Save my soup! Soup problems thread.

skintchick

I made a veggie stock, using celery, carrots, leek ends, onions and mushroom stalks seasoned and simmered in the SC with water. I drained it, added more celery, grated carrot and grated courgette, and it smells lovely.

But tastes like dishwater

What can do to it to make it nice? I thought about adding a tin of chopped tomatoes although I don;t really like tomato soup. It is thin and watery and I can't serve it up!

I'm tempted to just throw it away - please save my soup!

mrbadexample

Did you use a veggie stock cube?

carriebradshaw

have you got any herbs you could add for extra flavour or maybe just a little more seasoning? I'd add some red lentils to thicken it up if you've got them

skintchick

I didn;t use any stock cube cos I thought simmering the veg in water would make a stock. Was I wrong?

I have lentils, and a soup mix I use with my chicken soup. I could add that I guess.

I don;t have a blender so I can;t puree any veggies into it to thicken it up.

mrbadexample

skintchick wrote: »

I didn;t use any stock cube cos I thought simmering the veg in water would make a stock. Was I wrong?

I'm no expert, but I have made a couple of soups. I boiled the veg in water with a stock cube added. I'm sure that would make a degree of difference.

Buy a stick blender for a fiver - great for blitzing some veg to thicken the soup.

mrbadexample

Have a look here. Some good advice and it worked for me.

Zed42

The veggies will make the basis of stock, but you really need some pepper, herbs, and I'd add some salt to bring taste to it.

I'd also thicken it up a little, either by mxing some cornflour and cold water and then putting the whole lot in a pan and bringing to the boil (I've never had great success getting cornflour to thicken up in the SC, certainly not in a hurry anyway)

And as MrBE suggests, blitzing some of the veggies. If you don't have a stick blender, mashing some of them will suffice.

carriebradshaw

skintchick wrote: »

I didn;t use any stock cube cos I thought simmering the veg in water would make a stock. Was I wrong?

I have lentils, and a soup mix I use with my chicken soup. I could add that I guess.

I don;t have a blender so I can;t puree any veggies into it to thicken it up.

no you're right it does,but sometimes you need to boost flavour a bit as well,Iadd stock cube to mine.If your veggies are really soft you coud try using a potato masher on them to pulp them down a bit, or push through a metal sieve,my mum used to push the veg through a metal colander with a wooden spoon. Before I had my food processor I used to use my electric hand mixer with the beater blades on set at a slow speed and that helped to puree the veg though it wasn't perfect.

skintchick

Zed42 wrote: »

The veggies will make the basis of stock, but you really need some pepper, herbs, and I'd add some salt to bring taste to it.

I'd also thicken it up a little, either by mxing some cornflour and cold water and then putting the whole lot in a pan and bringing to the boil (I've never had great success getting cornflour to thicken up in the SC, certainly not in a hurry anyway)

And as MrBE suggests, blitzing some of the veggies. If you don't have a stick blender, mashing some of them will suffice.

I did use herbs, pepper, and salt.

But I have thrown the original veg away now. Oops. I thought that was what you did.

I don;t have much luck with cornflour full stop - it never seems to thicken. I might try mashed potato - would that work? Or make it go nasty?

I can make chicken soup, and a lovely butternut squash soup - I'm usually a good cook so I'm quite cross this hasn;t worked!

skintchick

Mr Bad E, I just looked at your link and you mention beef bourguignon sauce - and I have some of that in the fridge! I'm gonna add that!
you're a soupsaver!

mrbadexample

skintchick wrote: »

Mr Bad E, I just looked at your link and you mention beef bourguignon sauce - and I have some of that in the fridge! I'm gonna add that!
you're a soupsaver!

:rotfl: What are the odds?