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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 12, 2020 17:21:19 GMT
No, she made the soups with vegetables and water.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 18, 2020 17:18:56 GMT
I suppose it is sacrilege to include instant packet soups on this wonderful section. But these little gems have a place in my pantry. With Covid stay at home most days, our meal times are all higgledy-piggledy. Breakfast is always after 9 and before you know it 2pm has arrived - so with dinner at 5pm because were starving, I have decided a little cup-o-soup keeps the tummy from rumbling into early dinner. Today I had a spicy butternut and Mr.Tod had beef noodle. Both very drinkable for what the are - water flavourings..
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Post by onlyMark on Jul 19, 2020 6:52:11 GMT
Tod, you are not alone. One of the staples of my larder. Not many, just a packet or two for 'emergencies' like being peckish when it is still some time to dinner.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 19, 2020 14:28:19 GMT
So glad to hear it Mark! I also have a supply of instant noodles but they are mainly for the grandkids should they stay over…..in the old days!
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Post by onlyMark on Jul 19, 2020 14:57:36 GMT
We certainly have a few packets of them as well, but for us. I jazz them up a bit by adding some soy sauce, frozen peas, dried onions and garlic and often a few cashew nuts.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2020 15:56:07 GMT
I think that all of us soup eaters understand the necessity of having a few mixes on hand, particularly the instant ramen noodles. Usually I have a little bit of onion or parsley or celery or some other vegetable fragment to throw in the water before it boils, but if not, that's okay. I do also have some packets of Knorr mushroom or fish soups, probably some others, too, that I can make, but those things only emerge in the winter.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 20, 2020 23:49:57 GMT
I definitely have instant or fast-cooking noodles. The Indonesian packets are especially interesting. On a more salubrious note, instant soba (the cheap ones are made in Korea, not Japan). As my appetite has greatly declined, a 50g bunch of soba with some vegetables and protein (usually chicken, prawns or tempeh) is enough for me. I have a small electric skillet and it is just perfect for those. If I have it, I do add (frozen) homemade poultry stock.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 21, 2020 0:36:12 GMT
I had the most instant of chicken soups today, as I walked over to the market & bought it already made from my preferred food place. Doña Deme makes classic rich chicken broth, but she never gives me enough rice. In fact, she's always surprised when I ask for the rice to go in with the broth.
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Post by onlyMark on Jul 21, 2020 5:53:35 GMT
Bixa, is that a cultural difference or what is the reason why you want some and she either doesn't give you enough or doesn't put any in? Or just a personal preference? I Egypt there is a 'fast food' dish called koshari that has both rice and pasta. I always was looked at askance when I asked for more rice and less pasta, but that was just how I liked it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 21, 2020 16:40:50 GMT
Mark, re: cultural difference/personal preference, I guess all of the above. In Louisiana many soups and stews are served with rice, and that's what I'm used to and like.
When you get caldo de pollo/chicken soup here, you're often asked if you want vegetables or not. Generally it doesn't come with either rice or noodles. Although I'm a fan of the cooking at my preferred market stand, I usually say no to the vegetables because I find them over-mature, over-cooked, and in pieces too large for soup.
Yesterday I took a two-quart saucepan to the stand & asked for soup with two thighs and lots and lots of rice. I could see that she dished up three nice spoonfuls of rice, but then filled the pan almost to the top with broth. She just couldn't read my mind about what I consider the correct proportion of rice to broth. In any case, it was very good and a great deal of food for 80 pesos/$3.59 usd.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 21, 2020 20:08:52 GMT
Oh, for soup I would find that to be a bit expensive (for Mexico, not for France) but I guess the two thighs account for the difference.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 15, 2021 16:48:06 GMT
Today I made soup with sliced okra, chopped onions, a russet potato, chopped garlic, an aging tomato, chopped green Moroccan chillies, powdered fish stock (Maggi), fresh basil and Italian parsley. And just for good measure some chopped Thai chillies. It was volcanic and excellent. I had it for both lunch and dinner and it made me remember how much I adore the aroma of cooked okra.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 16, 2021 13:14:48 GMT
I have some frozen baby okra, and it is true that they would be good in soup. At the hospital there was never enough fibre.
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Post by lugg on Apr 16, 2021 20:41:18 GMT
I occasionally have enjoyed okra but mostly I find it too slimy. The fault of the recipe or cook I guess. At the hospital there was never enough fibre. I think that's true in hospitals in many countries.
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Post by casimira on Oct 29, 2021 16:26:48 GMT
I used to feel the same about okra Lugg, too slimy. Then Bixa taught me how to de-slime it but I can't remember how off the top of my head. I didn't grow any okra this year, a first for me but, I have no garden to speak of where we are now.
It's soup weather here now as the days become cooler and cooler. I anticipate that T. will bust out the soup cauldron and make his Creole beef, vegetable. Usually enough to feed the whole neighborhood. He can never make just a small pot. It will get eaten though and there are a whole new set of neighbors to share it with.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 29, 2021 17:01:32 GMT
This week I made an ultra simple soup of just chopped courgette, chopped carrot and chopped onion with a vegetable bouillon cube, and it was exceptional.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 12, 2022 15:33:12 GMT
The worst pho ever?
