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The following book excerpt is from Great Bowls of Fire: Hot & Spicy Soups, Stews, and Chilis, by Dave DeWitt and W.C. Longacre. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1997. Trade paperback, 138 pages, color photos, $16.95. ISBN 0-89815-901-6.
Take Stock in Spicy Soups
Making Good Stocks
It is an axiom of soupmaking that a great soup starts with a great
stock. So, if a cook is going to go to all the trouble of making
a soup from scratch, first make a good stock. It doesn't take
very much time to make good stocks, and in many cases they are
the keys to the vibrant flavors of the soups in this book. Stocks
store well and freeze well, so they are worth the effort it takes
to make them.
To make a good stock, use real ingredients--do not use bouillon
cubes or powders, or canned stocks. Use fresh garlic (not granulated),
and fresh celery leaves. Always use fresh herbs unless they are
unavailable; if using dry herbs, double the amount in the recipe.
W.C. says that the trash can or garbage disposal is the enemy
of a good stock. He tries to recycle as much as he can in the
kitchen. He points out that in professional chef competitions,
the trash is weighed and chefs have points deducted for disposing
of too much. W.C. keeps several plastic bags in the freezer for
trimmed and leftover ingredients that can be used in stocks.
He saves such things as the end pieces of onions and carrots,
the trimmings from celery, parsley stems, mushroom stems, and
shrimp skins (for seafood base). He saves bones for meat stocks,
and fish parts, bones, and trimmings for a seafood stock. Sometimes
seafood butchers can be talked out of their trimmings, such as
fish heads, shrimp peels, fins, bones, and you can turn them into
great stocks.
Stocks should be concentrated, so be sure to boil them down.
This is classic French reduction technique and the cook can always
add the water back to the concentrated stock. Soups will taste
better using concentrated stocks, and they take up less room in
the freezer. After the stock has been reduced, cool in it the
freezer; any fat will rise and congeal and it can be removed with
a spoon. You can freeze the stocks in ice cube trays and store
the cubes in zip bags. You can use these in place of bouillon
cubes, and always have small amounts of stock when you need them.
Volcanic Vegetarian Soups
The following recipes offer easy winter warm-ups, or cool summer
suppers.
Sweet and Hot Pepper Consommé
The flavor of peppers dominates this powerful, spiced up broth.
This recipe can also be used as a vegetarian stock for making
other soups and stews. It is an elegant example of a first course
soup that can precede any entree.
4 red bell peppers, seeds removed, quartered
4 green bell peppers, seeds removed, quartered
6 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 large onions, quartered
2 large hot New Mexican green chiles, split, seeds and stems removed
3 whole bay leaves
3 large jalapeño chiles, split, seeds and stems removed
½ cup chopped parsley
2 whole cloves
3 large cloves garlic
1 ½ tablespoons salt
6 quarts boiling water
In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients except the water.
Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and boil for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours.
Remove from the heat and cool. Strain through a fine sieve.
Serve hot or cold.
Serves: 10 to 12
Heat Scale: Medium
Tomato-Orange Ginger Soup
This is an exciting blend of fresh, light flavors that makes a
great beginning-of-the-meal palate stimulator during the summer.
It has beautiful color and a slight bite from the ginger. A
thinly sliced lime wheel makes an excellent garnish when floated
on the soup with a dollop of sour cream.
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/8 pound sweet butter
Zest of ½ medium orange
6 cups quarts pureed fresh tomatoes
1 5-ounce can tomato paste
6 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 tablespoon salt
Cayenne to taste
Sauté the onion and garlic lightly in the butter but do
not brown. Add the zest and stir well. Transfer to a large pot
or stock pot and add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Bring almost to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve hot or allow to cool before serving.
Serves: 8
Heat Scale: Varies
Black Bean Chipotle Puree
This exciting, thick soup marries the dark colors and flavors
of the beans and chipotle chiles, but there's quite a few other
ingredients as well. Serve this with a hearty bread and your
favorite sharp cheese. Note that this recipe requires advance
preparation.
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups black beans, cleaned and soaked overnight
½ stalk celery, chopped with leaves
3 large dried chipotle chiles, approximately 3 ounces
3 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon finely ground white pepper
2 tablespoons Mexican leaf oregano
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 cup domestic mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup tomato puree
2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup raw honey
Lime wedges for garnish
Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish
In a large pot, combine the water, salt, black beans, celery, chipotles, wine, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, oregano, parsley and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
In a skillet, combine the onion, garlic, mushrooms, olive oil,
and peanut oil and sauté until the onions are soft. Add
this mixture to the pot and keep on a steady boil until the beans
are soft, about 2 hours (but this can vary greatly, so check them
as they're cooking). Add water as needed, but by the end there
should be little water in the pot.
Allow the beans to cool. In a bowl, combine the tomato puree,
vinegar, and honey and mix with the beans. Puree this mixture
in a food processor.
Reheat over very low heat (or use a double boiler), adding water
to the desired consistency. Serve garnished with the lime wedges
and chopped cilantro.
Serves: 8 to 10
Heat Scale: Medium
Cream of Turnip Soup with Garlic and Habanero
We know what you're thinking: turnips? Well, when prepared in
a spiced-up soup like this one, they are transformed. Both of
us humbly admit that we love the turnip family, and that they
add a great dimension to soups and stews. This one stores well
in the refrigerator but doesn't freeze well. Mixed herb croutons
make a nice garnish.
½ gallon water
2 pounds turnips, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped fine
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups White Sauce #1 or #2
1 cup heavy cream
1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, minced
1/4 cup chopped arugula
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Chopped parsley for garnish.
In a large pot, combine the water, turnips, butter, garlic, and
salt and boil until the turnips are soft, about 30 minutes, adding
water if needed. Drain and return to the pot.
Combine the stock, white sauce, and heavy cream and add it to the turnips. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly.
Combine the habanero, arugula, sugar, and lemon juice and add
it to the soup, stirring well.
Garnish with a pinch of parsley and serve.
Serves: 6 to 8
Heat Scale: Hot
Dave DeWitt is publisher and editor-in-chief of Fiery Foods
Magazine, founder and co-producer of the National Fiery Foods
Show, and has authored more than thirty books on hot and spicy
subjects.
W.C. Longacre has studied culinary techniques all over the world, and now owns and operates Blaze's Chile and Grill restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico.