NON Watery Flavoursome Soup -

jenster

I know soup is water based but what are peoples secret for making a non watery with flavour soup
last soup i made or tried to was a leek and potato not only was it very watery and tasted like water too any good recipes for a thick flavorsome soup

FairyPrincessk

Hi Jenster,

This can take a little practice, and it really depends on how you're making the soup. I would try sauteeing flavoursome vegetables (in the case of your previous soup that would be leeks, in other soups the onions or garlic) in either olive oil or butter for 5-10 minutes--don't brown them, just let them get soft. Then add stock with your other veg and allow to cook for awhile--if you find that your soup is too liquidy, add less stock or allow to cook and reduce for longer.

I would also suggest adding more herbs and spices. Bay leaves, oregano, basil and parsley will go in many different soups. For leek and potato, try a bit of nutmeg, which compliments leeks very well.

HTH!

FairyPrincessk

OH--and it might help to make some blended soups which are thicker. Carrot and Coriander might be a good place to start.

valentina

Here you go
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/leekandpotatosoup_1920

Sambucus_Nigra

See I do brown the veg when prepping soup.

Good glunk of oil, chopped onions cooked as slow as possible but until they are brown; and whilst they are cooking, bung the veg that you are having in the soup - so celery, carrots, leeks, peppers, cauli, brocolli etc - and cook them down as much as possible. For example for leek and potato it would be onions, carrot/celery and leeks and cook until they are really really well cooked and the onions are brown - then add the potatoes and cook them for a few mins whilst you are gathering the liquids; pop milk or water in, a stock cube, any herbs [I'm addicted to parsley in soups] and then simmer until all the potato is cooked; whizz down with a stick blender and then add a bit of cheese. For tomato based soups, I use onions, celery and peppers and possibly courgettes/summer squashes and cook down til the onions are brown, then add tinned toms, stock cube and water, and cook for 10 mins, then whizz down and add basil/pesto/parsley etc.
Always season to taste after whizzing with salt and pepper.

valk_scot

I put in a handful of red lentils. That thickens up the stock and you can leave the vegetables in chunks, which we prefer. Or you can cook a couple of potatoes in with the other soup ingredients, take them out at the end and blend them with a little of the stock and then return them to thicken. Or you can blend up a quarter of the soup, whatever it is.

The other thing is not to make your stock too dilute in the first place. I just boil up a chicken carcasse or whatever for stock, I don't add vegetables at that stage. I find that this just gives me chicken flavoured water so I add some stock powder at that point too, usually Marigold stock powder or you can use a cube. Or for some soups I use soy sauce. Ham stock tends to be sality enough on it's own not to need anything extra but most other stocks need a bit of salt I find.

Chris25

I usually take out half the veg & whizz up the soup with a stick blender before replacing the veg.

You can always add a little cornflour smoothed with milk to thicken the soup.

Pumpkin or squash soup always has a beautifully thick, smooth consistency when blended - but you do need more spice & flavouring than other soups as they can be bland otherwise.

Pink.

I always sweat the veg in a little butter and oil because I think this adds flavour, then add homemade stock. As I often make soup for five people, hopefully with some left over for lunches, my hm stock is not enough so I usually suppliment it with stock powder or a couple of stock cubes. I think that really helps the taste.

I'll add this to our save our soup thread later as your query may help others.

Pink

Meadows

jenster wrote: »

I know soup is water based but what are peoples secret for making a non watery with flavour soup
last soup i made or tried to was a leek and potato not only was it very watery and tasted like water too any good recipes for a thick flavorsome soup

Well you could add a stock cube or Miso, but boiling up meat bones or veg for a good while, straining and then boiling rapidly to reduce the liquid will give you a concentrated stock which can be used in soups and stocks. Cool and skim off any fat that may be there (freeze so you always have some handy).

I add Nam-Pla (fish sauce) to soups and stocks, use sparingly as it is salty and too much means you will taste the fishiness (not if you don't use too much), same with anchovies, again watch the quantity as they are salty. You can also add Oyster Sauce to stocks and soups to add flavour.

Try things like Vegemite/Marmite/Bovril, Herbs & Spices, Salt & Pepper.

Boil you chicken carcases (don't add the skin) will give you a good stock or thick gel if cooked up well. You can also add your vegetable peelings to this as most of the goodness is just under the skin of the vegetables.
Don't throw away those cauliflower leaves, treat them as cabbage either cook up and eat or add to stocks, don't forget to add those broccoli stems that you may discard, onion skins add colour to stock.

Your Leek & Potato soup was most likely lacking seasoning of just something simple like Salt & Pepper, season to taste before serving, a little salt can make a lot of difference, salt should not be avoided as the body needs salt, but just moderate how much you use through out the day.

Raksha

#2 son made a lovely Roasted Sweet potato and butternut squash soup yesterday. Simply blend roasted veggies with some good stock, add a couple of tablespoons of cream...... Lush

zippychick

Soup recipes may also help

Zip