Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of five articles on food profiles.
Do you ever wish, on a below-zero, snowy day like today, you could have a warm bowl of delicious chicken noodle soup? How about minestrone, broccoli, lentil, or lemon rice? What these soups all have in common is that their base of the soup is made of stock or broth.
Of course, if you ever want to test your luck in the kitchen and whip up a hearty soup, you have to know what flavors to add into the stock or broth to make it taste good. This is why it’s useful knowing the food profile of broth and stocks.
Let’s make one thing clear: Stock and broth are not the same thing
Your local grocery market might categorize stock and broth as the same thing, but there is a difference. The flavor of broth mostly comes from the meat boiled in the liquids, whereas stock’s flavor is derived from the juices that come from simmering the bones of the chicken or cow, making it more rich in flavor, so if you want a richer and tastier soup, use stock.
However, both broth and stock can be substituted for each other, meaning any soup can be made with broth, even if it requires stock. Because of this, they share one common food profile — the same ingredients that go well with stock will also go well with broth.
Let’s look at three broth-based soups and find some common ingredients that give the broth that essential flavor.
Chicken Noodle Soup:
Melt about a tablespoon of butter, and sauté onions, celery, and carrots in the fat until tender. Pour in chicken broth and stir in cooked and diced chicken and egg noodles. Let simmer until noodles are cooked in broth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
French Onion Soup
Cut 6 medium sized onions into half moon shapes. In a stockpot, melt butter and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook sliced onions in the oil with sugar, salt, and pepper added in. Cook down the onions for 20 to 25 minutes stirring repeatedly. The heat and sugar combined with the onions will caramelize them. Add 4 cups beef broth, a teaspoon each of thyme, oregano, and basil, and let everything come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. In 6 to 8 ramekins (oven-safe), ladle the soup, and top with the bread chunks. Combine olive oil and garlic powder in a bowl and brush the breaded top of each ramekin. Top with parmesan and place ramekins under the broiler until cheese melts and slightly browns.
Find the complete recipe here.
Basic Vegetable Soup
Heat about 4 teaspoons of olive oil in a stockpot over medium to high heat. Add onions, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook down (sweat) the vegetables for about 3-5 minutes until translucent. Season with salt and pepper and optionally, add 1/4 cup white wine and cook down until fully reduced. Add 4 cups vegetable broth and peeled and diced Yukon gold potatoes. Season with herbs: thyme, bay leaf, oregano, basil, and fennel. Let the soup come to a boil and then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes to allow the potatoes to cook.
Find the complete recipe here.
Now that we have looked at the ingredients of three of the most common and popular broth based soups, we know onions, thyme, basil, carrots, and oregano are added with broth to enhance the flavor — thus making these part of its food profile.
I would add another recipe, but there are three amazing ones above; just follow the link for exact measurements.
We all know it will be snowing this weekend and the weather is only getting colder, so why not take out that can of broth or stock in your cupboard and make your family a hearty soup? Trust me, it’s easier than it looks, and worth the extra effort.
