The ultimate soup guide, part 2

I am very passionate about soup. I love making soup. I love eating soup. I love talking about soup. And I so desperately want to share that love with you all by helping you make the best soup possible. I’m sure you’ve realized by now not all soups are created equal. There can be a significant difference in taste between the soup you make at home and the soup you order from a restaurant.

I created this blog post as a follow-up from my previous “The Ultimate Soup Guide” to share a few more thoughts on how you can improve your soup. I’m also sharing one of my favorite recipes, minestrone soup.

And in case you're curious (I'm sure you're not), I have Chef Brown, owner and executive chef of the Flatiron on Penn, to thank for my passion for soup. He was my chef instructor for my Soups, Stocks, and Sauces class in culinary school.

Take stock of your stock

A good foundation is of the utmost importance when making soup. If you start with something that tastes good on its own, then you’re already in good shape. In a perfect world, we would only ever use homemade stock. It’s significantly more flavorful and richer than what you can buy at the store, and you can control the sodium content. However, the reality is that’s totally impractical. So I would say if (when) you make homemade stock, use it for brothy soups—those soups that make you want to slurp the last few drops. (Find my stock recipes here.)

Magic mirepoix

Pronounced meer-pwah, mirepoix is crucial for flavoring soups, stews, sauces, braised dishes, etc. When in doubt, start with mirepoix. Mirepoix is a mixture of 50% onions, 25% carrots, and 25% celery by weight. So if your soup has 8 ounces of onions, it should have 4 ounces of carrots and 4 ounces of celery. As previously mentioned, a good foundation is important, and mirepoix is part of that flavor foundation. It’s the base that your soup recipe is built upon. You can control the direction of the soup be either sweating or caramelizing the mirepoix .

To sweat mirepoix, cook it in a pot over low heat with butter or oil until everything softens and releases moisture. This helps to concentrate flavor. The flavor remains concentrated even when you add liquid to the pot later. No browning occurs when you sweat mirepoix. The flavor profile of the vegetables will not change.

As you probably guessed, when we caramelize mirepoix, we brown (but NOT burn) the mirepoix. When we do this, the "maillard reaction" occurs. When mirepoix is heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and above, the sugar breaks down and caramelizes. The sweetness of the vegetables deepens and intensifies, and the flavor profile changes.

To caramelize mirepoix, cook just the onions and carrots over medium low heat with butter or oil. As the vegetables cook, they will soften and release moisture. Once the moisture evaporates, the onions and carrots will start to caramelize. Make sure to stir every so often so it doesn't burn. When the onions and carrots are evenly brown, add the celery. Celery doesn't brown in the same way that onions and carrots do. Celery is low in sugar and has a lot of moisture, which can prevent the onions and carrots from adequately caramelizing. That's why it's added last. Once the celery softens, add your liquid to the pot.

One last thing about mirepoix (and all vegetables you add to your soup): Make sure everything is uniformly cut. Two reasons: it ensures everything cooks evenly, and it makes the soup taste better because it creates better mouthfeel.

Sear before you simmer

Just like with the caramelization of mirepoix, searing or browning your meat is important for flavor. Browning the meat before adding it to the stockpot imbues the soup with rich flavor and it also releases some fat and gives the meat some structure so it doesn’t just become a  floppy glob that disintegrates as the soup cooks.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer

Simmer means to cook over medium-low heat as small bubbles gently break the surface every once in a while. Boiling is done over high heat, and lots of big bubbles break the surface of the soup.

Most of the time, it's best to cook your soup over a simmer. If you cook it at a boil, the ingredients in the soup will jostle around too much and break apart. Also, too much liquid will evaporate before the flavor can develop.

So why bother bringing it to a boil if we’re just going to simmer it? The answer is twofold: First, it can take a lot of time for soup to reach a simmer at medium-low heat, and second, you can control the temperature of your soup better if you know what its boiling point is.

Don’t part with your parmesan rind

When you finish a wedge of parmesan cheese, stick the rind in the freezer and save it for when you make soup. The rind will infuse the soup with rich, umami flavor. The rind will become soft but not fully dissolve, so make sure to remove the rind before serving.

Perfection takes time

Sure, you can finish a soup in 20 minutes, but the flavor won’t be nearly as profound as a soup that’s been simmering for an hour.

Add acid

Have you ever tasted something and thought, “This tastes flat”? It’s probably because you need an acid. Acids brighten and enhance flavors while also balancing sweetness and bitterness. Acids come in many forms. Some of my favorites for soup are lemon juice, vinegar, and wine. I like to incorporate acids throughout the cooking process, like when I deglaze the pot with vinegar or wine. But it’s also a good idea to stir in an acidic ingredient at the very end.

Minestrone soup

Yield: 6 servings

Time: About 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
• 10 ounces yellow onion, small dice
• 5 ounces carrot, small dice
• 5 ounces celery, small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup white wine (Plus 1/2 cup reserved for finishing the soup, if desired)
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 ounce piece parmesan cheese rind (optional but adds tremendous flavor)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tablespoons dry Italian seasoning
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 medium zucchini, medium dice (or butternut squash)
• 8 ounces kale, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until it starts to brown.
2. Add onion and carrot (and butternut squash if using) and cook until they start to caramelize. Add celery and cook until soft.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
4. Deglaze pot with white wine.
5. Add diced tomatoes, beans, parmesan cheese rind, rosemary, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning, stirring after each addition
6. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
7. Add orzo (and zucchini if using) and cook until tender, about 9 minutes.
8. Add reserved white wine and kale and stir until wilted.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Serve in bowls, drizzling a little olive oil and sprinkling a big pinch of parmesan cheese over each serving.

