Outback Jack's soup stock secrets!
Making stocks
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Secrets to making good soup!
Making soup is easy, making good soup is also easy but does require some time and effort, especially if you are going to make your own stock. The stock is the flavoured liquid which forms the basis of many soups and sauces. A well made stock creates a wonderful, rich flavoured soup with good depth.
When I am in a hurry I usually resort to the ready made products, like bullion cubes or packet mixes. However if I want to make a soup that will be remembered I make my own stock. An example of this is my minestrone.
Over the years I have often been asked to share my 'minestrone soup recipe' which is very difficult because I don't have a recipe really. I often change the veggies I put in according to what is in my fridge or what is on special. I do however have one secret which I willingly share and that is how I make my stock for minestrone.
I use top quality properly smoked ham or bacon bones to make the stock and into this I add a mirepoix of vegetables. Usually celery, carrot and onion. Added to this some garlic and parsley. For stock you don't have to use the best parts of the vegies either as they get strained out. Use celery tops, carrot bottoms, parsley leaves and stems. Then take the time to let it all simmer. At least an hour but you get better results if you let it go for 2-3. Then strain it, reserve the meat from the bones and toss the veggies out (don't forget to recycle them and put them in the compost heap or in your no-dig veggie garden). This is your stock.
Another tip which should be obvious is to use fresh ingredients. Try to grow your own herbs. They taste nicer if fresh rather than dried. You can grow herbs even inside in winter on a sunny window ledge, or put them outside during the day and bring them in at night. (I know one lady who has tomatoes growing in pots in winter and she has them in an old trolley which she wheels out during the day and then brings into the garage at night to avoid the winter frosts).
This tip even applies to the oil you use. I usually use virgin olive oil or sunflower oil. I never use canola oil (there is a lot of evidence out there that Canola oil is not good for you. (Try a little research and see that Canola really comes from Rape seed and the not so nice face of genetic modification and the greed of big business.)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13818693.900-review-a-blot-on-the-landscape-.html)
Don't over cook the noodles or pasta. Now some might disagree with me on this as they say the minestrone or chicken noodle soup tastes better the second day. I however don't like the texture of the pasta if it is overcooked. To avoid this if you are making a big batch which I often do is to cook the pasta separately and then add it whilst reheating the soup.
Finally be careful with soups that have cream or milk in them. Milk and cream should usually only be added near the end of cooking and never let the soup boil madly once it has been added. Bring to a gently simmer and then switch off. Remember too that soup with milk in should not be frozen.
Buy Australian Herbs and Spices click on box below.
Making soup is easy, making good soup is also easy but does require some time and effort, especially if you are going to make your own stock. The stock is the flavoured liquid which forms the basis of many soups and sauces. A well made stock creates a wonderful, rich flavoured soup with good depth.
When I am in a hurry I usually resort to the ready made products, like bullion cubes or packet mixes. However if I want to make a soup that will be remembered I make my own stock. An example of this is my minestrone.
Over the years I have often been asked to share my 'minestrone soup recipe' which is very difficult because I don't have a recipe really. I often change the veggies I put in according to what is in my fridge or what is on special. I do however have one secret which I willingly share and that is how I make my stock for minestrone.
I use top quality properly smoked ham or bacon bones to make the stock and into this I add a mirepoix of vegetables. Usually celery, carrot and onion. Added to this some garlic and parsley. For stock you don't have to use the best parts of the vegies either as they get strained out. Use celery tops, carrot bottoms, parsley leaves and stems. Then take the time to let it all simmer. At least an hour but you get better results if you let it go for 2-3. Then strain it, reserve the meat from the bones and toss the veggies out (don't forget to recycle them and put them in the compost heap or in your no-dig veggie garden). This is your stock.
Another tip which should be obvious is to use fresh ingredients. Try to grow your own herbs. They taste nicer if fresh rather than dried. You can grow herbs even inside in winter on a sunny window ledge, or put them outside during the day and bring them in at night. (I know one lady who has tomatoes growing in pots in winter and she has them in an old trolley which she wheels out during the day and then brings into the garage at night to avoid the winter frosts).
This tip even applies to the oil you use. I usually use virgin olive oil or sunflower oil. I never use canola oil (there is a lot of evidence out there that Canola oil is not good for you. (Try a little research and see that Canola really comes from Rape seed and the not so nice face of genetic modification and the greed of big business.)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13818693.900-review-a-blot-on-the-landscape-.html)
Don't over cook the noodles or pasta. Now some might disagree with me on this as they say the minestrone or chicken noodle soup tastes better the second day. I however don't like the texture of the pasta if it is overcooked. To avoid this if you are making a big batch which I often do is to cook the pasta separately and then add it whilst reheating the soup.
Finally be careful with soups that have cream or milk in them. Milk and cream should usually only be added near the end of cooking and never let the soup boil madly once it has been added. Bring to a gently simmer and then switch off. Remember too that soup with milk in should not be frozen.
Buy Australian Herbs and Spices click on box below.
Making Stock - Stock Making
When making a meat based stock you don't have to use the best cuts. In fact the bones and cartlidge will give you more flavour than the 'pure meat'. They also break down into gelatine and this helps to give your soup a thicker stock and more body.
