People in the north, like here in Canada, often say that it's nice to have soup when it's cold. While that may be true, I know that soup is eaten in hot climates regularly. In fact I am a soup fan all year round.
I usually have home made vegetable stock in the freezer and I keep making it. I do sometimes add store bought bouillon cubes or powder just to give it an extra something.
Basic vegetable broth
2 onions, 4 cloves garlic, 5 or 6 peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, bunch of parsley, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery. Add salt to your desire.
Brown ingredients, cover with water, bring to a boil then simmer for forty five minutes to an hour. Strain keeping the liquid and discard the rest.
Pumpkin corn and jalapeno
5 or 6 cups pumpkin, 2 cups corn, 5 or 6 grilled jalapenos or grilled sweet peppers for no heat, 1 chopped onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 carrot, and vegetable soup broth.
Saute onions and garlic, then the rest of ingredients.
Add broth enough for your desired thickness. Blend until smooth adjusting with salt and desired seasonings.
I made it on the liquid side but you could add less broth for a creamier soup. You could also add a plantbased cream or milk.
Boil the basic broth with kombu or seaweed, dried shitake, adding a little miso, around a tablespoon. After twenty minutes to half hour, strain out the items leaving the liquid.
Saute an onion, a few cloves garlic, a few Thai basil leaves, a bunch of cilantro, around an inch of grated ginger, a few Thai chilies and add to the broth. Simmer this and move on to the other ingredients.
I chose, around a pint of fresh shitake mushrooms, 1 block tofu, carrot and greens, which I think are bok choy but I can't remember what the sign said. It was probably in Chinese or French. I really love these greens. I added a splash of rice wine vinegar, 2 or 3 tablespoons of soy sauce a dash of agave and extra hot sauce.
The noodles were softened, cooled and put aside. I usually use rice noodles but I decided on buckwheat for a change.
I browned the garlic in oil and added the greens for a few minutes. This is not necessary but I just wanted it to be a little garlicky.
Separately I browned the tofu, onion, and mushrooms.
Put noodles, tofu and vegetables in a bowl and cover with hot broth.
This soup is my favorite winter soup with lentils to bulk it up.
1/4 cabbage shredded, 4 small diced potatoes, 1 onion diced, 1 pint sliced mushrooms, 1 diced carrot, 1 cup brown lentils, 1 cup red lentils, 1 stalk leak cleaned and chopped, 1 shallot, 3 or 4 cloves garlic, 3 bay leave, a few sprigs of parsley, 1 stalk diced celery, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, and/or cayenne pepper, 5 or 6 diced tomatoes, 1 or more litres of vegetable broth and salt to taste.
Caramelize leeks onion and garlic.
Add other ingredients bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes and lentils are tender.
If it's too thick add more broth.
I garnished with some sweet and sour red cabbage for an extra European touch and croutons made from leftover flat bread which was eaten on a previous day with the pumpkin soup.
I have said it before that the recipes are approximate in amounts. I adjust ingredients and seasonings as I go. I'm sure that is what most people do. It also depends on your individual taste.
Thanks for dropping by!