Collection: Soups, Stocks, Sauces & Salads

One of the most admired skills in any cook’s repertoire is the ability to create wholesome, tasty soups and stews. Cooks with these admirable attributes frequently utilize soups and stews as highly versatile comfort foods, and with good reason. Picture a bitterly chilly day and exhilarating hot soups and stews come to mind. During a boring bout in bed, throat-soothing soups are the best restorative medicine. On sizzling summer days, rejuvenating cold soups quickly lower our thermostats. Hot or cold, soups are time-proven delights, ready to add zest and variety to our lifestyles. SCROLL DOWN FOR RECIPES

Soups and stews are truly the most broad-based of any food group. Their range of enchanting flavors stems from an almost endless choice of vegetables, meats, and fish. With this variety, there is a compatible soup for any menu you may plan. Soups are most popularly served as a separate course in luncheons or dinners. Some soups and stews are excellent as a main course. In any event, soups are always welcome. Among your acquaintances, can you recall anyone who does not like soup? Well-rounded home cooks and professional chefs soon develop a knack for preparing a number of these table delights, ready to enhance the pleasures of a widespread array of luncheons and dinners.

Most soups are uncomplicated to create, and for convenience, most can be prepared several hours before serving. The secret to making great soups is simple. Always use good basic ingredients. The best Mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onions), herbs (thyme, parsley stems and bay leaf) and chicken, beef or veal stock is essential. In the following webpage, you will find recipes and step-by-step techniques for dozens of delightful soups and stews. With these taste wonders in your repertoire, you will develop an understanding of the chemistry of the world’s finest dishes.

About Salt & Natural Sodium

Onions, Carrots and Celery: A natural source of sodium can be found in the basics of vegetables, and sodium (salt), as we all know, does provide flavor. However, sodium (processed salt) can be a problem for some people, especially those with congestive heart disease or hypertension. In general, considerable amounts of sodium should be avoided. To achieve maximum flavor without the need to add sodium in the form of table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt, we will use three basic vegetables – onions, carrots, and celery – in most soups and stews. Together, they provide natural vegetables flavor and natural sodium content. When onions, carrots and celery are dry sautéed using no oil, the natural flavors are released into the dish. When sautéed in oil, the natural flavors cannot escape the coating of oil additional sodium (salt) is necessary to flavor the food. These basic vegetables provide the following:

• 1 medium onion: 54 mg sodium
• 1 medium carrot: 28 mg sodium
• 1 stalk celery: 35 mg sodium

About Canned vs. Fresh Tomatoes & Dried Beans

Many of the most popular recipes use either tomatoes or dried beans as another source of flavor. When tomatoes are called for, always try to use fresh, ripe tomatoes; plum tomatoes are the best. When the recipe calls for dried beans, home-cooked beans are always the first choice, and we have provided a simple that is easy to follow and prepare and that has better flavor than canned varieties. When using canned goods, always consult the Nutrition Facts on the label, (it is now possible to find some dried beans that are canned without salt.)

• 1 cup Homemade Beans: 356 mg sodium – (from natural source)
• 1 cup canned beans: 750 mg sodium (processed)
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes: 16 mg sodium (from natural source)
• 1 cup canned tomatoes: 391 mg sodium (processed)