Cream of Anything Soup
Cream of Anything Soup is a mother dish. To master a mother dish means that you can take what you know and use it to make a huge variety of dishes. This is the only creamy soup recipe you will ever need! Whatever season of the year, you can find fresh ingredients at the farmers’ market which will work wonderfully in this soup.
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, 6-8 oz diced
- cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 lbs fresh vegetables roughly chopped
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, approximately
- 1-2 oz heavy cream optional
- Salt, pepper, herbs and spices, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the onions or other aromatics in the cooking fat and ½ tsp of salt until they are at their desired state (just softened, or slightly caramelized, depending on the flavor profile you desire), stirring in the garlic for the final minute or two.
- Add the fresh vegetables to the pot and add enough stock to just reach the top of the other ingredients. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer.
- After about 10 minutes, check on the status of the pot. If there is excess liquid due to water released from the fresh vegetables, let the simmering continue without the cover. If most of the ingredients are above the stock line, add more stock. Once the liquid level looks right, cover and continue simmering.
- Continue to check every 10 minutes. Adjust the liquid levels and check for doneness. The star ingredient should be soft and tender. Spinach or zucchini may be done in 20 minutes, where butternut squash or turnips may take 50 minutes.
- Once the ingredients are fully cooked, use an immersion blender to puree everything into a smooth soup. Final adjustments are made at this time. If the soup seems too thick, add stock or water. Taste for seasoning and creaminess. For a richer mouthfeel, add cream at this point. Add salt and pepper to taste. To brighten the soup, add a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar.
Notes
If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup with a traditional blender or food processor. Work in batches. Don't fill the blender as the steam can literally become explosive if there is too much hot soup being blended. For each batch, start the blender at a low speed and slowly increase the speed to full. Cover the lid with a dish towel and hold the lid in place.
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