Any recipes you'd like to share would be appreciated.
I am queen of soups so there's no need to look any further.
First, I make chicken broth/stock from scratch, but you can only do this if you know someone who eats a lot of bone-in meat. I re-use the bones multiple times. I put them in a plastic bag in the freezer. Broth can be made in the slow cooker easily.
Second, when making ANY soup remember this: You can put ANYTHING in that mofo. I've put every form of starch (potato, egg noodles, white and brown rice), vegetable (swiss chard, carrots, celery, onions), beans (lentils), meats (chicken, bacon, hot dogs) etc. in soups. Some of those items you have to cook before you put it in the soup. Things like lentils or potatoes though you can just boil for 20-25 minutes while boiling the soup.
So, when it comes to buying items to put in the soup, buy whatever vegetable and starch is cheapest or most convenient to you. Potatoes are AWESOME in soup, so I tend to prefer that. Carrots are often the cheapest as well.
The thing is, the ingredients inside the soup rarely affect the taste. It's the seasoning that makes the difference.
Plain chicken broth soup: Nothing fancy. Just spice it with salt and pepper until it tastes good after you make the entire soup. Salt makes a HUGE difference. In fact, I often add the salt and pepper to my individual bowl instead of the big pot of soup.
Asiany soup: When making the broth, use lots of ginger and garlic, and sometimes I add peppercorns. Also use a bit of soy sauce instead of water when making the broth. I assume if you're not making your own broth, you can add most of these to the soup itself.
Spicy kick: Add Sriracha sauce after the soup has been cooked. It changes the taste of the soup entirely.
Tomato-y soup: Add lots of tomatoes to the broth. You could probably add them directly to the soup as well and boil for a while.
Seriously, soups are EASY. There are no rules! There are no recipes. You can be really stupid and make a great soup.
Questions?
