Step into fall with soup - The Leader

With the arrival of fall, and hopefully chillier weather soon, also comes the season for soups that will warm you inside out.

My favorite soup is the classic chicken noodle soup. It’s such a simple soup, but I love it. I’ve made my own for years now and it’s something my family actually asks me to make, whether they are feeling under the weather or if they’re just wanting soup.

My version of chicken noodle soup is extra easy. I boil chicken in broth while also cooking chopped celery and carrots. I like my celery and carrots completely soft, so the cooking process takes a while. Then I shred the chicken and throw it back in the broth. I add pepper and some salt. My preference when it comes to this soup is lots of noodles, which isn’t the case for most recipes.

One recipe I have tried can be found online at https://ift.tt/2vhCwj8. What I like about this recipe is that it uses bone-in chicken, which gives the broth a nice, rich flavor. I also am a fan of the addition of parsley leaves and freshly chopped dill.

Tortilla soup is also a good one to add to your fall cooking menu. This Mexican soup is made up of pieces of fried corn tortilla, garlic, onion, corn, chicken and more in a tomato-based broth. What makes this soup so warming, other than the actual temperature of the broth, is the spices thrown in.

The recipe found out https://ift.tt/3lT8g3n takes you through all the steps, even frying your own tortilla strips for the soup.

While I’m a firm believer that pho can be enjoyed year-round, I especially love grabbing the popular Vietnamese soup when the weather has turned cold. The deep flavors of beef broth paired with the simple addition of onion and cilantro is the perfect combination.

Making pho at home feels intimidating to me, but this recipe I’ve had my eye on for a while: https://ift.tt/2OJUFf9. It breaks down each step, including making your own beef broth and which cuts of beef to buy to get the best flavors in your broth.

For something hearty without meat, vegetable soup is a safe option. It’s healthy, still full of flavor and vegetarian-friendly.

This soup is relatively easy. All it takes is lots of chopping and simmering. Some vegetables most of this soup uses will be carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, corn, peas and onion. This recipe uses many of those: https://ift.tt/2lOMKiW.

Like many soups, you can also make this one in a crockpot.

Other soups perfect to warm your bones with include minestrone soup, baked potato soup and butternut squash soup, which can be odd for someone new to the latter soup. But if you like squash, it’s a good one to try to make at home.

A popular soup is also chicken and dumplings. The best I’ve ever had were made by a friend. The soup was rich and the dumplings were just about perfect. I had this soup last New Year’s and I’m still thinking about it.

Luckily, my friend gave me the recipe:

Ingredients include 5 pounds chicken (or already cooked chicken plus chicken broth); 1 large onion, chopped; 4 carrots, chopped; 3-4 ribs of celery, chopped; 1 Tbsp. oil; 2 Tbsp. parsley, minced (dried works); 2 tsp. thyme; 1 tsp. rosemary; 2 potatoes, chopped; salt and pepper to taste, and a couple handfuls of frozen peas.

For the dumplings: 2 cups flour; 1 tsp. salt; 1 Tbsp. baking powder; 2 Tbsp. parsley, minced; 1/4 cup shortening or butter; and 3/4 cup milk.

Cover chicken with water and boil until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside to cool, reserving broth. When chicken is cool enough to handle, de-bone and set chicken aside. You can save those chicken bones and cook them again later.

In a large pot, cook onion, carrot and celery in oil about 5 minutes. Add reserved broth, herbs, salt, pepper, potatoes and enough water to cover all generously. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add peas and chicken and return to simmer. Taste for salt and pepper again.

To make the dumplings, combine flour, salt, baking powder and parsley. Melt butter in milk. Stir in milk/butter with a fork just until dough holds together. Drop the dough onto the simmering soup by tablespoonfuls (they will sink but soon float to the top). Cover and continue simmering for 15 minutes more. Then serve!