General Discussion

You've heard of Elf on a Shelf. Now get ready for Soup on a Stoop. Let's all sit down on our metaphorical front steps and talk about SOUP. And remember. I'm watching you... for recipes!

I personally love anything heavy on garlic and/or onions but I'm game for just about anything.


(Yes, this was inspired by the conversation in the Cozy Game Stream. We're having fun every Friday!)

One of my favourite things to make is mushroom soup. It's easy and tasty.

Cut some mushrooms and garlic, fry them in a small pot. When they're fried as much as you like them, add water, milk and sour cream/cream cheese. Add salt, pepper, paprika, herbs of your choice, and I also recommend powdered mushroom for extra mushromminess. Get this his to boil, and it's done.
If too thick, either use as a sauce or add water. If too liquid, add starch. I don't measure, I improvise.
Great with bread or pasta!

Optionally, for a fun extra flavour, add tomato paste.


Edit: Why is there so much FR staff in this thread? FR staff likes soup, gotcha.

So when I was little, I read a LOT of Calvin and Hobbes...

And there was a strip where, in order to get Calvin to eat his dinner, his dad told him the food was a plate of toxic waste that would turn him into a mutant if he ate it (the ploy worked).

So taking an idea from that one, my parents had a winter vegetable soup recipe that they called "pond scum" in an effort to get me to eat it. Unlike the comic strip however, the ploy did not work.

Anyway, I need to dig out the squash soup recipe again. That's one that uses butternut squash, garlic, onions, other spices, and I do like that one.

Here's a good base recipe for Czech Garlic Soup everyone can try.

I call it a base recipe because I started with that and began playing around with it. I recommend adding cumin to the carraway, marjoram, and black pepper. If you're having trouble finding ground carraway, you can substitute ground fennel. I had to get fennel seeds and throw them in the blender. You can add additional liquid and pour in a beaten egg at the end for a more protein packed version.

I also used 12 cloves of garlic. I'm assured this is more ethnically accurate anyway.

There's this beef stew/soup recipe I've been digging, I saw it on YouTube. The original video used some different seasonings and had other options but these are the ones I have written down. It is SUPER easy with very little prep, just dump and go!

2-3 lb chuck roast*
1 packet au jus
4-6 garlic cloves (or equivalent pre-minced garlic)
1.5 cup frozen sliced onion
¾ red cooking wine or pomegranate juice (I actually prefer the pom)
1.5 cup beef broth

Combine all of this in a slow cooker on low 2 hrs.

* Remember to always thoroughly cook meat to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses!

Then add:

1.5 lb fingerling potatoes
1 lb baby carrots

My seasonings:

2tbs tomato paste **
2tbs butter
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

You can also add, but I have no measurements for:

Worcestershire sauce
Bay leaves
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Then continue in slow cooker
Low: 6-8 hrs
High: 3-4 hrs

** I promise it will not come out tasting like tomato!!

It's so easy and filling and basically no effort! Confession: I don't even measure, I just eyeball it. Most of these things I can buy in close enough quantities. In the words of a wise man: Just set it and forget it!***

(*** Be attentive to your slow cooker and do not actually forget it.)

I like to have miso soup whenever I eat teriyaki chicken or salmon. I actually just made some today. You can also just eat miso soup with some white rice. Home-made tastes better than the instant stuff in a packet. I’ve been eating miso soup ever since I was a baby because my late grandmother would make it for me all the time. It’s stupid easy to make, if you have all the ingredients, that is.


Ingredients

• 8 Cups of Water
• 3 Teaspoons of Hon Dashi (it is granulated fish stock)
• 8 tablespoons of miso (red or white)
• Green Onions, chopped
• A block of tofu, cut into small cubes

First, put the 8 cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, turn the heat to low and stir in the Hon Dashi. Wait for the water to be simmering instead of boiling (as miso likes to burn in high heat) before whisking in the miso. Once all the miso is dissolved, drop in the tofu cubes and green onions. Serve once the tofu and green onions are heated thoroughly.

Technically, you can add any sort of vegetable to miso soup, but I’m sure they need to be prepared differently. Potatoes and small mushrooms taste good, for example. Wakame is also super tasty, but alas, I struggle to acquire it here in the states.

Hurried Lentil Soup

Rinse 1/2 cup lentils per person
Add 3/4 cup water per person
1 bay leaf + 1 additional per 3 people
1 crushed peppercorn per person
1/8 tsp salt

Set in a stockpot on medium high until it hits a boil and then reduce to simmer until lentils are to your preferred softness.

While that's heating saute in 1 tsp butter/oil per person:

1 carrot, diced, per person
1/2 onion, diced, per person
1 stalk celery, diced, per person
1/2 head garlic, peeled and chopped

Once onions and celery are softened and lightly browned add 1 Tablespoon per person sweet white wine, sherry or rice wine. Vodka in a pinch. Add enough water or stock to cover and simmer with one of the flavor profiles below until the lentils are done. Combine all into the stockpot once the lentils are done. Salt to taste and add water if needed/wanted.

I don't make this for less than 2 people so scale up the seasonings based on this for two for whatever favor profile you prefer:

Italian:

1/2 tsp each dry basil, oregano and parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flake or cayenne
Garnish with olive oil and grated parmesan

English:

1/2 tsp each dry sage, parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
Garnish with olive oil and cheese

Indian:

1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp each dry ground coriander, cumin
1/2 cup coconut milk
Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley

American:

1/2 tsp each dry parsley, oregano, sugar
1/4 tsp thyme
1 TB tomato paste or 1 diced tomato
Garnish with sour cream

For a heartier vegetarian version add half a shredded potato per person to the lentils while they cook or some pasta to the veggies while they cook or serve over rice/quinoa. I've served it pureed with plain oatmeal while I was recovering from a root canal.

To make it non-vegetarian add chicken/beef stock and shredded meat off a rotisserie chicken, diced ham, some frozen meatballs into the veggies while they simmer or topped with crispy bacon.

I'm not a soup lover, but my family loves parsnip soup! Took a look at our recipe book to get the instructions but there's a pretty high chance the original came from some blog or YouTube tutorial. Apparently it can be ready in less than half an hour!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 1/2 a teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1/2 a teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 large onion
• 675 grams of parsnips
• 6 cherry tomatoes (or three larger tomatoes)
• 1.2 litres of vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper in your preferred quantity
• (OPTIONAL) Any miscellaneous leftovers that sound nice

Instructions:
Chop the onion, parsnips, and tomatoes until they are small
Put everything in a soup maker (maybe a stockpot would also work? You may need to add an extra step for blending though)
Set to smooth and run until it's done
Serve with thick bread for dipping