Soups & Stuff
Soup recipes cover different kinds of soups. The most essentials include plain soups, chilli soups, stews and recipes for stocks.
Soups are included in meals for the following reasons:
- As appetizers.
- To provide hot food in cold weather.
- To provide flavour and variety.
On their own, soups do not contribute greatly to the nutritional value of the diet because of their high water content, but if eaten with other foods, e.g. bread, their value will be increased.
Types of soups
Soups are normally based on one main ingredient, e.g. a vegetable, meat, or pulses, and can vary in consistency as follows:
Thick soups
These can be either pureed, or thickened by starch or egg protein.
Pureed: these are usually sieved or liquidized and may be further thickened by starch.
Thickened by starch or protein: these may have little solid ingredients in them, e.g. vegetable pieces.
Both types of thick soups can have cream added, and are normally served in cold weather as a substantial part of a meal.
Clear soups
These usually consist of a well-flavoured clear stock, served with a garnish, such as thin strips of carrot.
Broths are a variation of clear soups and usually contain small pieces of meat or poultry, with rice, pasta, or oats.
Mixed soups
These usually contain a mixture of ingredients, e.g. meat and vegetables, with perhaps pasta or rice included as well.
Soups & Stuff - Cook it All
Page Last Updated on : Apr 30, 2007