The History of Soup

Soups have evolved immensely over time. Today's most rustic soups would seem refined compared with the thick slabs of breads dampened with broth that were the original "sops." One of the first types of soups can be found dating back to 6000 B.C. We probably wouldn't recognize it though, because boiling was not a common cooking technique until waterproof containers were invented; about 9,000 years ago.

Soups in the United States have played a key part in feeding the hungry and melding cultures together. While English cooking dominated early Colonial life, the arrival of other immigrants caused foreign soups to gain popularity. One example of this is Potato Soup. German immigrants living in Pennsylvania became famous for their delicious potato soups, and in turn, changed the way their neighbors cooked. Before long, other ethnic groups' soup recipes also began to influence the cooking styles of Colonial America.

Soup cannot be mentioned without discussing their commercialization. With the invention of canning in the 19th century, a great variety of dried and canned soups came onto the market. Dr. John D. Torrance, a chemist at the Campbell's Soup Company, is credited for inventing condensed soup in 1897. Today, Campbell's Tomato, Chicken Noodle and Cream of Mushroom are three of the most popular soups in America. Every year, Americans consume 2.5 billion bowls of just these three soups alone!

Taking Stock

Making stocks is one of the most basic preparations found in any professional kitchen.In fact,they are referred to as fonds de cuisine, or the "foundation of cooking." Stocks form the base for not just soups, but also sauces and have numerous other applications. By definition, a stock is "a flavorful liquid made by gently simmering bones or vegetables in a liquid to extract their flavor, aroma, color, body, and nutritive value." The basic procedure is as follows:

1. Combine the major flavoring ingredient (fish, chicken, beef, or veggies) and liquid (water).
2. Bring to a simmer.
3. Skim as necessary throughout cooking time (to have a more clarified stock).
4. Add the mirepoix (chopped onions, carrots and celery) and aromatics at appropriate point. (Aromatics to be added are a standard sachet d'epices, or bag of spices. This contains parsley stems, dried thyme, bay leaf, and cracked pappercorns and is held together in a bag of cheesecloth. It should be discarded after enough flavor has been given.)
5. Simmer until stock develops flavor, body and color.
6. Strain.
7. Use immediately or cool and store.

From start to finish, making a stock can take up to eight hours! If you have the time to make your own stock, it's definitely worth it. But, if you are short on time and still want a great soup, Chef Scott suggests using a quality soup base. And, according to him, boullion cubes don't count! Use a product that doesn't list salt as the first ingredient. The first ingredient should be beef, chicken or fish, depending on what type you are purchasing. The first ingredient listed is the most prominent one. If salt is listed first, that means that their is more salt in your base than beef, chicken or fish. There are dozens of products out there, but Chef Scott encourages you to try the Essenhaus brand of Soup Bases. They can be found in your local Martin's Deli department. Note that they are not found in the soup aisle! While it might cost more than boullion, you will taste the difference in quality! After all, the first step to cooking quality food is using quality ingredients.

Soups Sense-A Glossary

What's bouillabaisse? What about vichyssoise? How do you even pronounce these suckers? Keep reading for our beginner's guide to soup vocabulary!

Birds Nest-

A Chinese soup made from the white or black nests of a small Asian bird. The nests are very difficult to harvest, and are extremely expensive
Bisque (pronounced bisk)-
a thick rich soup, often consisting of pureed seafood and cream

Borscht (pronounced borsht)-

a soup originating in Eastern Europe made with fresh beets, vegetables, and sometimes with meat and/or meat stock, usually garnished with a dollop of sour cream and served either hot or cold
Bouillabaisse (pronounced boo-ya-BASE)-
a French seafood stew usually made of fish, shellfish, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, white wine, garlic, saffron and herbs

Bouillon (pronounced BULL-yawn)-

a broth made from cooking vegetables, poultry, meat or fish in water, can also refer to bouillon cubes, which are a concentrated, salty, soup base

Brunswick Stew-

a rich and hearty squirrel meat and onion stew originating in Brunswick County, Virginia. Modern versions may substitute chicken or rabbit for the squirrel and may also add other vegetables such as okra, lima beans, tomatoes and corn

Calaloo-

a Caribbean soup made with callaloo leaves (from taro root), coconut milk, okra, yams and chiles
Chowder-
similar to a bisque, but this soup contains chunks of seafood instead of being pureed
Consomme (pronounced KON-summ-ay)-
a clear/clarified meat or fish broth made by adding egg whites to the broth and cooking them. The egg whites bind with the particles in the broth and come to the top appearing as foam. The broth below is consomme

Coulis (pronounced koo-LEE)-

originally this term referred to the juices from cooked meats. It can also be a thick pureed shellfish soup. These days, many different types of thick purees are called coulis, including vegetable and fruit mixtures
Fumet (pronounced FUME-it)-

a concentrated stock, commonly one made from fish or mushrooms, used to add flavor to less intensely-flavored stocks or sauces

