ISO TNT Vegetable soup/stew

[Dawgluver]

Well, that's a bummer. Maybe add some BTB beef stock?

 

[GotGarlic]

A large can of stewed tomatoes drained, one container of fresh mushrooms, 1/2 lb of carrots, a small bag of frozen corn, 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1/2 of a vidalia onion, a large box of veggie stock, a cup of red wine and filled the rest of my 7 quart crock pot with water. salt and pepper and too much garlic powder

So maybe it's like this:

28 oz can stewed tomatoes minus juices - 3 cups
1 pound mushrooms - 2 cups
1/2 pound carrots - 2 cups
12 oz corn - 2 cups
2 sweet potatoes - 3 cups
1/2 Vidalia onion - 1 cup
32 oz veggie stock - 4 cups
Red wine - 1 cup
That adds up to 18 cups or 4.5 quarts.
And about 2 quarts of water, maybe more.

You have mostly sweet ingredients, no fresh herbs, only garlic and pepper for flavoring, quite a bit of water and no flavor development (sautéing ingredients and seasoning as you go). And with no fat, you're not getting the fat-soluble flavors, or fat-soluble vitamins, in the food.

Here's what I would do:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add 1 diced yellow onion, season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Add 2 ribs chopped celery, and your carrots and mushrooms. Add a little more salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables to brown a little and in order to do that, the water in the veggies has to be cooked off first. Then add 4 cloves minced fresh garlic and cook for one more minute.

Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes with the juices, corn, sweet potatoes, stock and wine. Also add 1 tbsp dried thyme (or 3 tbsp fresh), 2 bay leaves and several stems of fresh parsley (save the leaves for finishing). I would do 2 quarts of stock and one of water, instead of the other way around. (Actually, I would make my own veggie stock separately...)

At the end of the cooking time, taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. Top servings with chopped parsley leaves, minced chives and shredded Parmesan cheese. Sometimes a little red wine vinegar at the end will spark up the flavor.

Hope this helps.

 

[GA Home Cook]

I find that if you do a couple of basic things the flavors are much better. 1. Sweat your onion, celery, carrots and garlic. 2. use beef, chicken or vegetable stock rather than water (which you did). 3. Salt the aromatics while they are cooking rather than the finished soup. It appears to me that you have way too much liquid for the amount of tomatoes you have. I use the water out of the tomatoes. I use about 3 quarts of tomatoes and maybe a quart and half or so of stock. And I never ever use plain water. One thing you don't have that i think gives good flavor is okra. The gel it produces as it cooks also helps thicken. One more secret - instant potato flakes if it is too waterery.

 

[CWS4322]

Save the peelings and tops of carrots, celery leaves, onion cuts, other veggies (salad, spinach, parsley dtocks, etc.). Once you have enough, put a pot of water on to boil. Put all the veggie matter in a strainer over a pot. Pour the boiling water over the veggie matter anxd steep like tea. Taste it every 10 minutes (onion makes it Bitter if you have more onion butts than other veggi stuff). Once it has steeped, toss theveggie matter. You'll have a basic veggie stock. Now you can build a veggie soup with a mire poire, some oolong tea, ginger, lemon grass, mushrooms, what have you. I find keeping a bunch of veggie stuff in a bucket in the freezer and steeping it makes a great veggie stock.

 

[GotGarlic]

CWS - dtocks?

HolyCanoli - FYI, mire poix is usually chopped onions, carrots and celery. Adding tea, ginger and lemongrass will give you an Asian flavored stock; using the ingredients I mentioned would give you a more traditional European/American stock. Both are good - it just depends on what you want.

 

[CWS4322]

CWS - dtocks?

HolyCanoli - FYI, mire poix is usually chopped onions, carrots and celery. Adding tea, ginger and lemongrass will give you an Asian flavored stock; using the ingredients I mentioned would give you a more traditional European/American stock. Both are good - it just depends on what you want.

Stocks/stems

 

[HolyCanoli]

So maybe it's like this:

28 oz can stewed tomatoes minus juices - 3 cups
1 pound mushrooms - 2 cups
1/2 pound carrots - 2 cups
12 oz corn - 2 cups
2 sweet potatoes - 3 cups
1/2 Vidalia onion - 1 cup
32 oz veggie stock - 4 cups
Red wine - 1 cup
That adds up to 18 cups or 4.5 quarts.
And about 2 quarts of water, maybe more.

You have mostly sweet ingredients, no fresh herbs, only garlic and pepper for flavoring, quite a bit of water and no flavor development (sautéing ingredients and seasoning as you go). And with no fat, you're not getting the fat-soluble flavors, or fat-soluble vitamins, in the food.

Here's what I would do:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add 1 diced yellow onion, season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Add 2 ribs chopped celery, and your carrots and mushrooms. Add a little more salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables to brown a little and in order to do that, the water in the veggies has to be cooked off first. Then add 4 cloves minced fresh garlic and cook for one more minute.

Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes with the juices, corn, sweet potatoes, stock and wine. Also add 1 tbsp dried thyme (or 3 tbsp fresh), 2 bay leaves and several stems of fresh parsley (save the leaves for finishing). I would do 2 quarts of stock and one of water, instead of the other way around. (Actually, I would make my own veggie stock separately...)

At the end of the cooking time, taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. Top servings with chopped parsley leaves, minced chives and shredded Parmesan cheese. Sometimes a little red wine vinegar at the end will spark up the flavor.

Hope this helps.

Helps?! This is EXACTLY what I needed!!

Thank you everyone...why it came out the way it did makes perfect sense...I'm terrible with spices and got burned when MIL used WAY too much rosemary on a pork roast. I vowed never to use anything but salt and pepper I tried with the garlic powder this time and failed miserably...I guess I needed to be a little more specific when I ask about recipes in the future!

Thank you everyone...I've made notes and put them in the cookbook so I can try again

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm so glad it was helpful

Don't let your MIL's mistake discourage you from using herbs and spices in your cooking! I have literally dozens in my cabinets, as well as fresh herbs in my garden, and my food improved immeasurably when I learned how to use them. If you overdo it, it's just a learning experience. But remember - you can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's in there. Taste as you go and you'll learn how much you like.

 

[SandyFandy09]

Mama Making soup

I made vegetable soup for supper bowel and it came out UNREAL!!! I was shocked when my son Brad asked for seconds. WOOHOO
I decided to make it a weekly thing to have some soup for dinner. I want my kids to eat healthy!
I actually need some pretty soup bowls that can also work for my boy's.
What kind of bowls can I use that wont brake?

 

[Aria]

Veggie Soup/Stew

I'm loving my new Crock Pot and want to make a veggie soup/stew but I never have before. I would love someone's TNT recipe! Would prefer not to have potatoes in it (trying to stick to the New Year's resolution and eat healthier and lose weight) or peppers (yuck!). I'm not spice savvy either so any help in that department would be great too.

Saute one chopped onion in EVOO 2 tlbs
add 3 sliced carrots
2celery stalks
1 peeled sliced sweet potato
2 tlbs lentils
2 tlbs brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chick peas
1 cup chopped red cabbage
salt pepper ginger caynne petter parsley curry power
6 cups chicken or veggie broth
Regards, Aria