A stock with boiled vegetables is among the simplest of soups.
For all kinds of weather, and for any bodily ailment, there's a soup. In blustery winter, stews warm and fill. On a hot summer day, cold cucumber soup chills and refreshes. Warm chicken broth soothes and cream of potato soup comforts. Fermented soups help digestion and bisque simply feels like a treat. Easier to prepare than they may seem, soups usually begin as simple broths to which cream, meat and vegetables are added.
Stock-Based Soups
Chicken broth is reputable for its soothing properties.
A stock-based soup is a clear broth made by boiling meat or bones, plus herbs and spices, in a pot of water. Chicken broth is a common stock-based soup. Others include fish stock and beef stock. You can also make vegetarian broths by boiling vegetables and herbs in water. Noodle soups are usually made in stocks.
Cream-Based Soups
Cream of broccoli soup is a good way to get some greens.
Cream-based soups are prepared by adding cream to a meat- or vegetable stock. This thickens the stock, making it richer. Vegetables are often added to cream soups -- cream of broccoli, cream of potato, cream of tomato and cream of asparagus are examples of this.
Chowders and Bisques
In a bisque, fish or vegetables are pureed into a heavy cream broth.
Chowders and bisques are heavy cream soups. Bisques, such as lobster bisque, shrimp bisque and tomato bisque, are usually prepared by adding a puree of fish, shellfish, fruits or vegetables to a heavy cream broth. Squash bisque, crab bisque and chestnut bisque are some more uncommon bisque varieties.
Chowders are prepared by adding chunks of fish or shellfish, as well as potatoes, to cream soup. Clam chowder and corn chowder are well-loved throughout the U.S., while callaloo, a chowder made with okra and crab meat, is popular in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chilled Soups
Many cultures have one or two soup varieties that are commonly served cold. Beet borscht, a typical soup in Eastern Europe, is prepared by boiling chopped beets and adding sour cream and dill before chilling. Gazpacho, a Spanish soup, is made with pureed tomatoes, garlic and onions. Vichyssoise is a cold creamy potato-leek soup originating in France, and dashi is a cold Japanese fish and vegetable soup.
Fermented Soups
Fermented soups are common in Japan. Miso soup is a broth prepared by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans, and Sayur Tumpang is made from expired tempeh and chili.
Stews
Stew is hearty and warming in cold weather.
Stews are hearty winter soups that contain chunks of meat and vegetables. Nearly all cold countries have their own varieties of stew. Goulash is a Russian stew made with beef, pork, potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Cazuela is a Latin American stew made with chicken or beef and potatoes, rice, squash and corn. Lentil stew, often made with potatoes, is common throughout the Middle East.
Tags: made with, heavy cream, prepared adding, Chicken broth, cream broth, cream potato, cream soups
