Easy Peasy.
English-Irish Make Do Soup or "whatever-is-in-the-fridge-or-garden soup"
This has kept English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh alive for thousands of years. I'm sure other nations have near identical recipes. And best part is it never gets old- as the flavour changes each time. Basically it's a "pottage".
Disclaimer- If you're allergic to anything- use your discretion.
Disclaimer 2- I hate cream, milky things and butter on anything other than desserts (I know I'm odd) so I have no idea how to cook with them.
1. First decide if you want dried legumes: split peas, beans or anything that's dry- you'll have to soak these in water overnight as per the instructions on the packaging. I'll omit them as I don't really like them.
If you have dried cereals such as barley or pulses- these may require may a soak- check the packet. If you have oatmeal- you can use the oats as they are.
One onion- chopped into 4mm-ish (1/8 inch) cubes)
Two carrots as above- don't bother skinning they get boiled
two tomatoes- unskinned (skin is the good part)
Two spuds or potatoes- whatever kind is fine- cut into 1cm or 1/4 inch cubes. Wash the dirt off.
1 leek- slice off the part where the roots transition to green- keep the part that is not hard and white.
Slice into thin slices about 4 mm (1/8 in) thick.
Omit leek if you don't have one at hand
2 stalks or more Celery (chop as per leek)
1 whole spring onion bunch minus roots and dirt
1 teaspoon- just what you use for coffee will do of whatever the following you have (substiute dried if you have none fresh):
sea salt
fresh ground pepper (or used already ground- it makes minimal difference)
1 or 2 stock cubes (chicken,beef- doesn't matter)
basil
parsely
parsely
marjoram
thyme
rosemary
scallions or chives or spring onions
any edible flowers you might have- Dandelion you can eat (google "edible flowers")- also makes a decent beer/wine.
If you're not sure don't put it in- you're an adult and capable of making intelligent decisions.
2 litres or more of water (2 quarts)
1- get soup-cooking vessel
2. Turn on heat- not too hot- about low to medium
3- add onions and if you want garlic
4. Gently cook the onion and garlic until they are translucent or soft to press
Add dried spices if you are using them- cook them for less than a minute
Add everything else aside from stock cube.
Cook for about two minutes slowly stirring.
If you want to add an alchohol- now's the time to add your booze: wine red, whtie or whatever- even a bourbon is quite nice- no more than a glass. Allow it to cover all the veggies and cook off a little.
Add stock cube- break it apart is best.
Cover contents with water until it reaches an inch from the top of your cooking vessel.
Increase heat until it boils aka bring to boil
As soon as it boils- allow it to boil for about one minute- before turning down the heat to a gentle simmer (the water is bubbling gently).
2 hours or sooner- when every veggie is soft- have a taste.
BLOW on your spoon- it's hot! What does it taste like? Watery- add some salt or booze or stock to increase flavour- add water to lessen the flavour.
Serves- you and however many.
Storage- actually tastes better the next day.
Variations- add a tin of soup or tin of tomato paste.
You can add all kinds of mainly hard cheese- any good American cheese is not too shabby, but you can go for peccorrino.
Meats- add these directly after cooking onion and garlic- and just cook until they turn a little brown.
Fish- I would add immediately after bringing to the boil.
Bacon, ham, salted pork or any corned beef- Great! True to the spirit- add it as per the meats.
If you're Jewish or Muslim- probably best leave that one out.
Important-
Once your soup is cooked- turn off the heat and let it continue cooking until ingredients stops moving. Allow any fat or scum to rise to the surface and skim off with a tablespoon or whatever is handy- you've made a nice healthy soup- don't want to eat the fats. And the kids won;t whine when they see it and say "Ooh gross, what's this yucky stuff" and be a pain.
It's my deceased grandfather's recipe, a WW2 merchant sailor and peacetime jack of all trades. He lived 15 or so years as a widower and remained an unrepentant highly opinionated gambler, drinker and pipe smoker to till God said, "time gentleman, please" (means time to close at the pub) at age 89.
