Homemade soups made from fresh vegetables are healthy, low in calories and quick and easy to make. They're easy on the purse and you can let your imagination run free.
Advantages of Homemade Soups.
Soup is a great winter warmer. It can be a nutritious meal in itself eaten with fresh crusty bread. There are a lot of good reasons for making your own soups.
- You know exactly what went into the soup - no additives, artificial stuff or deadly hydrogenated fats
- You buy the vegetables and choose the freshest and best
- You control the quantity of vegetables that make up the soup - handy if you're dieting
- You control how much salt gets in there
- You can eat it as soon as it's ready, so it tastes fresher and you get the full vitamin benefits
- It contributes towards your recommended daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables
- By buying fresh vegetables in season, you save money. Or you could grow your own!
- It freezes well, so you could make enough for several meals. Freezing doesn't alter the nutritional content very much.
- It's tasty and satisfying but low in calories so it could make dieting less boring
How Do I Start?
First of all, invest in a food blender. You don't need to buy a full blown food mixer with all the attachments (unless you also want to make your own cakes and bread etc.). All you need is a simple blender - the sort that makes smoothies. I picked one up from my local supermarket for £5 (five pounds sterling - that's less than 1 Euro or about $2.50).
Next, you need to decide which vegetables you want to use. Choose a maximum of three kinds of vegetable for each soup, one of which will be the main ingredient whilst the others will compliment the flavour. The idea is to experiment with taste until you find your favourite combinations. Using too many kinds of vegetable confuses the taste buds and results in a non-descript soup.
You will also need the following equipment:
- A large saucepan or frying pan with a lid
- A wooden spoon
- A sharp knife
- A chopping board
And the following ingredients:-
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- *500mls of stock (chicken, beef, vegetable - whatever you have or prefer)
*I find this is enough for two mugs/medium sized bowls. Adjust if you want more. You'll soon get the hang of judging the amount.
What Do I Do Next?
Here's what to do
- Wash, peel and chop your vegetables
- Heat about 10-15mls of oil in the pan
- When it's hot, add the chopped vegetables and cook on a medium heat for 2-3mins
- Stir well to make sure all the vegetables are coated in oil
- Add salt and pepper and stir again
- Turn down the heat to very low; put a lid on the pan and leave to "sweat" for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add the stock to the pan and replace the lid, turning the heat up a little
- Leave for 15-20 minutes to simmer slowly. If you're using root vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, swedes, sweet potatoes, parsnips etc. you might need to simmer longer. The idea is for the vegetables to be soft.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes
- Transfer the mixture to the blender and blend for 30-60 seconds on the lowest setting
- Return to pan, reheat and enjoy!
Some of My Ideas
The following combinations are my favourites but don't be afraid to experiment with the vegetables you like. The vegetables are listed in order of greatest quantity first.
- Leek, potato and sweet potato. Replace half the stock with semi skimmed milk.
- Parsnip, carrot and red onion
- Red pepper and rocket. (Try it, its delicious!).
- Asparagus and spring onion
- Cauliflower, potato and sweet corn. Add the sweet corn after blending.
- Tomato and red onion. To skin tomatoes place in just boiled water for 3 minutes. The skins peel off easily.
- Broccoli and green cabbage. To chop the cabbage into really thin strips, roll up each leaf, remove any thick stalks and use a very sharp knife to chop into strips (mind your fingers!). If you're not watching the calories this soup is even better with a chunk of stilton cheese crumbled then stirred in after blending.
Happy eating!
