Soup's on

As the weather turns cooler (yes, even here in the Queen City) thoughts turn to the warmer things in life. A crackling fireplace, a big poofy blanket, a steamy mug of hot chocolate... all wonderful things.

Not to be left behind, though, is a big, hot, delicious bowl of soup.

Cold weather aside, soup really is a wonder-food. Let's take a look at this for a moment.

For starters, it can be deadly simple. Veggies, stock (you do have a stockpile of frozen stock that you've made, right? No? Oh goodness, we're going to have to talk), seasonings, heat, done. Deliciousness in the making.

It's good for you. No matter what the cooking method (even the oft-hailed steaming) you're going to lose some nutrients from the food. Some more than others, but always some. One of the benefits of soup is that any nutrients that leak out of the ingredients are leaking out into the soup itself. So drink up, kids, it'll make ya grow up big and strong.

It's economical (which, especially now, is a good thing). For one, you can make soup out of pretty much anything you have (much like a casserole). I don't advocate throwing things into the pot without even bothering to take a look at them, but you can start with pretty much any given foodstuff and go from there. In the case of stew (largely soups with meat, often thicker in consistency) you are able (and even encouraged) to use tougher (and as such, cheaper) cuts of meat. Prime rib eye is wasted here. Give me brisket, and to you I will give stew. In case you're wondering, brisket is essentially the breast cut of beef. The long time/low heat cooking method of stewing is perfect for these cuts. The collagen (connective tissues that can be broken down) will gradually melt away, allowing the meat to absorb moisture and flavor from the liquid (again, hopefully homemade stock). That same collagen will do good things for the stew, like adding richness and creamy mouthfeel without the need for extra fat.

Like I said, wonder-food.

I said we'd talk about stock, so here's me talking about stock. The difference between a 'stock' and a 'broth' is that stock is made by pulling collagen out of bones to create gelatin within the liquid. Broth is simply flavored water. As such, you can never truly have "vegetable stock" (one of my greatest culinary pet peeves).

Stock is a wonder-food all its own. It's great for the aforementioned soups, and also can be used in small amounts to finish a sauce (or in larger amounts to be the base of one). Because there's a relatively large amount of collagen pulled from the bones, the end result has a great creamy mouthfeel without any extra fat. All in all, I'd say it's one of our finer creations.

And the best part - if you thought making soup was easy, just wait until you hear about stock.

Grab a bunch of (preferably uncooked) bones. If you're making chicken stock, use chicken bones. Beef stock? Beef bones. You get the idea. Throw them in a big pot. Cover them with water (just enough). Put it on heat and bring to a boil.

You see how easy this is? If you can boil water, you can make stock. Brilliant.

There is another thing or two, though, but believe me it's nothing really bad.

As the water boils, it'll start pulling collagen out of the bones. This is good. It'll start pulling a few other things out, too, and this isn't quite as awesome. These things tend to cause foaming on top of the water. It's easy to deal with, though, just find a way to scoop it off (slotted spoon, ice cream scoop, or as Alton Brown likes you can use one of those little nets used to catch fish in pet stores).

And now, we flavor. The classic approach would be a simple mirepoix (that's a classic blend of aromatic veggies - two parts onion, one part carrot, and one part celery). You don't even have to chop it up, really. Cut the onions in half, break the carrots, snap the celery, and toss it all in. Salt and pepper can go in, or if you prefer you could wait until you're actually using the stock for a dish to season it.

At this point turn it down to a simmer (that's 160-185 degrees, if you're curious). You'll know you've got a simmer going if small bubbles are floating regularly to the top, but not really breaking the surface. Simmering is good because it's a more gentle method and will leave us with a clear stock in the end.

So how long do you simmer? The longer you go, the more collagen you'll extract (and that's the whole point). This is likely to be an all-day process (I said easy, not quick). The stock is completely done when you can easily crush the bones with tongs. When it's done, strain it into a new container (carefully, mind you, you're working with a hot liquid) and store it in the refrigerator. You can freeze it if you like, and keep it up for a year (if it's properly stored in an airtight container).

A couple of notes.

Be ready to refill the pot as needed. Water does tend to evaporate, and you'll want to keep the bones fully submerged. Keeping some warm water handy will allow you to add more in without dropping the temperature of the pot by too much (which would just make it take longer as it would have to reheat).
Don't add herbs and such at the beginning of the process. Eight hours in a simmering pot will absolutely destroy them. Save them instead for the last few minutes. On that note, using stems rather than leaves will give you a little more leeway in this area, as they'll give you the same flavor but will stand up to more damage, and will be a lot easier to strain out to boot. A good way to do greenery for something like stock is to use a bouquet garni. All this is is a bunch of herbs tied together, or wrapped in cheesecloth, so that you can just pull them out when you're done.

Stock... it's a wonderful thing, isn't it? Yeah, it really is. I say soup is economical, but it's got nothing on stock (made with bones, and just as easily scrap-bits of any veggies and herbs that you care to throw in).

The next time you start to throw away that bit of onion, consider throwing it into the refrigerator instead and saving it for stock. Grab a few bones (either from carving a bird yourself, or - if you're lucky - the local butcher), and make a day of it. You won't be sorry.