Congratulations to Mark Bittman and the article about his soups written in the New York Times.
Here…. take a look at the pix:
So I recently needed to cook soup for a client without salt. Whoooot? Yes. But you know there are other things like Caramelized onions done in a balsamic glaze (to give you flavor, and more flavor).
SOUNDS YUM CHEF!
That’s because it is YUM! lol This particular soup was a rock star, in its’ own right. I did it two ways: thick to be eaten “as is” or taking that same creation and adding homemade broth to each portion to thin it out.
But you have to know how it starts:
When someone can’t have salt, you cannot buy broth. There may be low sodium broth but there certainly is not a NO Sodium broth. So I knew this was a ‘from scratch’ deal.
First things in? A mirepoix: carrots celery and onions…. skins and all. I added Garlic cloves … skins and all. A couple of pieces of chicken (bone in), ‘skin on’ pieces of chicken (I used legs, this time around) and you’re good!
Then I added Chipotle Pepper, a form of salt my client can tolerate (but isn’t great on taste), some fresh thyme (a small bundle on the stems), fresh parsley, and then some dried spices like bay leaves, marjoram, 4 or 5 grates of a whole nutmeg, some cinnamon, a sprinkling of chili flakes, (celery salt if you are able to have salt)…. and bring that up to a boil, then let simmer.
Now, on the side I took a quinoa pasta (which tastes really bad as pasta, but if you over cook it, it breaks it down into a thick sauce into which I added some from the original batch (chicken, some pan sautéed onions, celery, potatoes and carrots), and then blended again into a thick soup that looked more like smashed potatoes than soup.
(If you check the almost 300 blogs on ChefMarian.com, you’ll find I also make chicken pot pies with this same ‘sauce’). As I look back The Vegan Modge Podge uses this same technique.
I then added a new batch of onions, that I caramelized with balsamic, some cut up carrots and celery – but the key really is cutting everything into very small pieces. I also diced some fresh garlic.
While the balsamic really pops the flavor, you can also add some lemon. After fishing out everything from the first pot I was left with an incredible broth. I used that to thin out the smashed potato soup and was told it was the most incredible soup that person ever ate!
So there you have it! A step by step process to great soup!
THANKS CHEF!
You’re very welcome. Wanna really thank me? Give me your “social media best” and help me promote my last two Cooking Classes at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It’s on the only stage in the Family area…. (look at the last blog for a map) and it’s only used from 2pm-3pm, by me in particular this Thursday and July 1st, the following Tuesday. I feature healthy recipes, let you taste what I make, and am there for questions. I call it: Food is Your Best Medicine!
I am videoing all the shows, which you can also find parts of on YouTube in upcoming weeks.
But do your best to help promote these! Ok?
YES CHEF!
Great! Thanks! See you at the Fair!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian