover veggies with chicken broth (vegetable broth should work, too). Cook covered, about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Puree that mixture (I use an immersion blender). Add several cups of milk, salt and pepper. Heat through. Add several handfuls of shredded cheddar and parmesan to taste, and and fresh thyme if desired.

[freshwest]

31. Um, sounds yummy. I don't do much pureed soups, but may try it.

[applegrove]

22. I like a chicken based soup with a can or two of blanched tomatoes poured in. Garlic salt and

tons veggis like cauliflower. Use tortilla chips to pick up the veggies.

[trof]

25. Peanut (butter) Soup

If you like peanut butter, you'll LOVE this.
This is pretty close to Miz t.'s recipe.
It's my favorite comfort food, especially if I've been to the dentist for something and need soft food for a day or so.

Mince an onion and sautee it in butter until golden.
The simplest Peanut Soup recipe calls for two parts chicken stock, two parts peanut butter, and one part milk or cream.
try 1 cup, 1 cup, and 1/2 cup respectively for a relatively small batch.

Mix all ingredients in a pot and simmer until hot.
Pour into blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, mainly to puree the onions.

Goes great with grilled cheese or BLT sandwich.

[IcyPeas]

28. eye of newt

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

oh, and some lentils