I reckon the best soup experiences enter sensual memory. Just before winter hits, I find myself craving my favourites. It eases the cool-weather blues to know that such treats await.
The best thing about making soup is that it can be a fine design or a pot luck surprise. As my brother-in-law (a great cook) says, “There’s nothing like a pantry dive and fridge scrape for a great soup.” You know what he means. Chop, chuck, heat. Eat.
There are some easy tricks to ensure deliciousness:
Chris knocked me over the first day I met her with a red lentil and vegetable soup that had such moreish, satisfying flavour that I had to accost her for the recipe.
Before getting down to detail Chris told me that “it’s all about the hough”. It was too, although red lentils are another stellar ingredient, texture-wise, for soups.
Chris removes the hock after at least two hours of cooking, discards the bone and skin, and adds the chopped meat back into the soup. Truly memorable.
Jo Scanlan is a home economist, a writer and an editor. She has written many resources for teachers of home economics and VCE Food Studies.