Brûléed cheese crostini

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

I used Challenge Unsalted Butter to make these crostini. Challenge Unsalted Butter is 100% real cream butter—nothing artificial or synthetic. I typically use unsalted butter so I can adjust the salt level to my liking.

Brûléed Blue Cheese Crostini with Pear and Walnuts

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge Unsalted Butter, softened
• 2 red anjou or Bartlett pears, sliced thin
• 4 ounces blue cheese, sliced thin
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• Hot honey for drizzling
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Place one slice of pear on each baguette slice and top with blue cheese. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of blue cheese. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Drizzle hot honey over cheese and top with walnut pieces. Serve immediately.

Brûléed Goat Cheese Crostini with Fig and Hazelnuts

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge Unsalted Butter softened
• 3/4 cup fig preserves
• 1 (8-ounce) goat cheese log, sliced thin
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• Hot honey for drizzling
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Spread fig preserves on each baguette slice and top with goat cheese. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of goat cheese. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Drizzle hot honey over cheese and top with hazelnut pieces. Serve immediately.

Brûléed Brie Crostini with Chocolate and Pistachios

Yield: 12 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, cut into 1/2"-thick slices
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge Unsalted Butter, softened
• 3/4 cup raspberry preserves
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 ounces brie cheese, cut into 1/8-inch strips
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread baguette slices with thin layer of butter. Bake in oven until golden and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Spread raspberry preserves on each baguette slice and top with piece of chocolate and brie. 
5. Sprinkle sugar on top of brie. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.
6. Top with pistachio pieces. Serve immediately.

Winter citrus salad

I’m talking about a fresh start to the new year with in-season salad ingredients. We usually think of summer as "salad season," but winter can be salad season, too! 

Here is my go-to salad formula:

Base (lettuce, kale, chicories, cabbage, spinach) + Grain (quinoa, farro, bulgur, couscous) + Vegetables (raw or roasted) + Protein (egg, meat, chickpeas, beans, fish) + Saltiness (cheese, capers, olives) + Crunch (nuts, seeds, granola) + Herbs (mint, basil, parsley, cilantro) + Dressing (vinaigrette for delicate salad or creamy for hearty salad)

You don’t need to include all parts of the formula for a tasty salad. It depends on what vibe you’re going for, like if you want a meal salad or a side salad.

My favorite cold-weather crops for building a fresh seasonal salad include radicchio, kale, fennel, beets, and citrus.

Here are a few pointers for using each of the ingredients in the salad:

Kale: It's important to massage the kale to soften it. Add a little olive oil to your bowl of kale and massage it with your hands for about 3 minutes. This makes the kale easier to eat and more enjoyable.

Radicchio: This vegetable is in the chicory family. I like to prep radicchio by pulling the leaves off the head and tearing them into pieces. Radicchio, like all crops in the chicory family, can be quite bitter. Soak the radicchio in cold water for about half an hour to make it less bitter.

Fennel: Use a mandolin to get thin slices, and save the fronds to add with other herbs at the end.

Red onion: Slice your red onion very thin (I like to use a mandolin) so you don't experience the overpowering sharp bite of the vegetable. A good way to lessen the sharpness is to soak the red onion slices for 10 minutes in cold water. Or you can pickle the red onion, which is what I did.

Beets: I'm going to be honest, I just buy ready to eat cooked and peeled beets from the grocery store. It's just not worth the time and effort for me to do it myself anymore.

Mandarin oranges: Peeled mandarin orange segments have a white covering because of the pith, and you can't cut it off like you would with a regular orange. The best way to make them look prettier and more orange is to blanch them in boiling water for 10 seconds.

Blood oranges: I like to serve these supreme style. What that means is I cut off the top and bottom of the orange so the flesh is exposed. I then remove the peel and pith by running my knife along the curve of the fruit. Once the peel and pith are removed, you'll be able to see the membrane, which holds the segments together. I use my knife to cut inside on either side of the membrane, and I can easily remove each segment.

Grapefruit: I recommend storing the grapefruit in juices squeezed from the membrane. The fruit will stay fresher longer.

Feta: The best feta you can buy is whole block feta that you crumble yourself. Goat cheese would also probably work well in this salad.

Hazelnuts: I think hazelnuts are an underutilized nut that pair really well with citrus. It's important to toast them first, though. Once toasted, their papery skin should come right off. I toasted my hazelnuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes in avocado oil, a little salt, and cayenne. I love a sweet and spicy food pairing.

Mint: Mint is my herb of choice for this salad, but I think cilantro would work well, too. I think it's important to always finish your salad with fresh herbs.

Winter citrus salad

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the tahini dressing

• 60 grams (1/4 cup) tahini
• 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) lemon juice
• 30 milliliters (2 Tablespoons) avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad

• 4 stalks kale leaves (from about 4 ounces), chopped
• 1/2 head radicchio leaves (about 4 ounces), torn
• 1/2 fennel bulb (about 2 ounces), trimmed (save fronds), cored, thinly sliced 
• 1/4 red onion (about 2 ounces), sliced very thin, pickled if desired
• 2 beets (about 8 ounces), roasted, peeled, and cut into moons
• 4 mandarin oranges, separated into segments
• 3 blood oranges, supremed
• 1 grapefruit, supremed
• 1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• Optional: Farro, chicken

Directions

For the tahini dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in mason jar and shake until fully incorporated.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the salad

1. Arrange kale and radicchio on large platter and drizzle with dressing.
2. Place fennel, red onion, beets, mandarin oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, feta, hazelnuts, mint, and fennel fronds atop greens.