PrintBland soup - can't figure out why
Basically a soup to clean out the icebox. Celery, onions, carrots in olive oil to start. Bay leaf, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, red pepper, salt and pepper. Added garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, a few potatoes, chicken, brought it all together in homemade chicken stock. Added fresh spinach at the last minute, a touch more salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. But just kind of blah.....Even after a day in the icebox, still kind of bland. Any suggestions on what could I have done to perk it up?
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13 Comments:
You could roast the vegetables first instead of sauteeing them... And add the spices at the end to maintain the flavor.
But I just made those two suggestions up, so good luck and let me know!
tugttw at 6:35PM on 04/05/08
Apparently adding some ramps will make things interesting.
Seriously, though, assuming you used a good proportion of aromatics compared to blander items like chicken meat and potatoes, and added only enough chicken stock to make it "soup," you may simply need to add more salt. I almost invariably undersalt my soups, because it seems like a ton when you're adding it, but I have to correct it at the end.
So salt would be my first step in trying to perk it up. Some chopped fresh parsley at the end is nice, too.
renzata at 7:03PM on 04/05/08
Honestly, it sounds to me like you had to be light on the aromatics and the salt. Potatoes absorb flavor like crazy. When I make chicken soup, I always double what would be the normal amount of aromatics. Between the chicken and the potatoes you need as much flavor as you can get. the stock is competing. I like all of your ingredients, but when you say red pepper are you talking bell pepper or spicy red pepper? I do not use bell pepper in my soups because they dominate and I don't care for the flavor. Also, was your stock previously frozen? If so, how long? I like to cram major flavor into my stock because sometimes I have to supplement with store bought.
crazyspice at 7:52PM on 04/05/08
Red pepper flakes. Stock was frozen but for only about a week. I think the salt issue is right, I am always afraid of oversalting.
erinlovestoeat at 7:59PM on 04/05/08
I'd agree with too light on the mire poix and salt. It helps to go heavy on the aromatics, adding the bulk of your salt at this point (encourages the fond, too). Deglaze that with some wine or cognac, add the stock, and reduce the whole mix. If the original stock was a "light" one, you'd want to reduce by a lot. Do that before adding the "main" ingredients, which you only want to cook until just done.
Couldn't tell if the chicken was lefotver cooked chicken or if you started with raw chicken. If raw, browning it first is key. Do it before the sauteeing the mirepoix -- remove it when it's not quite done, and don't add it back until the very end. Use the same pan (uncleaned) to cook the aromatics. And I'd definitely brown the mushrooms first if you didn't do that.
Also, it sounds like you added your fresh herbs at the beginning. Did you supplement with some additional fresh herbs at the end? Herbs like thyme and rosemary are woody and fairly intensely flavored, so will stand up pretty well if added at the beginning. But soft herbs like parsley and basil and cilantro tend to lose their impact if added only at the first. Add more right at the very end, as you plate the soup.
LoCo at 8:26PM on 04/05/08
In addition to all the great advice already shared, I would sum up my soup-making experience by saying the more concentrated your stock is, the more flavor your soup will have. Pack a lot of flavor into your stock by using all of the goodies (carrots, onion, celery) in a smaller amount of water and letting that simmer a good while before adding the potatoes, etc.
MelsDiner at 9:07PM on 04/05/08
Can I suggest something from the Southwest? Lime juice. It's a good salt substitute and can bring a dish to life (OK, perhaps it works only in the hot desert).
Check out these ingredients -- though beef does add more punch to the broth than chicken would.
This example is from allrecipes at
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caldo-De-Res-Beef-Soup/Detail.aspx
1 pound beef
1 tomato, quartered
2 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 fluid ounces fresh lime juice
TikiPundit at 9:57PM on 04/05/08
Was the chicken prepared and if it was how was it prepared prior to it being in the soup?
JerzeeTomato at 10:08PM on 04/05/08
Maybe adding the fresh herbs at the end of cooking (last 5 minutes). Worcestershire sauce makes a nice addition to soups. Some tomato paste for richness.
beth1 at 11:15PM on 04/05/08
THE basic thing that I quickly learned when I first started making soup was that I had to have a heavier hand with spices in general, but with salt in particular. I'm not a big salt user so it was hard to force myself to do it, but WOW, what a difference!
I've become a fan of 'layering' the salt and pepper in particular--that is, when I start out sweating onions/garlic, they get s&p...then I add whatever is next (carrots, celery) and s&p again...then come the softer vegetables/beans, and I s&p those a bit. I also use the low sodium chicken broth if I'm not making my own or using water, so in either case, that calls for some salt! Oh, and I don't think it was mentioned, but Kosher salt is crucial. The other key is to taste as you go (as you can-obviously not with something like chicken stock). I also tend to make soup at least a day before I plan to serve/eat it, so it sits overnight and the flavors meld--then I'll reheat it and taste it again. Sometimes it still needs a bit more salt/pepper/cayenne or whatever--at that point I usually know. Finally, how old are the spices you're using? They could be 'dead' and it's well worth it to invest in new ones. Good luck!
Curlz at 11:04AM on 04/06/08
Thanks everybody! I think all comments are great. Even though it was meant to be a quick soup, taking a little extra time along the way would have made a big difference!
erinlovestoeat at 1:10PM on 04/06/08
No need to do anything extra... apparently you went too light on the salt for the amount of veggies and water that you had.
I add a vegetable bullion cube w/ sea salt to the onion, celery, garlic mix from the onset, which helps with the seasoning. That way I only need to add any salt, if needed... the cubes are pretty potent - check it out... I do my Vegetable Noodle Soup in 20 minutes flat.
Madelyn
KarmaFree Cooking
MadelynRodriguez at 6:26PM on 04/07/08
I always have a problem with my stock tasting bland, too... what I do with it is reduce the heck out of it. I usually take several hours to make the stock, reducing from 8 quarts to 4 or so. Makes it much better in the end!
NinjaFluff at 10:49AM on 04/08/08