OscarSidcup wrote:.....
Does anyone have a nice soup recipe that is not too watery and has a bit of a kick?
For gallon or two of Crown Prince and Bacon soup.
Gently fry 2lb or more of chopped onions. (Throughout all of this keep an eye on the pot stirring as appropriate )
Sainsburys Basics range whole packet ofbacon slicer waste smoked bacon, try and pick one with the big bits off the end rather than too thin or danaged rashers. Slice or dice to your preference and add to the slightly caramelised onions.
Add either fresh chopped garlic or dried garlic to your taste.
Top & tail, then slice about 2lb of carrots and add them.
Peel and chop into 1" to 2" pieces and add about 2lb of potatoes, not disintegrating ones
Add stock, either homemade chicken carcass for choice, or boiling water with oxo beef or chicken.
CP is hard as wood so be ready for knife skids and knife suddenly winning over CP in a rush.
Carefully use a strong sharp sturdy knife on a good chopping board to halve a Crown Prince squash vertically after knocking off the stalk, scoop out the seeds. Place a half cut side down and slice the skin off around the bottom, stalk side don't worry about the in-curve where the stalk was. Do as high up as you're comfortable with.
Then halve it into two quarters, place the unskinned side on the board and finish skinning.
When you have four skinned quarters chunk them, I usually cut the triangles off and then put the big bit, seed side down for this.
Optionally add chopped sweet peppers and or chilli peppers, this xan be the kick if you lije them.
Add it all and adjust stock so all the solids are just covered.
Simmer until everything is cooked through.
Season as you go with this recipe, I favour Red & Black coarse ground pepper and any combination or omission of the following; paprika, smoked paprika, garam masala, curry type spices.
At this point I used to use a wand blender to liquedise the whole pot, mire recently I haven't bothered, just leaving it chunky.
Perhaps do a bland base and then after tasting add the "kick" spices of your choice.
If you take the core of this recipe and play with the spices and high flavour ingredients you'll arrive at something that you like.
With or without garlic.
Smoked, unsmoked or no bacon.
Chopped chicken
Homemade chicken stock or oxo type
Whatever spice you like.
Fresh ginger diced down very small and chucked in the oil just before the onions.
