Basic Cooking Tips
For a basic chicken soup recipe, you need to start off with a broth. The best way to make a homemade broth is to cook chicken with savory vegetables, perhaps celery, carrots, and onion. It is also good to use herbs, such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and sage. You can vary this basic broth recipe by adding pasta, rice, noodles, or vegetables.
Chicken soup combinations are limitless and chicken soup is a versatile dish. Remember that you can substitute turkey for chicken in most chicken soup recipes if you prefer it or if you fancy a change.
One quart of soup will serve six people as an appetizer or two people as a main dish. It is fine to make soup a day or two in advance and reheat it just before serving. Actually, most savory soups taste better when you do this.
Cooking Quick Tips
Using homemade broth normally, results in a better tasting soup but this can take a long time. You can try frozen or canned broths or bouillon bases but be prepared to take your time with the rest of the soup making process for the best soup results.
If your soup is too salty, add a whole, peeled potato to the soup and simmer it for about fifteen minutes to absorb the excess salt. Take the potato out and save it for another recipe.
Dehydrated Vegetables Cooking Tips
Fresh vegetables are usually the best to use in soup recipes but frozen, canned, or dehydrated vegetables can work well too. Dehydrated vegetables keep for a long time and you can use any combination you like. Add the dehydrated vegetables to the soup ten minutes before the end of the cooking time. A gentle simmer is enough to make them soft and tasty.
Using Wine in Chicken Soup Recipes
Wine adds good flavor to both soups and stews. Wine tends to increase the saltiness so add less salt to the recipe if you are going to use wine. Never add more than ¼ cup of wine per quart of soup.
Tips for Using Fresh Herbs in Cooking
When using fresh herbs in cooking, it is best to add them at the end of the cooking process, to ensure they retain their rich, intense flavor. Adding herbs fifteen minutes before the end of the cooking time means their delicate flavors will not simmer away.
To remove herb leaves from the stems, you need to hold the sprig at the top with one hand. Pinch the stem gently but firmly with the other hand, run your finger, and thumb down it, zipping off the leaves on the way. This works well with oregano, thyme, rosemary, small-leafed basil, and marjoram. For mincing herbs, you can use a sharp knife or mince them in a food processor or electric spice grinder.
|
