Posts tagged soup

Stewing is an art and there really is no way around that fact. In terms of cooking, if you can master the art of the stew then you can make an infinite amount of meals, of infinite variety, of infinite flavors! Not to mention, it’s a one pot meal which means minimal clean up and something you can set aside and simmer while you do work, knit your hat, or update your tumblr. I’m guessing you’re really excited right now, so I’ll hop to it.

A really good stew in my opinion has some kind of green leaf in it. Why? Well short of salads and a layer of a sandwich, big green leaves don’t get a lot play in most peoples meals. So, unless you’re avidly striving to include them, foliage can be a little frustrating. Soup, I’ve found, is the perfect solution.

For this recipe, as the picture above shows, I used collard greens, chopped them chunk-ily and boiled them separately and before I started the soup so that they are extra tender.

Next you need to decide on a couple more factors

Starch: it could be anything, noodles, rice, potatoes, possibilities = limitless

Protein: meat, beans, eggplant, tofu, quinoa, shrimp, fish, you can soup it all

Flavor Adders: here’s where I like to get slightly exotic, hot peppers, bananas, watercress, miso paste, cherry tomatoes, if it exists, and is an edible with entertains a spot in your meal repertoire, you can soup it.

Spices: for soup? It all works, I recommend seasoned salt, curry, bay leaves, parsley, cilantro, and any blend of smoked paprika or cayenne.

Here’s my example,

I started with onions (one of my favorite flavors) and olive oil in the pot. Then I added the rest of my “flavor adders” and spices: hot peppers, bananas, curry powder, bay leaves, and my new favorite goya sazon! (Super cheap and mysterious because I can’t read the ingredients, perfect.) In the same step toss in the meat, I used tuna steak, so that it cooks up, soaking in the flavor and the oil to tenderize.

Add cups of water until you reach what you deem the appropriate amount of broth for your soup. Once the water level is adequate, add the starches. I chose sweet potatoes, they go fairly well with everything. Boil until the starches are tender.

Once the starch has reached it’s peak, add in the greens. If you boiled them in a separate pot like I did just drain and toss them in the soup. If not then then just go for it, free of any green inhibitions. 

Next, simmer: until it fills your house with it’s heavenly scent, or well, maybe 30 to 45 minutes. Taste along the way, this is incredibly important. You’ll know when it’s ready because it’ll look awesome.