I love soup and pretty much every variety suits me just fine. I like chicken, pea, vegetable, barley, onion, etc. I do have a couple of pet peeves about soup, however:
1. Soup must be homemade (I'm actually vehemently opposed to canned soup).
2. Homemade soup must start with water and not pre-packaged chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (there are some exceptions), but general I like to taste the main ingredients in the soup and not stock.
3. If you're going to have soup for dinner you need to include a "secondi;" that is, a second dish or entree that can help fill you up and provide a complete meal. This can include a piece of grilled chicken or fish, for example.
Given the above prerequisites, the undisputed "king of soups" for me is Lentil. Lentils are tasty, packed full of proteins, and fairly straightforward to prepare.
Here's a simple Lentil soup recipe beginning with the ingredients:
- 1 large onions
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 2 medium saized celery stalks
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- dry lentils
- pureed canned tomatoes
- water
Finely dice the onion, celery stalks, carrots, and garlic. Sauté the above mixture (add salt and pepper to taste) for 8-10 minutes (depending on strength of flame) with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Next, add one cup of dry lentils and about two cups of pureed canned tomatoes (not tomato sauce, but rather canned tomatoes). You could substitute the canned tomatoes with a tomato paste/water mixture, but the flavor component will be different. Thereafter, add 4 cups of fresh water (filtered or purified water is best; remember water is the main ingredient in soups so opt for the best quality). Finally, cook the ingredients for an hour and serve!
That's it, there's no magic to preparing soup (other soup recipes vary, but the basic steps outlined above are the same for many soups). Oh, I also like to add freshly grated Parmeggiono Reggiano just before serving!.
Hi Vincent!
I found your blog through Brazen Careerist. I love the recipes, the food looks yummy and I will definitely try these out! I am not a fan of processed foods and soups either so I try to make things for scratch.
I agree that lentil soup, and soup in general, is great. Thanks for the recipe.
Vince, I know you have a good work-ethic, and I'm interested in your take on something I posted today about Ken Madoff, work and wealth. Would you mind taking a moment to weigh in with a comment at http://www.diamondcutlife.org/ken-madoff-and-wealth-without-work/
Thanks and best regards,
Alison
Mmm... looks good! I agree that no pre-packaged stock should ever be used when making soup. However, a good homemade chicken, beef or tukey stock is absolutely delicious as a base for soup!
@Valerie
Hi! Thanks for the comments and for trying the recipes out. Let me know if you'd like to see any new recipes!
@Jen Yes, I should have been a little more specific; I think homemade stock is fine for a base as a soup. But you could also develop a very good soup by using high quality ingredients without stock (I want to taste the ingredients in the soup and not just the stock)!
Vince