If you don’t know how to make soup or stew there are two secrets:
Almost any soup or stew will taste good if you cook it for three hours and make sure it has enough salt in it.
So here are the basics of how to make a big pot of soup that tastes really fucking good.
Required Basic Vegetables:
Depending on what kind of soup/stew you want to make these may be chopped into big chunks or finely diced but your soup is probably going to taste better if you put in onions, celery, and carrots.
These are a matter of taste/thickness. Chicken soup is very good with mushrooms in it, but they might taste weird in pea soup. A lentil stew is going to be very thick without potatoes, so you may not want to add potatoes.
Powdered Garlic (i’m too lazy to peel and dice fresh garlic, don’t @ me)
I like spicy soups but some people don’t - you do you (but you’re going to need AT LEAST salt and probably some black pepper to make this taste soup-like)
Your soup is going to have other things in it but this is how you know what direction to go - is it a lentil soup? A squash soup? A chicken soup? Give it some meaning and a central (tasty) theme. Generally you’ll be using 1-2lbs of this ingredient; for instance in a split pea soup you may be using 1lb of peas and 6oz of ham, in a chicken soup you might be using two pounds of chicken.
Bacon/Sausage/Spam - “accent” meats
Okay, so the way to start off most basic soups or stews is to get a six-twelve quart pot and bang it on the stove. Slice and dice your required vegetables and heat them up in the pan with some oil or butter and whatever spices seem right to you. (Start with a SMALL amount of salt and add it over the course of the soupmaking process). Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent.
While your veggies are heating until the onions are translucent prep your central ingredient - if this is peas this is where you wash them and make sure there aren’t any rocks; if this is beef this is where you cut up the beef; if this is vegetables you should still be chopping. (if you’re making a pea or lentil soup with bacon or some kind of sausage or whatever in it throw the accent meat in with the veggies while you prep the main ingredient)
Once your onions are translucent add the main ingredient to the pot. If this is lentils or peas or vegetables proceed to the next step immediately, if this is meat brown your meat with the spices/oil/whatever that’s already in the pot. If you want a stew with a gravy or a thick soup this is the stage where you throw in a couple tablespoons of flour or starch and let them mix in with everything while the meat is browning.
Pour water over your unholy concoction until it looks like enough. (if you’re sticking with one-two pounds of your main ingredient you’re probably looking at around 6-10 cups of water; enough water so that everything in the pot is swimming but not so much that you can fully dip a ladle in and only get liquid).
Add another small amount of salt (a teaspoon or two? Soup takes A LOT of salt but you’re going in small increments) and bring the whole thing to a boil.
Once it has boiled reduce to a low simmer and let simmer, covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (about every half hour) and adding more salt until it starts to taste right.
If you want a starch in your soup now is when you add the starch - dice potatoes, measure out rice, dump in pasta - throw it in there, cover, and let cook for another half hour to an hour. (two-ish cups of your dry starch max - don’t add four cups of rice or you no longer have soup you have a rice dish with accents)
(this is also where I’ll add cream or wine or whatever if I want it in the recipe)
If you get to the end of this time and you want your soup thicker take the lid off, increase the heat, and cook off water until it looks right.
Serve it hot with bread and butter and turn off the TV.