Use chicken or turkey bones (carcasses) which are relatively cheap to buy. If you are adventurous you could even use the 'giblets' and inner parts of the fowl to make your stock. I mean the stomach, heart, neck and liver. I personally don't like the liver in stock so save it for the pate. I know to some this might sound YUK but I am of Barossan German peasant stock and we waste nothing! LOL.
I have also found that left over roast chicken makes good stock. I use the wings and left over bones, or you can just get some cheap chicken wings and necks roast them for half an hour on mod -to high heat and then boil for stock. You can also achieve a close result by merely browning the bones in some oil in the pan before you add the water. A stock made this way is called a Fond Brun and is one of the most common used. Don't make Fond Black though - ie Don't burn the bones.
Many chicken soups such as Chinese chicken and sweet corn or regular chicken noodle don't require a 'brown stock' but have better appearance with a light or white stock - Fond Blanc.
This just means to use raw bones, don't brown them or the veggies just add to water and simmer.
Don't be scared to use up those not so fresh veggies in the stock stage. Whilst fresh is best for the ones that will remain in the soup come eating time a slightly old carrot or celery stalk is always good for stock.
Skim your stock during cooking. Scum forms on top of the stock you can skim this off during the cooking process and use a little clean kitchen paper towel to blot up the rest. Or if you feel up to it (I never do) you can strain the stock through muslin).
Another good way to get rid of scum and also the fat is to let the stock cool and the fat set. Then just scrape it off and give it to your dogs - but not if it has onion in it.
Since making stock is time consuming make a big batch and then freeze what you don't need. Frozen stock is easy to use as you can defrost it in the pot next time you make soup.
When making a meat based stock you don't have to use the best cuts. In fact the bones and cartlidge will give you more flavour than the 'pure meat'. They also break down into gelatine and this helps to give your soup a thicker stock and more body.
Use chicken or turkey bones (carcasses) which are relatively cheap to buy. If you are adventurous you could even use the 'giblets' and inner parts of the fowl to make your stock. I mean the stomach, heart, neck and liver. I personally don't like the liver in stock so save it for the pate. I know to some this might sound YUK but I am of Barossan German peasant stock and we waste nothing! LOL.
I have also found that left over roast chicken makes good stock. I use the wings and left over bones, or you can just get some cheap chicken wings and necks roast them for half an hour on mod -to high heat and then boil for stock. You can also achieve a close result by merely browning the bones in some oil in the pan before you add the water. A stock made this way is called a Fond Brun and is one of the most common used. Don't make Fond Black though - ie Don't burn the bones.
Many chicken soups such as Chinese chicken and sweet corn or regular chicken noodle don't require a 'brown stock' but have better appearance with a light or white stock - Fond Blanc.
This just means to use raw bones, don't brown them or the veggies just add to water and simmer.
Don't be scared to use up those not so fresh veggies in the stock stage. Whilst fresh is best for the ones that will remain in the soup come eating time a slightly old carrot or celery stalk is always good for stock.
Skim your stock during cooking. Scum forms on top of the stock you can skim this off during the cooking process and use a little clean kitchen paper towel to blot up the rest. Or if you feel up to it (I never do) you can strain the stock through muslin).
Another good way to get rid of scum and also the fat is to let the stock cool and the fat set. Then just scrape it off and give it to your dogs - but not if it has onion in it.
Since making stock is time consuming make a big batch and then freeze what you don't need. Frozen stock is easy to use as you can defrost it in the pot next time you make soup.
| How do you like your soup? Thickening agents. |
| My husband prefers thick and hearty soups, which are more like a meal than a starter. To make some soups thick is easy. For example when making Pumpkin soup you can just add more pumpkin and less stock (water), or if the type of pumpkin you are using is like trombone and does not thicken it up enough you can simply add a couple of potatoes. Here are some tips on thickening agents (for soups) from Cracknell and Kaufman "Practical Proffessional Cookery" (a great book to have on hand.) "Thickening agents are used to give body and consistency to flavoured liquids and in some cases can be used to bind mixtures of ingredients into a cohesive mass. Those in common use are the following: Cream: Good-quality double cream can be added to deglazings or liquids and becomes thick by careful reducing. Fecules - Starches: The four starches in common use for thickening soups, sauces and gravies are arrowroot, cornflour, potato flour and rice flour. The starch must be diluted with cold water, stock or milk, to a thin paste, stirred into the boiling liquid and allowed to simmer for a few minutes. Roux: A roux is a combination of fat and flour cooked together to one of three stages: (1) white; (2) blond; (3) brown. They are used mainly in the preparation of soups, sauces and stews. (pge 48) To make a roux use equal quantities of butter and flour. Melt the butter in a heavy pan, add flour mix well. Cook gently (not on high heat), mix frequently and must be cooked long enough to remove floury taste. It should have a nutty smell when ready. The difference between white, blond and brown is how much colour you let it get while cooking, obviously the longer you cook it the more colour it will get. Large quantities should be cooked in the oven (once mixed together) at 160 C. Allow the roux to cool a little before mixing in the liquid. |
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