Want To Make Soup.

[Julio]

Hello,

I would like to make a soup with celery, carrots, onions but don't know what else to add. I want the soup to have a KICK when you first taste it.

What ingredients and/or spices would you suggest?

[merstar]

Garlic, for sure! Plus some herbs and spices. Depending on what type of soup you're making, smoked paprika is always a great spice - lots of kick and great flavor - it boosts everything.

[Julio]

Love garlic!

I've been wanting to buy some chorizo.

I would like to add chicken stock to the soup.

[Selkie]

In addition to everything you've listed , including the chorizo and chicken stock, you have only to add shrimp, file and a little roux to thicken it, and you'll have gumbo!

[Constance]

Don't forget the salt and pepper. Those two seasonings can turn a mediocre soup into a delicious one.

[froggythefrog]

Originally Posted by Selkie

In addition to everything you've listed , including the chorizo and chicken stock, you have only to add shrimp, file and a little roux to thicken it, and you'll have gumbo!

Gumbo without okra? ("Gumbo" is Creole for "okra".)

Gotta add okra, then add red bell peppers, which with the onions and celery, make the cajun trinity of veggies... then you've got yourself a gumbo for sure!

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by froggythefrog

Gumbo without okra? ("Gumbo" is Creole for "okra".)

Gotta add okra, then add red bell peppers, which with the onions and celery, make the cajun trinity of veggies... then you've got yourself a gumbo for sure!

All gumbos don't have to always include okra all the time. That's certainly a type of gumbo but not the only type.

[Robo410]

Gotta say I go with froggy on that one. Maybe good eats, but no okra, not a gumbo.

But back to the question. Yes your veg and the sausage and broth are the basis for a great soup. Potatoes or a pasta shape, fresh spinach and maybe some beans, all kinds of things make a good soup. You can add a kick with your fave hot sauce too.

Experiment, keep notes, build a repertory, enjoy.

[Selkie]

Originally Posted by froggythefrog

Gumbo without okra? ("Gumbo" is Creole for "okra".)

Actually, Gumbo is not Creole. The name "gumbo" is a derivitive of the West African word for okra, which is, "okingumbo." The Louisiana derivation of the dish "gumbo" as we know it today is Cajun in origin, not Creole, due to the heavy French influence of how it's made.

In any event, okra does not need to be an ingredient in gumbo. My grandmother didn't even learn to speak English until she was a teenager and always carried a thick Cajun accent. She and all of her large family only spoke Cajun in their immediate community.

She seldom used okra in her gumbo. She prefered Gumbo File and Roux as thickening agents, which is all that okra provides to the dish.

Oh, and I can still hear her swearing in Cajun!

[froggythefrog]

Interesting! I stand corrected then.