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Musings of a relaxed, identity-directed homeschooling mum in New Zealand.
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A Recipe for Torture
As we head into winter one of our family favourites comes into its own. Soup. We all love it, especially the real thick, hearty soups made with bones, either chicken or beef.
One evening I was with some friends and they were all commenting on how many men did not like soup, including their husbands. I was amazed considering how our family drools over it. When I discussed it with my husband he said it was probably because they hadn't had the thick meaty soup we eat. Honestly, it would be hard to think of a more nutritious cooked meal to feed a family, and it is economical as well.
When I get my bones on the stove boiling away, my teenage boys moan and groan that I am torturing them. I get the bones boiling the day before we actually eat it and the house smells so amazingly good, but they can't eat the soup until the following day. Torture to hungry teenagers.
Here's a bit of a run down of my soup making method. Its not a recipe, because it is different each time.
For chicken soup, buy frame or necks, these are cheap, place them in a big pot with whatever leftover chicken bones are in the freezer, add lots of celery leaves, some garlic cloves, couple of onions and carrots - don't worry about peeling. Throw in some parsley, bayleaves, peppercorns, a splash of vinegar. Keep on low boil for most of the day.
Next day ( this is the worst bit) strain stock out, pick over bones and save meat. I usually save 2 litres to freeze for another time. Discard bones and veges, unless you want to briefly boil for a second 'extraction'. Add chopped vegetables, lots of them, I usually use about 4 onions, several celery sticks, 5 or 6 carrots, a couple of kumara, and my husband loves potato in soup, so 4 or 5 of them. I have got a big soup pot though. Add brown rice or lentils if there is plenty of liquid, they will absorb a lot. Often though, we just have the vegetables and no grains. Add any frozen gravies you happen to have in the freezer, keep on low boil for a few hours, add the meat. Season well, lots of salt and pepper, I used to use soy sauce but have been avoiding it lately so I use Braggs instead.
There it is. Serve and watch it disappear.
For beef soup, it can be done exactly the same way and it will be great. But for the last few years I have been charring the bones in a roasting dish in an extremely hot oven for about an hour, then using these as the basis for soup. Wash the roasting dish with fresh water a couple of times and use the 'washings' in the soup. This makes a really dark, rich stock.
An interesting note - one of my downfalls with soup was that I loved to eat it with bread. Usually more bread than I normally ate. I have started eating it without bread, and have found myself just as satisfied, for as long.
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Posted: 4:03 PM, Apr. 26, 2008 |
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