The Humble Gourmand

What is it about soup that’s so comforting, especially in these winter months?

Sure, there’s the obvious bit — the temperature. Soup is warming to the hands, mouth, and insides.

Less quantitative, however, is the effect of a warm bowl of soup on one’s mind. It is soothing, calming, and forces the eater (drinker?) to slurp slowly and carefully.

There aren’t many soups to be found in grocery stores that deliver a balanced, fresh flavor out of the can. Making your own might be natural for some, but for others, it is uncharted territory; a task better left to restaurants and Campbell’s; an involved process easily shunted to the side in favor of simply getting a meal on the table.

This weekend, peruse some of these general tips and give soup a try. It’s a great project for the solo diner because soup can be frozen, even in single portions for easy defrosting later. It can serve a crowd, or start a dinner party off in elegant fashion.

First, you’ll need a pot with a thick bottom. This aids in the very-important distribution of heat evenly across the pot’s surface. Depending on the type of soup you’re crafting, you may also need a blender and some sort of strainer, such as a fine-mesh sieve or chinois.

A lot of soup recipes begin with the sautéing of mirepoix (celery, carrots, and onion), which provides a base for other flavors. Leeks are often a better choice than onion because they have a slightly smoother, more mild flavor that is perfect for soups.

If you haven’t done much with leeks before, here’s a good technique for washing and preparing them: Slice off the dark green parts and nubby end on white bottom of the leek. Peel away the outer layer and discard. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice horizontally into thin strips. Place the pieces in a bowl of cold water and slosh around with your hands a bit. Let them sit for a minute or two, then carefully take out of the water with a skimmer or slotted spoon and place in the pot. It’s perfectly fine if a little water makes it in with the leeks.

You’ll likely be putting those leeks or onions into the pot first to “sweat” them. As we’ve said, this step establishes the flavor and evaporates some of the water in the vegetables. Salt will help bring out some of that water, too.

Some recipes will call for other vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, to be sautéed for a few minutes early on. This caramelizes them, again establishing flavor before you add liquid, seasoning, and other ingredients.

With salt and seasoning — crucial to making a soup sing, rather than fall flat — keep yourself in check at first. Start with a little bit. Taste. Add more, if necessary. Taste again. Repeat until you’re happy with the results. Remember, you can always add more seasoning and spice, but you can’t take it away.

For pureed soups, don’t worry about perfectly dicing or chopping your vegetables — it will all come out in the wash, as they say. If you’re making a broth-based soup where the vegetables will float and bob on center stage, you might want to be a bit more precise with that knife for presentation purposes.

All right? Feeling ready? Here are some soups of the butternut squash and white bean and leek variety. On your mark, get set, go….

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