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Post by casimira on Jun 12, 2022 17:03:13 GMT
Our neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant shut down during the pandemic (along with many of our affordable eateries). This one made the best Pho and we ordered it to go on a regular basis during the cool/cold season. I became friendly with one of the managers and she came to know me as I always requested extra lime and cilantro. A major loss for us here.
They have another location in a suburb, and I need to check and see if they remain open or had to shut down.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 16, 2022 22:44:46 GMT
Today I made the most astoundingly delicious soup, if I do say so. Really, I'm still stunned and can't wait for suppertime so I can have it again.
I buy lovely sourdough loaves from a local bakery, but I'm only one person and don't eat enough bread to finish off a loaf while it's still fresh. This isn't a problem, as I save the heels in the fridge until I want them for something*.
Today was laundry day, plus there weren't a lot of ingredients in the house. It was obviously time to chop up a bunch of garlic, some spring onion, and prep the saved bread so I could make Spanish sopa de ajo. It's one of the world's simplest soups, but one I just love.
Anyway, went through all the steps with olive oil, pimentón, etc. It was quite a nice soup at that point, but then I added a long-life box of crushed tomatoes, stirred them in & let them simmer for a bit. That definitely amped up the flavor, but then real inspiration struck. I remembered that I had a frozen liter of cooked alubias (small white beans) in the freezer. I set the container in a pot of water to defrost while I went off to do some other tasks. When it was loose enough to dump out of its container I carved off about half of the beans and threw them into the soup along with a healthy helping of minced fresh sage. I can honestly say that this is easily the most satisfying soup I've ever had.
*Another great use for leftover bread is to cube it and fry it in butter or olive oil. When it's nice and golden, pour beaten eggs over it. Lift the edges gently to let the eggs run evenly underneath, then turn off the heat & cover the pan. In a few minutes it will be cooked through & very fluffy. Of course you can add seasonings. This recipe is so basic because it's something I worked up for my dogs, but the 2nd or 3rd time I made it for them I tasted it & learned that it's fine human food, too.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 17, 2022 8:14:02 GMT
Don’t wait bixa. Have some for breakfast.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 17, 2022 14:56:41 GMT
Oh, I had it for both lunch and supper yesterday and there is still some left for today. I really recommend this soup to everyone. It's very robust and also a vegan dish. (unless you consider the yeast in bread to be a form of critter murder)
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Post by casimira on Aug 4, 2022 14:45:59 GMT
T made some gazpacho while I was on vacation. It is divine and perfect fare for the steamy hot days we are having here.
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 4, 2022 16:09:43 GMT
I make gazpacho a lot when in Spain and so hot. At least once a week and about two litres of it. We use it as a soup but also as a snack drink.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 4, 2022 16:42:26 GMT
I made gazpacho a couple of times, and it was a brilliant success, especially being able to season it to my taste. But for my small needs, it is not really cost or energy effective (in spite of the food processor). So I try to get it at the supermarket, but I find the Alvalle brand grossly overpriced. The store brands are at least 30% cheaper, but they are always sold out.
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 4, 2022 17:06:34 GMT
I've never bought it in a supermarket and liked it a lot. Restaurants/cafes here nearly always make their own, or at least they do in my area. Can't remember what store brands I've bought apart from what they have at Carrefour. How about a change and make salmorejo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmorejo
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 4, 2022 17:09:35 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 3, 2022 16:38:06 GMT
Inspired by Bixa's leek soup on the dinner thread, I made my own leek soup yesterday. leeks, carrots, potatoes, shallots, Moroccan chillies chopped up for cooking ready to go last minute addition of flat parsley sufficiently cooked blended in the food processor served with a dollop of crème fraîche to ward off any vegans Later in the season, I would have added turnips and celery.
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Post by mich64 on Nov 3, 2022 17:46:39 GMT
Looks delicious Kerouac! What kind of soup stock did you use?
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 3, 2022 18:21:43 GMT
I used a chicken cube and a Vietnamese cube (MSG).
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2022 6:14:30 GMT
Looks good! I garnished mine with yogurt for the first go 'round, bu left it off for subsequent servings.
I had the last of my leek soup for supper last night. Today I managed to find a winter squash at the proper stage for eating. Usually they're sold overly mature here to be cooked in a raw sugar syrup. Local people are amazed that I want winter squash to make savory food. Anyway, it got turned into a lovely soup -- onion, habanero, garlic, the cut up squash, a couple of tomatoes, half a bouillon cube, and lots of fresh sage & thyme. After it cooked I thickened it slightly with a whole wheat flour roux, plus added some powdered milk, then beat it with a whisk. It turned out really well.
Now I'm thinking about the next soup to have. This must be the result of some body memory of this season: falling leaves, cold nights, etc., because the the weather we're actually having is very hot and dry.
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