Soup 101

Step One:  The Base

The first step of almost every soup recipe calls for slowly cooking diced celery and onion (and often-sliced carrots) in a bit of oil until tender. I like to speed things up a bit by putting these vegetables in a glass bowl, covering it with plastic wrap and microwaving them on regular power for six minutes.

Step 2: Spice Up the Canned Broth

I’ve never taken the time to make my own chicken broth. Instead, I get it out of a can. Strict vegans use vegetable broth, but I find that chicken or beef broth gives soup a lot more flavor. Low sodium broth helps avoid that too salty taste and I never add salt to the soup unless by some chance it needs it at serving time. I do add spices to flavor it up and my usual go-to seasonings are pepper, thyme and basil. I’m careful not to use too much; a bit of dried herbs goes a long way. Every region in the world has its signature spice combinations: oregano, fennel, rosemary for Mediterranean; chili and cumin for Southwestern; or ginger and lemongrass for Asian. The type of soup will determine which spices to use.

Step 3: Add Protein

There are many kinds of canned beans available: kidney, great northern, garbanzo, cannelloni, etc. They are ready to be added to the broth as soon as they are rinsed and drained. If meat is opted for, any kind of leftover meat, canned chicken, or a roasted chicken from the grocery store could be used.

Step 4: Optional – Add Grains or Additional Vegetables

It’s nice but not necessary to add are any leftover rice or pasta. Any fresh vegetables could be added as well, or just open up a canned vegetable such as corn, beans and tomatoes.

Step 5: A Short Simmer

That’s it! Just bring the soup up to a boil, turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

The Recipe is below

Red Bean and Ham Soup

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 (15 oz.) cans beef broth
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 (15 oz.) can red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 oz.) package cubed ham (1 cup)
• 2 generous tablespoons of tomato paste

Combine carrots, celery, and onion with oil and either sauté in a pan until tender or microwave in a covered bowl for six minutes. Place the cooked carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and add the other ingredients. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.