soup, soup, i love soup!

i have only recently discovered how to make soup. yes, i am being serious. dead. serious. about. soup.

i used to scour the internet for soup, stew, even "stoup" recipes... i studied and studied, because i didn't want bland soup, overly-salted soup, soup with mushy, depressed vegetables, etc. my list of soup pet-peeves is really quite long (and strange).

a few tips: honestly, USE WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND. it's 2011. who knows how much longer we all have on this earth, in this home, in this life, etc. don't spend every day after work at the grocery store. go home to your husband, your wife, your house plants, your children, your what-have-you, and raid your pantry. life is short. live on.

savory vegetable soup

you will need:

1 onion, peeled and chopped

garlic cloves, diced (as many as you like. personally, i used 4.)

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes

2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 bay leaf
dried basil, oregano, herbs de provence

6-8 cups of stock or broth (users choice! use what you've got!)

2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes, or one large can whole tomatoes that you have snipped with kitchen scissors to only slightly resemble diced tomatoes (shh... don't tell.)

1/2 a bag of frozen corn, circa december 2010

optional toppings: crumbled goat cheese, parmesan, crusty bread, etc.

okay. first things first. you have a lot of chopping to do. in my case, i have a sous chef. his name is 'the badger' and he peels and cuts things as if he has descended from the heavens wielding only a chef's knife and his helpful spirit. you may not have a sous chef, so hop to it. get everything prepped. and then, pop yourself a high life. because that's how i roll.

get out your favorite stock pot or soup pot. heat the pan up slightly and then throw about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until the oil is shimmering.

add the onions and garlic and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. if i may caution you here, don't use too much salt. depending on the stock/broth you use, you may wind up with an overly-salted pot of wet goo that no one wants to eat. so proceed with caution when it comes to salt.

saute until the onions start to tenderize, about 2 minutes. add the carrots and cook just a minute or so. mushy carrots will not only ruin your soup, but quite possibly your life. don't do it.

next up, add the green peppers and the rest of your herbs. cook about another minute. but don't you dare overcook those vegetables. we're not feeding 90 year olds. we're feeding ourselves. and we still have our teeth.

now add the broth and the tomatoes. bring the mixture to a simmer, put down the high life, and taste. add more herbs, salt and pepper, perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice, a dash of worchestire sauce, or tabasco... whatever you've got and whatever you like.

slowly simmer for another 20-30 minutes. while it's simmering, slice up some crusty bread, shred some fresh parmesan, and get ready to feast on your fixin's.

ladle the soup into bowls. plop a few teaspoons of goat cheese right in the middle, or shave some parmesan over the top. enjoy with your crusty bread and pop a fresh high life.

i will reiterate this here: USE WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND! if you'd rather turn this into a spicy tortilla soup, use cumin, oregano, chili powder and cayenne. my go-to soup is more of a savory italian-esque soup, so i use basil and oregano, plus a little extra of whatever i have. tonight, it was herbs de provence. who knows what it'll be next time!