It's funny seeing all these recipes for soup lol. My grandmother was known for making a soup out of anything that was in the pantry at our house. One thing she always did was just get a can of mixed vegetables and some left over chicken in a pot. She might add some water and then season how she liked and eat it. I was extremely hesitant at first to try it but it was pretty good. Guess that's Great Depression Louisiana cooking for you lol.
I would start with something like a blender gazpacho or a cold avocado soup. No cooking required. Then, move on to more complex things. Google is a great resource, but also search on cooking sites like this one. There is a wealth of great recipes out there.
Wssmom has a great cold soup here on food52 that I just love to make, Pretty in Pink. You can make a soup like this your own by adding or subtracting ingredients. Have fun! Also, I was gifted a beautiful cookbook by Dave Becker, called Stewed. It's full of great soup recipes. And Cynthia is a wonderful resource for all cooking and baking questions and concerns.
Given the season, it's also worth mentioning that there are many cold summer soups which are not traditionally made with stock - gazpacho, cold beet borscht, schav (Russian sorrel soup,) and Hungarian sour cherry soup come to mind.
I'm in the process of preparing a blog post on the subject of soups (and other vegetable purées) based on water, not stock, inspired by a wonderful podcast from The Splendid Table (http://www.splendidtable.org) hosted by the generous, amusing, and inquisitive Lynne Rosetto Kasper. In a conversation with Chef Andrea Reusig from the Restaurant Lantern in Chapel Hill, NC, Andrea prepares an exquisitely simple turnip soup based on water (and a few other ingredients, of course). Lynne mentions that a chef with whom she once worked liked to use water as a medium for cooking vegetables because, "Water lends such clarity to the food." It was a revelation to me because we've been so inculcated with the idea that stock is the only base for soup. Any soup. All soups. Stroll down the soup aisle in any grocery store and take a look at the number of celebrity chefs who have put their names on stocks because not everyone is willing to invest the hours, be they few or many, required to prepare a stock at home.
Take a look at the recipe, which also features two others:
http://www.splendidtable.org/story/andrea-reusing-key-3
Think perhaps about subscribing to the podcast (free!) in iTunes. I love having the better part of a day in my very own kitchen when I can catch up on them and listen to one right after another. And I always have pen and paper to hand to jot down ideas.
As nutcakes noted, it really depends on what kind of soup you want to make. The heart of a good soup is the stock. A good beef stock will take about 6-8 hours followed by an overnight chill in the refrigerator. Poultry stock in under four hours. Fish stock in less than an hour. Another tip, don't underseason your stock. It requires salt.
This question is just too general. You don't even say what kind of soup you are interested in making. Making some basic soups is extremely simple. But we don't know anything about your level of cooking skill. I'm guessing novice, since you don't know how to make any soups. If you google 'how to make soup' you will get several primers to explain the basic steps.
You might start with Lentil Soup as there are many variations, some vegetarian and some with meat. Here is one I make often, it is really satisfying.
http://www.food.com/recipe/potage-aux-lentilles-et-aux-lard-lentil-bacon-and-tomato-soup-248085
10 Comments
English-Irish Make Do Soup or "whatever-is-in-the-fridge-or-garden soup"
This has kept English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh alive for thousands of years. I'm sure other nations have near identical recipes. And best part is it never gets old- as the flavour changes each time. Basically it's a "pottage".
Disclaimer- If you're allergic to anything- use your discretion.
Disclaimer 2- I hate cream, milky things and butter on anything other than desserts (I know I'm odd) so I have no idea how to cook with them.
1. First decide if you want dried legumes: split peas, beans or anything that's dry- you'll have to soak these in water overnight as per the instructions on the packaging. I'll omit them as I don't really like them.
If you have dried cereals such as barley or pulses- these may require may a soak- check the packet. If you have oatmeal- you can use the oats as they are.
