Soups made with leftovers

[Bethgem Profile]

Would a soup made with two hands of celery, one large leek and one large red capsicum be any good? Oh, and I'd throw in some cooked potatoes too.
And, would using the water from a steamer, with all the vegetable goodness and colour, be good for a soup?
I've always thought about this when emptying the steamer and pouring the hot veggie water down the drain.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I'd lose the red pepper to make a soup of celery and leek thickened with potato personally
Warning, if you intend to blend it, and you probably should, celery that seems utterly tender turns out to be stringy, so chop quite finely and cook quite thoroughly is my advice, I have made a mess of this in the past.


If you look at depression era and wartime cook books they always recommend using veg cooking water as a light stock, it was standard practice, Just think about the flavour combinations, not everything goes with cauliflower water. Think people dropped the habit when rationing went out and stock cubes came in

I intend to make a bowl of soup tomorrow with the stock from cooking a small bacon joint, a trimming of the cooked bacon and a lump of leftover pease pudding. might add something else, a small carrot perhaps

[Bethgem Profile]

That's a good bit of advice, about the wartime methods of using veg water as stock. I had not known about that even though I'm old enough to know! I'll give it a go. I think you are right about cauliflower water! I'll use a stock cube as well in the steamer water.
Yes, the red pepper is just another item that has been kept too long so it will have to go.
The celery could be a bit stringy, but I always peel mine from end to end - that deals with all the strings! I shall be using a blender.
Your soup for tomorrow sounds good. We often have boiled bacon joints and a smoked one should be good for stock.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

As Sue quite rightly points out, not everything goes well together.
I´d use the capsicum for something else; it´s not that it doesn´t "go" with the celery and leeks, it simply won´t add anything special, IMO.
I often clear out the fridge and make soup. Again, if I´ve got leftover spinach, then that´ll be all right with cabbage, cauli, broccoli, kale, spring greens, etc. Onions, leeks, carrots, parsnip, potatoes - all fine together.

[Bethgem Profile]

Cheers, will do. Thanks for those ideas.

[jeral Profile]

I'd reckon celery, leek, onion and potatoes. Sounds like you might have too much, so can you chop it all and once you've selected the right proportion freeze the rest (in a flat layer in a ziplock poly bag) which could be sweated off as a trio for another soup starter. That's what I do, if I know they'll languish in the fridge otherwise.

A grating of parmesan in the soup, or toasted baguette or bread slice with melted cheddar, as a side, would "match".

Anything with onion/leek, I like to add cumin powder and ginger (fresh or powder) at the frying pan sweating stage. (I sometimes add a clove of garlic, but I'm not a massive fan.)

If you like milk or cream as well as stock for the liquid, a pinch of dry mustard powder (e.g. Colman's) will help enhance the flavour.

For soup, I tend to "design" leftovers - i.e. leave a bit of things that'll work together and bung 'em in the freezer. It doesn't matter the defrosted texture if it'll be blended anyway.

Happy souping

[Alexandria Profile]

Sounds like you have the makings for a faux Vichyssoise ..

French Butter ( 2 knobs )
4 Leeks ( white part )
1 Large Onion
Potatoes ( depends on quantity and people ) 300 grams or 400 grams ..
1 Pinch of Nutmeg
1 Bay Leaf
1 large Celery Stalk or 2 small minced finely
Vegetable Stock ( depends on quantity and people )
2 tsps. Fresh Lemon Juice
Cream ( 75 ml. )
Snipped Chives for Garnish

Good luck with your soup made from leftovers ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Your soup sounds great to me.
I'd add grated parmesan at the end. A bit like you do with caldo verde.

I've always lovingly saved any steamed water.
I don't use it necessarily, but do keep it.

[DEB Profile]

I would like to echo the fact that soups made with potatoes which are blended need to sit for nearly a day unless you want the texture to resemble wallpaper paste.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I would like to echo the fact that soups made with potatoes which are blended need to sit for nearly a day unless you want the texture to resemble wallpaper paste.

I've never found that - I usually make them last minute (and reheat any leftovers)

My ham stock turned out to be too salty to use

[Luca Profile]

Pity about the stock Sue. I hadn't heard about this wallpaper paste effect either and have never experienced it

Good suggestion of Parmesan. If I have a leftover pepper I tend to make a very quick red pepper dip and serve it with grilled goat cheese croutons or something similar. Red pepper chickpea dip too. Vichyssoise is a delight when the proportions are perfect and the stock excellent. I haven't had it for a while. Great hot or chilled IMO. Lots of chopped chives.

[Alexandria Profile]

Deb,

I have never had a potato texture or taste problem with my Stand Up Mixer .. ( I prefer a Stand Up Mixer, Bosch verses a Blender ) ..


Have a nice evening ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Thank you for your feedback Luca ..

Have a lovely evening ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Sue,

What a pity ..

We soak our´s as we would our beans or salt cod, beginning in the afternoon and overnight for both the cod and the ham hock and change the water ..

Better luck next time ..

[jeral Profile]

I would like to echo the fact that soups made with potatoes which are blended need to sit for nearly a day unless you want the texture to resemble wallpaper paste.

I wonder if we're talking at cross purposes? I know spud goes to gloop if blended on its own (or with butter, milk or oil) but I've never found that potato chunks or pieces do if put in stock (however precooked) then blended. Who knows? Maybe I've been lucky...

I forgot to mention the red pepper. What I tend to do if wilting slightly is chop the very bottom off, stand it in a 1/2" of water in the fridge and see if it perks up. If it doesn't, it's probably lost all its goodness value anyway is how I see it. If it does perk up, can chop/slice and freeze for now.

[jeral Profile]

Stokey Sue, sorry to hear about your stock. A problem with gammon is that there isn't really much fat on it anyway that could just be rendered down. I find Lidl's Black Forest ham cut into bits very good for rendering purely to add a huge amount of flavour from a small amount. I know you're talking about waste not want not, so best I can offer instead.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Isn't it funny how some very salty things are good.
But some are just too much.

Salty stock is too much. So that's a shame, Sue.

Perhaps if you use a lot of potato, you will get a wallpaper texture result?
My stick blender isn't marvellous, so I am more likely to have grainy soup But I usually pass soup through a sieve anyway.


Nice idea with the red pepper dippy, Luca.
You could probably stretch it out to a jolly good pasta sauce, if you bought a green pepper also and cream fresh.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Sometimes mash can go a bit gloopy, can't it, so I can see how the soup issue might arise, but I think it's down to type and condition of the spuds and the amount, as Gill says.

[Bethgem Profile]

That's right - it is up to the spuds you use. We have found that spuds do not taste as good as when we were kids. Perhaps the growing methods have changed. Some spuds have no taste at all, especially those reds from Morrisons. So watery and too soft! It's no wonder that when mashed they go into a paste! Yet, they do make nice chips, so that's what we use them for, and the crispiness is good.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Sue,

What a pity ..

We soak our´s as we would our beans or salt cod, beginning in the afternoon and overnight for both the cod and the ham hock and change the water ..

Better luck next time ..

I usually do soak, but it was a small piece and I didn't originally think I would have a need for the stock, the meat itself was goid