Welcome Foodies!

This blog is not an exact science, but a fun foodie page. I gather information from all kinds of sources and make them my own. I hope you share back successes, failures and super finds.
Have fun!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Snowed In Soup


It's a BLIZZARD in Iowa today. So, as I worked from my home office I made a very simple soup that was just the supreme definition of comfort food on a cold winter day. I make up soups all the time. I have discovered they are almost srew-up proof that even a novice cook can hardly go wrong with soups once you get the basics down. Just keep in mind you are building layers of flavors. They can easily be experimented with and all kinds of ingredients can be tossed in. Ask yourself, "do I like thick soups or brothy ones?"

The base is often times: milk, chicken or beef stock, or crushed tomatoes or tomatoe juice which I stock in my basic winter pantry (which I will share later) are my soup base favorites. I often add a cup of red or white wine.
It all depends on the base, meat or vegetables you are adding. Often times I start with sauteing of an onion to get the basement flavor going. I mean cook them until they are carmelized or well browned. (Be patient) it takes a little time to do this but well worth it as it adds much of the core basement flavor to many soups and stews. Some times I add  minced or chopped garlic and celery and build from there. The soups I make are either cream based ( literally  with milk or dding a little cream at the very end or a stock based or a tomatoe base soup.
I make the most unbelievable soup today I wanted to share with you soup fans.  It was simple and was all ready in 20 minutes!

Salmon and Baby Scallop Chowder
6 salmon filets
1 c  (frozen) baby   sea scallops
1 large can cream of chicken soup
1 chicken boullion cube
1 can creamed corn (yep, I know!)
Plenty of Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp parsely
4 cups 2% milk

I threw it all together and let it bubble on low until the salmon and scallops were done and WOW!
Serve with a salad and some oyster crackers.