Soup, A Year Round Family Favorite

by Jana Banks

Soup is one of the great all-season foods. People love the
many tastes and textures soup offers, and lest we forget,
there's also the classic comfort factor. Not just for
winter, soup is actually favored year round. And your thick,
hearty soups are a meal all alone. If you don't feel like
hot soup, why not try nice chilled fruit soup instead. Here
is some soup basics to get you started on your way to making
your next homemade soup.

Soups can be separated into a few categories; beginning with
those made with a stock base and those that can be made
without stock. Additionally there is the option of fruit
soups. Soups made with stock include broth, bouillon, and
consomm?. Soups that may be made without stock can include
puree, cream, bisque, and chowders.

Soup stock is typically made from meat. The classic meat
choices are commonly beef, lamb, turkey, veal, chicken, and
fish. Lighter color meats such as poultry will create a
light soup stock while the other darker meats will make a
brown colored stock. To flavor the stock you'll typically
add vegetables such as carrots, celery, and onion. These
soups stocks are the basis for your family favorites
including chicken soup, tomato soup, broths, and beef
vegetable soups.

Purees and cream soups often make a great main course for
lunch or for a lighter dinner since they're quite thick and
rich. Varieties can include split pea, creamy corn or
tomato, clam chowder, potato and bean purees bisques like
lobster or oyster, and vegetable cream soups such as cream
of broccoli or mushroom.

Fruit soups are a wonderful chilled alternative enjoyed
year-round, but especially in the heat of summer. Varieties
include strawberry, peach, melon, cantaloupe, and cherry.
You'll find certain cold soup recipes use vegetable based
stock and others list fruit juice in the ingredients
instead. Either makes a wonderful vegetarian dish.

Nothing really compares to a delicious, well-made soup. Be
sure to put the right finishing touch on your creamy soups
with a simple garnish and serve it the appropriate dish,
such as a nice covered soup dish for your bean or onion
soup, or a nice flat round bowl for your cream soup. And be
prepared for requests for seconds.

Don't forget to make a delicious dessert to complete your
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loaf pan. There are so many great desserts you'll be able
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steel bakeware.