The secrets to great soups.
In the kitchen where I started my cooking apprenticeship, there was always a 20-litre pot simmering on the back of the stove. Into it went all our vegetable waste, the occasional scrap of chicken and heaven knows what else. Every day, 10 litres or so was removed from the pot and then puréed to become the “vegetable” soup of the day.
Thinking about it now, I don’t recall ever washing the pot, and I now know, of course, that far from being a way to use up leftover ingredients, soup needs quality ingredients and a good stock base. When it comes to stocks, I am not a purist who insists on everything being made from scratch. There are excellent commercial ones available.
The following soups are all purées, which means they do not necessarily benefit from sitting overnight to allow the flavours to mature. If you buy a sieve with the finest mesh (specialist kitchen shops stock them), you will be rewarded with soups of exceptional texture. I don’t buy into the argument that you are straining away most of the flavour. I see it as a way to refine the taste and texture.
Because purée soups are quick to make, they are easy meals that need only a simple lettuce salad to follow. They are brilliant for the times you cannot be bothered turning on the oven.
I nearly always serve soups with plenty of buttered, toasted crusty bread on the side. Any leftover soup can be frozen, ready to be reheated (like I occasionally do) late at night when you have just got home from work and need something warm and gentle.
I am not a fan of chilled soups, with the exception of gazpacho and vichyssoise. Made with late-summer or early spring tomatoes, gazpacho is wonderfully refreshing. As it must be eaten very cold, make sure you have ice on hand.
Originally a humble peasant dish made with stale bread, it is now considered one of the more elegant soups in which all the ingredients must shine in harmony with one another. Do not make this soup with tinned tomatoes, as it is simply not the same.
GAZPACHO WITH PRAWNS, CUCUMBER AND BLACK OLIVES
100g stale white bread, crusts removed
4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 telegraph cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green or red capsicum, seeded
3 sprigs mint
125ml extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a little Tabasco sauce to taste
1 cup of ice cubes
GARNISH
1 cooked prawn per person
1 tbsp cucumber, seeded and
finely chopped
1 tbsp black olives, pits removed and
finely chopped
Briefly soak the bread in a bowl of water, then remove it and carefully squeeze out any excess water. Place the bread in a large bowl, then mix in the tomato, garlic, cucumber, capsicum and mint. Add the olive oil and vinegar. Pour the ingredients into a food processor and purée until smooth.
Strain the soup through a sieve, season with salt and pepper, then stir in the ice cubes. The consistency should be that of a thinnish purée. Pour the gazpacho into bowls or glasses and garnish with prawns, cucumber and olives.
Serves 6-12.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, the name “cauliflower” is off-putting, but when made into a velvety smooth soup or purée, this vegetable has a surprisingly good flavour.
CAULIFLOWER WITH SMOKED SALMON
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed of greenery
1 small onion, chopped
500ml milk
250ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper
smoked salmon to garnish
Slice the cauliflower and add to a deep saucepan with the onion, milk, stock and bay leaf. The liquid should barely cover the cauliflower. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat and pour into a food processor. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into serving bowls and garnish with salmon.
Serves 6-8.
VICHYSSOISE MUST ALWAYS be served cold, and it irritates me that restaurants offering it hot don’t use the proper name, “parmentier”. Vichyssoise needs to be cold to ensure the subtle flavours and glorious silky texture are appreciated. It’s also one of the few occasions that I use white pepper.
VICHYSSOISE WITH CHIVES AND GOATS’ CHEESE TOASTS
4 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
500g potatoes, peeled and chopped
500ml chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
salt and white pepper
2 tbsp chives, chopped
6-8 slices of baguette, lightly toasted
120-180g soft goats’ cheese
Put the leek, potato, stock and milk into a large saucepan and simmer until tender – about 35 minutes. Pour the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine sieve – it’s as much about texture as it is taste. Allow to cool, then stir in the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with chives. Spread the goats’ cheese thickly on the baguette slices and place on a serving platter.
Serves 6-8.
MAKE THIS SOUP with frozen corn if fresh cobs are unavailable.
SWEETCORN SOUP WITH MUSHROOMS
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
400g corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
100ml cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
½ lemon, for squeezing
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook for 8 minutes until they have softened and the onion has coloured a little. Add the cumin and cook until aromatic, then pour in the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Strain the purée through a coarse sieve, then return the soup to the saucepan and reheat until boiling. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms until tender. Season lightly, then squeeze lemon juice over them. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper while you pour the soup into individual bowls. Divide the mushrooms between each bowl.
Serves 4-6.