Gazpacho (pronounced geh-SPA-cho)-
an uncooked soup made of fresh pureed tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, onions, and celery, and served cold
Menudo (pronounced ma-NOO-dough)-
a hearty, spicy Mexican soup made from tripe, calf's feet, hominy, chiles and seasoning. Known to be a great cure for hangovers.
Potage (pronounced po-TAJ)-

a French soup usually pureed and often thickened with cream or egg yolks

Posole- (pronounced po-SO-lay)-

a thick, hearty Mexican soup made of pork or chicken meat and broth, hominy, onion, garlic, dried chiles and cilantro and served with chopped lettuce, radishes, onions, cheese and cilantro as condiments

Soup-

any combination of vegetables, fruit, meat, and/or fish cooked in a liquid

Stew-

a dish containing meat, vegetables and a thick soup-like broth made from a combination of the stewing liquid and the natural juices of the food being stewed

Stock-

strained liquid that is the result of cooking vegetables, meat or fish and other seasonings in water

Vichyssoise (pronounced vish-ee-SWA)-
a rich and creamy potato-leek soup garnished with chives and served cold

Souper Soup Recipes

Now that you know your soup vocabulary, it's time to get cooking! Below we've put together a collection of some favorite soup recipes from past cooking classes. Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp & Corn Chowder
Courtesy of Chef Eileen Quinn

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, room temp.
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 medium jalapeno chilies, seeded, chopped
1 14 3/4- to 15-ounce can cream-style corn
1 16-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar
cayenne pepper to taste
8 ounces 20 uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
Mix 1 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to blend; set aside. Finely chop onion and celery in processor. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion-celery mixture and chilies; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add creamed corn and next 5 ingredients; bring to boil. Reduce heat. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors. Add shrimp and cilantro; simmer until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into thermos container, making sure chowder is piping hot when packed. Serve in cups or as soup shots.

Wisconsin Cheese & Beer Soup
Courtesy of Chef Greg Beachey

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound smoked sausage, chopped
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups carrot, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1/3 cup flour
1 bottle beer
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups red potato, diced
2 cups milk
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Instructions
In a heavy stock pot, melt butter, add sausage and cook until warm. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, coating vegetables. Add beer and stock, bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer until soup begins to thicken. Add potatoes, cook 10-15 minutes. Add milk, cheese, thyme, worcestershire sauce, paprika and tomato paste. Stir until cheese is melted and soup is smooth. Add salt, pepper, and tabasco if desired.

Asparagus & Crab Soup

Courtesy of Chef Scott Rossen

Ingredients
1 quart chopped asparagus

1 ½ quart chicken stock

1-pint heavy cream

4 ounces picked crabmeat

1 small onion

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 ounces olive oil

2 ounces flour

salt and pepper, to taste

4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions

Start by slicing the asparagus into thin strips leaving the tips to use for garnish in the soup.  Then dice onion and heat pot and add oil and sauté onion, garlic, and asparagus.  When all are sautéed then add flour to make a roux then add chicken stock and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook until all is very tender.  Then puree all with emulsion blender or blender adding Swiss cheese gradually and return to pot and add crab and heavy cream.  Then sauté tips in sauté pan and put into soup bring up to a boil and reduce heat and season to taste.

French Onion Soup

Courtesy of Chef Scott Rossen

Ingredients
5 pounds sliced onions
½ cup oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1-quart beef broth
1-quart chicken broth
1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
4 ounces Sherry
salt and pepper, to taste
Sliced Gruyere or Swiss cheese
Sliced French bread
Paprika

Instructions
First heat oil in saucepan then add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are brown and caramelized. Then add Italian seasoning and deglaze with sherry and reduce until almost dry. Then add both broths and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and season to taste. Finish by placing soup in bankable crock and place a slice of bread on top and then the sliced cheese and sprinkle paprika on top and place under broiler until cheese is melted and brown.

Gazpacho

Courtesy of Chef Scott Rossen

Ingredients
1 cup chopped red onions
1 cup chopped mixed colored peppers
1 cup chopped peeled English cucumber
1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cups V8 juice
½ cup cilantro
Sour cream

Instructions
First mix all ingredients except for the sour cream and some of the cilantro for garnish, together in a bowl and let set over night preferably. Then place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate and serve cold, with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro sprig.

• Americans sip over 10 billion bowls of soup every year!
• In the late 1700s, apparently the French King was so enamored with himself that he had his royal chefs create a soup that would allow him to see his own reflection in the bowl. As a result, consommé was born.
• The earliest evidience of soup dates back to 6000 BC. It was hippopotamus soup!
• Soups became extremely popular in Europe during the 17th century. Why? Because the spoon was invented. The members of high court used to wear large stiff ruffled collars and sleeves, and the design of the spoon was made to help keep these fashionistas from getting dripped on.
• Birds Nest Soup (listed in our glossary) is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. Cave Swifts are renowned for building saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup. Just one bowl can cost between $30-$100 in Hong Kong. While it might sound downright disgusting, the Chinese have been cooking with birds nests for more than 400 years, and believe the product to provide numerous health benefits. What kind of health benefits? Birds Nest Soup is supposed to heighten the libido, aid in digestion, improve the voice, alleviate asthma, improve sight, and strengthen the immune system.