Best Soup Recipes - Making Stock

A good stock pot

The basis of all good soups is the stock that makes up the liquid. Whether you are vegetarian or a meat-eater will decide on what type of stock you prepare. Most stocks are made form bones, but you can make a lovely stock from vegetables and water.
No matter how you make your stock, the secret is in a long slow boiling to release the flavors of the bones or vegetables into the water. Vegetable stock can be made in a fraction of the time it takes to make meat stock, because it takes a long time for the goodness from the centre of the bones to be released into the water.

Vegetable Stock

Wash and rinse all your outside leaves or even carrot peel, the parts of vegetables you would normally throw in the bin. Put a large lidded pot of freshly-drawn cold water on to boil, and add the vegetables, plus a fresh whole onion. Add about a teaspoon of salt, bring to boil, reduce heat and covet pot with lid and leave to simmer for about 1 hour.
Put the mixture through a sieve into another pot and throw away the vegetables.
Adjust seasoning as required.
Either use right away, or cool and refrigerate for a few days, or freeze for future use.

Meat Stock

The remains on a roast chicken (bones and skin) or any other meat bones you have in the house - left over from a joint of lamb or beef, or ham, can be used.

Put the bones in a big lidded pot and fill with freshly drawn cold water to just cover the bones and no more. Put on to boil. When it boils, reduce heat to simmer with lid on for at least 3 hours.
You can add 1 teaspoon of salt and a little pepper, and perhaps throw in some old vegetables you have lying around that would have been going out to the bin or compost. It uses them up and adds a little extra flavor.

You can put in a mixture of bones for a really richly flavored stock, or stick to the one kind to follow a recipe.

If you have any Schwartz  Season-All Spice in the house, add a teaspoon of that too, as it really brings out the flavors.

Allow to cool strain and either use straight away, refrigerate or freeze.

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with Chicken

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with Chicken

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup with Chicken Recipe

Ingredients 

• 4 cups chicken broth or stock 
• 2 sliced carrots (I like to finely slice the tapered end of a carrot, then cube the rest) 
• 1 onion, finely diced 
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped and diced 
• 1/2 cup (about 2oz) wild rice 
• 3 bacon rashers, chopped 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 3 tablespoons flour 
• 1 cup half and half cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme 
• 2 cooked skinless chicken breasts, chopped up

Make stock or use canned chicken broth

You can use ready-prepared chicken broth, or make your own by simmering the chicken in 4 cups of plain water with an added teaspoon of salt for an hour or so. You can add your rice to this mixture and at the end of cooking time, remove chicken, let it cool, then chop it up and return to pot.

Method

1. In a large clean pan, melt the butter. 
2. Add the prepared vegetables and bacon and cook gently for 10 minutes or so, to soften. 
3. Add the stock or broth, and the rice if uncooked at this point. 
4. Bring to boil, cover pan with lid, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so until the rice is soft.
5. Mix the flour with a little bit of cold water to reach a smooth paste, and add to pan, stirring well so that it doesn't go lumpy.  
6. Bring back to boil, and then turn heat off.
7. Add the half and half cream, mix in well, and serve.