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9 When making a puréed soup like baked potato, don’t blend all the liquids and solids together at once. Instead, work in batches. And always hold back some liquid; you can use it to thin the soup later if needed. A little acid — white wine, beer or a squeeze of citrus — will liven up almost any soup. I like to add Crys- tal hot sauce to our crawfish bisque (Crystal has a little more vinegar than Tabasco). Start with a little bit of acid, then taste and adjust. 10

6 DON’T HAVE STOCK BONES ON HAND? Premade stocks are fine. Simmer the scraps of some carrots, onions, celery and herbs in the store- bought broth before making the soup to add extra flavor. it’s also a way of getting flavors in a dish to meld together. Bringing the stock to a boil will cause it to be cloudy and emulsify the fat into the stock, which makes it greasy, so this needs to be a slower process. IF YOU’RE ADDING WINE TO YOUR STOCK, don’t add it until the vegetables have cooked for at least 20 minutes; otherwise, the vegetables won’t soften. Layer flavors all along the way. Remember to season with salt not just when the soup is done but at every stage of the cooking process. Taste constantly and adjust as you go. Simmering lets you gently cook all of the ingredients until they are tender ; 7 8

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13 Noodles are the very last component you add before taking a pot of soup off the heat, because if you add them too soon, they get mushy. If you’re making more chicken noodle soup than you need, set some aside for freezing before you add the noodles. You can add fresh ones when you reheat it. other than keep simmering and reduce it. If the soup becomes too salty during reduction, you can add a little bit of sugar and acid (citrus, wine, beer, Crystal, etc.) to try and offset it. Or, you can absorb some of the liquid — and the salt — by adding rice, pasta or potatoes. THERE’S NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO TO FIX A TOO-THIN SOUP

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On a similar note, adding a big tablespoon of tomato

paste will increase the sweetness and tang of

beef-based soups, helping to brighten the rich flavors.

everyday JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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