Editors of Adams Media - The 50 Best Soup Recipes. Tasty, Fresh, and Easy to Make!

The 50 Best
Soup Recipes Tasty, fresh, and easy to make! Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Avon, Massachusetts Contents Introduction Why soup? Soup entices the senses as it simmers, warm and fragrant. Served, it tastes sumptuous. And it is just as vivid in food value: vitamins in ample variety, proteins from grand grains to tasty meats, fiber from vegetables to fruits to nuts, everything. The beauty of soup lies in the way it can introduce or anchor a meal. A small cup is an appetizer.

Or a bowl can buttress a sandwich, a small platter of cheeses or nuts or fruit slices, a salad, a plate of rolls, a warm cottage loaf. Weve collected fifty of the best soups, stews, bisques, chowders, and chilis you can simmer in a soup pot. Youll find everything from light and healthy Miso Soup to hearty Sante Fe-Style Chili. All the classics are here chicken noodle, French onion, and clam chowder but there are also some new recipes youve never tried before, like African Goundnut Soup, Mango Chicken Chili, or Rabbit Stew with Spinach. And if youve never tried to make your own stock before, there are four basic recipes included. With these, you can vary the richness, sodium level, and extra flavors to suit your familys taste.

Once youve made a soup with homemade stock, youll never go back to canned again! So get out your soup pot and get ready to fill your kitchen with the comforting, mouthwatering aromas of homemade soup. Enjoy! Basic Chicken Broth Dont omit the bones or the bitters from this recipe they are both essential for flavor. You can save chicken bones until you have enough to make stock by wrapping them tightly in foil and freezing. Similarly, you can freeze the broth for later use! Serves 6 Ingredients 3 pounds chicken backs and necks or combination of chicken carcass and backs 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped 2 carrots, coarsely chopped 2 medium onions, quartered 1 parsnip, coarsely chopped 1 sprig parsley 1 sprig thyme 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon kosher salt 10 peppercorns teaspoon Angostura bitters 10 cups cold water

1. In a large soup pot, combine chicken pieces, vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, and bitters; cover with cold water. If water doesnt cover chicken and vegetables add more.
2. Bring water to a boil over high heat.

   Stir once, then reduce heat to medium. Cook 2 hours, skimming any foam that rises to top of pot. Reduce heat to medium low; continue to cook 4 hours, adding more water if needed. Remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes. Strain broth through a fine sieve; discard solids.

A Taste for Homemade Homemade chicken broth can be an acquired taste. A Taste for Homemade Homemade chicken broth can be an acquired taste.

If youre accustomed to eating broth from a can or made from bouillon cubes, youll find the homemade version to be much more subtle. Commercial broths have a lot of salt, flavor enhancers, and sometimes coloring added. Until you wean yourself from the store-bought broths, try adding a touch more salt to your homemade version and cooking it down to concentrate flavors. Basic Meat Broth This is a great way to use parts of beef, pork, lamb, or venison that you wouldnt normally eat. If you use fatty sections, be extra vigilant about skimming the foam off the top as the broth simmers. Serves 6 Ingredients 1 pound beef, pork, lamb, or venison, diced 2 pounds meaty bones, reserved from diced meat or purchased separately 2 onions, quartered 2 cloves garlic 2 carrots, cut in pieces 2 ribs celery, cut in pieces 2 bay leaves 6 black peppercorns 10 cups water Salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot.

   Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium. Simmer 34 hours, skimming foam that rises to top.

2. Remove broth from heat; let stand 20 minutes.
3. Strain through a fine sieve; refrigerate several hours or overnight.
4. Skim off fat and discard.

Basic Fish Broth Snapper, sole, cod, halibut, flounder, sea bass, and haddock are some of the nonoily fish suitable for stock making. Basic Fish Broth Snapper, sole, cod, halibut, flounder, sea bass, and haddock are some of the nonoily fish suitable for stock making.

Serves 6 Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 onions, diced 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 3 pounds nonoily fish heads and meaty carcasses 2 sprigs thyme 2 bay leaves 3 sprigs parsley 8 cups water 1 cup white wine 3 peppercorns 1 tablespoon vinegar

1. Combine butter and oil in a heavy stock pot. Add onions, celery, and carrot; saut over medium-high heat 5 minutes.
2. Add fish and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover pot; simmer 46 hours, occasionally skimming foam off top.
3. Remove bones and vegetables with slotted spoon; discard.
4. Remove bones and vegetables with slotted spoon; discard.

   Strain broth through fine sieve into a bowl. Cover; refrigerate until chilled. Skim off any fat that rises to top. Use broth within a few days, or freeze for later.

Basic Vegetable Broth This recipe can be modified to include many more vegetables according to your taste. You can even save the pulp from your juicer and add it to this broth to intensify the flavor.

Get creative! Serves 8 Ingredients 2 large onions, chopped 6 ribs celery, leaves removed, chopped 3 large carrots, chopped 2 parsnips, chopped 6 white mushrooms, chopped 1 ear corn on the cob, husked cup sliced fennel 4 green onions, including tops, chopped 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped (optional) 4 whole garlic cloves cup chopped fresh parsley 2 sprigs fresh thyme 8 black peppercorns 6 quarts water 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Add prepared vegetables and herbs to a large soup kettle, including tomatoes, if desired. Sprinkle peppercorns over top; add cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium. Simmer 90 minutes.
2. Remove corn on the cob; continue cooking remaining ingredients 90 minutes longer, adding more water if needed.
3. Stir in salt; remove from heat.

   Let stand 10 minutes.

4. Ladle through fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or pan. Press as much liquid from vegetables as possible; discard solids. Broth can be used immediately, refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for later use.

Broth Options To make roasted vegetable broth, place ingredients listed in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven and drizzle with cup olive oil. Stir to mix, then place in a 400F oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

When vegetables are browned, carefully spoon them into a soup kettle, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours, strain, and use as desired. Classic Chicken Noodle Soup There are easier ways to prepare chicken noodle soup, but this is the homemade version you turn to when you feel a cold coming on. Serves 6 Ingredients 1 stewing hen, about 5 pounds Water 1 onion, quartered 1 small bunch parsley, rinsed 1 green onion, halved 3 ribs celery, cut in thirds 3 carrots, cut in thirds 1 rib celery, thinly sliced 1 carrot, thinly sliced 1 cup peas 1 cup medium noodles cup minced parsley Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse hen and remove giblets. Save for another use. Place hen in large Dutch oven with enough water to almost cover.

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