The Poop on Soup
By Ross Mavis
If ever an excuse was needed to make soup; the recent cold weather provides more than enough reasons. Nothing can warm your body and soul quite like good, hot, soup. It’s not just the nourishment but also the opportunity to warm your hands on a mug of soup even before the steaming liquid food enters your body. According to my sources, there are more than 15,000 soup recipes the world over. I hate to quibble but I’m sure this number is way too modest.
There really isn’t anything I can think of that does not lend itself to being cooked into a great soup. That is one of the unique qualities of this hearty liquid food. You are never stuck pondering what you might turn into a gut warming, nourishing soup. Vegetable, meat, poultry or fish are all fare game. I’m sure if I was to drop into your house uninvited on any given day, I would still be able to find ingredients in your kitchen to make us a lovely bowl of soup. Doubt my talents? Invite me to try.
For example, my wife Willa and I arrived home late the other evening. Our house at the foot of Pancake Hill was cold. A fire had to be lit and supper started. While Willa kindled the wood stove, I put my mind to supper. Let’s see now….we pretty well finished the roast chicken yesterday. The rack in the fridge was still on the old white platter Willa’s dad had given her many years ago. It was the perfect size for a medium size roast chicken. We have been able to source free range, meat king chickens and they are absolutely incredible. These chickens taste like chicken tasted when my mum or Willa’s mum roasted chicken, years ago.
Even though most of the bones had been pretty well picked clean, there was one portion of breast meat and a drumstick left untouched. Not really enough for a meal for two. Undaunted, I quickly diced a small onion, chopped a stick of celery and peeled two carrots before dicing them as well. These I put into the old cast iron Dutch oven over medium high heat on the propane range. A tablespoon of bacon fat was added and the vegetable mix was sautéing nicely while I searched the fridge for more victims.
Aha, a small Pyrex dish of light chicken gravy was found hiding behind the large bottle of rhubarb jam. Into a microwave safe bowl went the chicken bones, broken up to yield as much surface area to hot broth as possible. Two chicken bouillon cubes, four cups of water and the partially sliced drumstick were added. Three minutes nuked on high and things were starting to smell like supper.
The hot broth was poured into the sizzling veggies in the cast iron pan and whatever meat possible was stripped from the bones and leg. This was quickly chopped and added with the diced breast portion to the soup now reaching full gestation on the stove. To this I added the cup of chicken gravy with a flourish reminiscent of the baptizing of our grandson. My wife will kill me for saying that.
Then came the tasting of the mixture; ahh, mmmm, yes just a little salt and pepper will bring everything nicely together. Chopped fresh parsley was added. Crusty whole wheat rolls, butter and bowls of steaming chicken carcass soup graced our table that night. A glass of dry red wine sharpened the palate and supper was served. Now what could be easier or tastier? And that’s the poop on soup.
The Poop on Soup
If ever an excuse was needed to make soup; the recent cold weather provides more than enough reasons. Nothing can warm your body and soul quite like good, hot, soup. It’s not just the nourishment but also the opportunity to warm your hands on a mug of soup even before the steaming liquid food enters your body. According to my sources, there are more than 15,000 soup recipes the world over. I hate to quibble but I’m sure this number is way too modest.
There really isn’t anything I can think of that does not lend itself to being cooked into a great soup. That is one of the unique qualities of this hearty liquid food. You are never stuck pondering what you might turn into a gut warming, nourishing soup. Vegetable, meat, poultry or fish are all fare game. I’m sure if I was to drop into your house uninvited on any given day, I would still be able to find ingredients in your kitchen to make us a lovely bowl of soup. Doubt my talents? Invite me to try.
For example, my wife Willa and I arrived home late the other evening. Our house at the foot of Pancake Hill was cold. A fire had to be lit and supper started. While Willa kindled the wood stove, I put my mind to supper. Let’s see now….we pretty well finished the roast chicken yesterday. The rack in the fridge was still on the old white platter Willa’s dad had given her many years ago. It was the perfect size for a medium size roast chicken. We have been able to source free range, meat king chickens and they are absolutely incredible. These chickens taste like chicken tasted when my mum or Willa’s mum roasted chicken, years ago.
Even though most of the bones had been pretty well picked clean, there was one portion of breast meat and a drumstick left untouched. Not really enough for a meal for two. Undaunted, I quickly diced a small onion, chopped a stick of celery and peeled two carrots before dicing them as well. These I put into the old cast iron Dutch oven over medium high heat on the propane range. A tablespoon of bacon fat was added and the vegetable mix was sautéing nicely while I searched the fridge for more victims.
Aha, a small Pyrex dish of light chicken gravy was found hiding behind the large bottle of rhubarb jam. Into a microwave safe bowl went the chicken bones, broken up to yield as much surface area to hot broth as possible. Two chicken bouillon cubes, four cups of water and the partially sliced drumstick were added. Three minutes nuked on high and things were starting to smell like supper.
The hot broth was poured into the sizzling veggies in the cast iron pan and whatever meat possible was stripped from the bones and leg. This was quickly chopped and added with the diced breast portion to the soup now reaching full gestation on the stove. To this I added the cup of chicken gravy with a flourish reminiscent of the baptizing of our grandson. My wife will kill me for saying that.
Then came the tasting of the mixture; ahh, mmmm, yes just a little salt and pepper will bring everything nicely together. Chopped fresh parsley was added. Crusty whole wheat rolls, butter and bowls of steaming chicken carcass soup graced our table that night. A glass of dry red wine sharpened the palate and supper was served. Now what could be easier or tastier? And that’s the poop on soup.
If ever an excuse was needed to make soup; the recent cold weather provides more than enough reasons. Nothing can warm your body and soul quite like good, hot, soup. It’s not just the nourishment but also the opportunity to warm your hands on a mug of soup even before the steaming liquid food enters your body. According to my sources, there are more than 15,000 soup recipes the world over. I hate to quibble but I’m sure this number is way too modest.