One onion- chopped into 4mm-ish (1/8 inch) cubes)
Two carrots as above- don't bother skinning they get boiled
two tomatoes- unskinned (skin is the good part)
Two spuds or potatoes- whatever kind is fine- cut into 1cm or 1/4 inch cubes. Wash the dirt off.
1 leek- slice off the part where the roots transition to green- keep the part that is not hard and white.
Slice into thin slices about 4 mm (1/8 in) thick.
Omit leek if you don't have one at hand
2 stalks or more Celery (chop as per leek)
1 whole spring onion bunch minus roots and dirt
1 teaspoon- just what you use for coffee will do of whatever the following you have (substiute dried if you have none fresh):
sea salt
fresh ground pepper (or used already ground- it makes minimal difference)
1 or 2 stock cubes (chicken,beef- doesn't matter)
basil
parsely
parsely
marjoram
thyme
rosemary
scallions or chives or spring onions
any edible flowers you might have- Dandelion you can eat (google "edible flowers")- also makes a decent beer/wine.
If you're not sure don't put it in- you're an adult and capable of making intelligent decisions.
2 litres or more of water (2 quarts)
1- get soup-cooking vessel
2. Turn on heat- not too hot- about low to medium
3- add onions and if you want garlic
4. Gently cook the onion and garlic until they are translucent or soft to press
Add dried spices if you are using them- cook them for less than a minute
Add everything else aside from stock cube.
Cook for about two minutes slowly stirring.
If you want to add an alchohol- now's the time to add your booze: wine red, whtie or whatever- even a bourbon is quite nice- no more than a glass. Allow it to cover all the veggies and cook off a little.
Add stock cube- break it apart is best.
Cover contents with water until it reaches an inch from the top of your cooking vessel.
Increase heat until it boils aka bring to boil
As soon as it boils- allow it to boil for about one minute- before turning down the heat to a gentle simmer (the water is bubbling gently).
2 hours or sooner- when every veggie is soft- have a taste.
BLOW on your spoon- it's hot! What does it taste like? Watery- add some salt or booze or stock to increase flavour- add water to lessen the flavour.
Serves- you and however many.
Storage- actually tastes better the next day.
Variations- add a tin of soup or tin of tomato paste.
You can add all kinds of mainly hard cheese- any good American cheese is not too shabby, but you can go for peccorrino.
Meats- add these directly after cooking onion and garlic- and just cook until they turn a little brown.
Fish- I would add immediately after bringing to the boil.
Bacon, ham, salted pork or any corned beef- Great! True to the spirit- add it as per the meats.
If you're Jewish or Muslim- probably best leave that one out.
Important-
Once your soup is cooked- turn off the heat and let it continue cooking until ingredients stops moving. Allow any fat or scum to rise to the surface and skim off with a tablespoon or whatever is handy- you've made a nice healthy soup- don't want to eat the fats. And the kids won;t whine when they see it and say "Ooh gross, what's this yucky stuff" and be a pain.
It's my deceased grandfather's recipe, a WW2 merchant sailor and peacetime jack of all trades. He lived 15 or so years as a widower and remained an unrepentant highly opinionated gambler, drinker and pipe smoker to till God said, "time gentleman, please" (means time to close at the pub) at age 89.
Voted the Best Reply!
Take a look at the recipe, which also features two others:
http://www.splendidtable.org/story/andrea-reusing-key-3
Think perhaps about subscribing to the podcast (free!) in iTunes. I love having the better part of a day in my very own kitchen when I can catch up on them and listen to one right after another. And I always have pen and paper to hand to jot down ideas.
You might start with Lentil Soup as there are many variations, some vegetarian and some with meat. Here is one I make often, it is really satisfying.
http://www.food.com/recipe/potage-aux-lentilles-et-aux-lard-lentil-bacon-and-tomato-soup-248085