November/December 2006
Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay
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courtesy McCormick & Company
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The more delicate spearmint, dill and lemon thyme give a lift to spinach or carrot soups that taste good all year long, but at least one or two pungently flavored herbs can balance strong root vegetables or greens such as kale and hold up to meats, especially smoked ham or sausage.
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In addition to our favorite Mediterranean leafy herbs, the seeds of the parsley family (such as caraway, coriander, cumin and fennel) play an important role in soups and stews. Used either whole or ground, herbal seeds provide an intense and complex flavor that you don’t get from the foliage alone. Try toasting the seeds in a dry skillet before grinding them for a rich, nutty flavor. Sweet spices such as cinnamon, clove and allspice add another layer of flavor, particularly to meat dishes or curried vegetables.
In addition, many other ingredients act as seasonings: citrus peels and juice brighten and lift flavors; aromatic vegetables such as onions, celery and mushrooms add rich flavor, especially when browned first; fats such as butter or olive oil and strong cheeses provide richness and texture; nuts of all types act as thickeners; sweeteners such as honey and brown sugar are used to mellow tart ingredients; and don’t forget chiles – in their endless variety of colors, shapes and flavors – to give a little kick to any dish. All play a part in creating what our mouths and noses perceive as the final taste.
Soup Starters
To prepare super flavorful soups, and many other dishes for that matter, most recipes begin by making stock or broth (terms used interchangeably by cooks). We have a vegetable stock recipe on Page 79, but we also like to use a chicken or turkey base, and our method is so simple, you don’t need a recipe. We use no vegetables or seasonings, only meaty bones covered with about 2 inches of cold water; chicken backs or turkey wings are our first choice. No onion, celery or carrot, no herbs and no salt. Granted, those ingredients, along with meat and bones, will result in a well-flavored broth, but we prefer to keep on hand this versatile, neutral-flavored stock to which we can later add seasonings and vegetables.