Once upon a time, I made soup every day in the kitchen of our specialty meat market and deli, Meats ‘n More. Many of the neighboring downtown merchants who I called "regulars" would call me shortly after they had opened up their businesses to see what soup was "on" for the day. I always knew that it wasn’t the kind that really mattered, but I believe it was the thought of it that they needed to help them through their mornings. "Anticipation"...the greatest of appetizers! It was a sweet compliment and I would look forward to seeing and feeding them every day. Their faith in my soups and sandwiches inspired me to be creative and make the best soups I could possibly make using what little culinary knowledge I possessed along with the finest of ingredients that were always at my finger tips.

A few years later, when I studied the art of making soups and sauces in culinary school, I had the opportunity to fine tune my soup making skills. The young chef with whom I studied soups and sauces was very talented and quite inspirational. To this day when I have finished making a sauce or soup that pleases my palette, I find myself thinking of him and echoing his very words, always spoken with a profound sense of triumph: "Now that is a beautiful thing!" or, "now I would serve that in "my" restaurant!" Well, I like to think I make beautiful soups these days, thanks to one "souper" chef, but sadly, I no longer have my little market on Center Street to "serve that in my restaurant". What I do have, however, is this new "window" of opportunity (my cyberspace kitchen, of course) which will enable me to share my new knowledge and passion for soup making...with a much larger customer base. To the chef who inspired me in the fine art of soup making, I dedicate this lesson and share with you the many tips and techniques that with a true passion and love for cooking, he so" tastefully taught ".

Souper Soups

Soups are categorized into three different types. Their quality will depend on the stock you use so it is very important that you begin with a quality stock. Chicken stock is the most frequently used soup stock in our country. To make a quality stock see my lesson Stock It Up! before attempting to make soup.

Clear Soups

Clear Soups are soups that are based on a transparent stock and are not thickened. They may be served plain or garnished with a variety of vegetables and meats. Vegetable soup is a clear seasoned stock or broth with the addition of one or more vegetables and sometimes meat or poultry products and starches. A consomme is a rich flavorful stock or broth that has been clarified to make it perfectly clear and transparent. A well made consomme makes a perfect starter for an elegant dinner. You can be creative with the garnish.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Vegetable Beef Soup

French Onion Soup

Consomme