Warming Winter Soups

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Once the pan is deglazed, add half your stock and the ingredients that will take the longest time to cook. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are almost done. Next, add enough stock to create the desired volume. Return to a boil and add the remaining ingredients. Remove from heat. Adjust seasonings and allow the soup to sit for as long as possible before serving, to let the flavors meld.

To freeze soup, allow about an inch of space in the container for expansion. To can soup, pressure can according to recommendations for the least acidic ingredients, typically 30 to 50 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. (For more about canning, see Learn to Can for Homegrown Flavor, August/September 2005.)

Instant Flavor Enhancers

To add even more depth to your homemade soups, try some of the following tried-and-true techniques for boosting flavor:

•Add grated or puréed potato, squash, zucchini, onion or garlic early in the process; they’ll eventually dissolve.

•Pop in an herb-infused ice cube. (Blend fresh herbs with oil and a little water, and keep frozen in ice cube trays.)

•Add a hefty dollop of tomato paste, honey, molasses, nut butter, pesto, miso or nutritional yeast (the base of many bouillon cubes).

•Spice up soups based on tomatoes, beans or cream with dashes of nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin or chili powder.

•Add complexity with red or white wine, cognac, brandy, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice or vinegar.

Now it’s time to try one of the following recipes. Or take “stock” of what’s in your kitchen and garden, find the best market deals, and experiment away!

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

8 cups water, cold or room temperature

1 to 3 large onions, unpeeled, quartered

1 large carrot, scrubbed, quartered

2 cups potatoes, unpeeled, quartered

1 head garlic, unpeeled

3 ribs celery, with tops

4 sprigs parsley

2 tsp salt or tamari soy sauce

Sprigs of fresh or dried herbs: oregano,
basil, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, etc.

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (available in bulk at natural food stores)

1 tbsp white miso (use brown or red for a bolder flavor)

In a stock pot, combine all ingredients except nutritional yeast and miso. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 2 hours. Allow stock to cool, then strain and throw the solids on the compost heap. Whisk in nutritional yeast and miso. (Miso contains live enzymes, so it should not be boiled.) Use immediately, refrigerate or freeze. Yields about 7 cups.

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