Vegetable Soup and Stew Base

[Timothy]

Timothy's Vegetable Soup and Stew Base


Ingredients

15 oz soaked Green and White Lima Beans
15 oz soaked Great Northern Beans (Navy Beans)
15 oz Green Beans
15 oz soaked Pinto Beans
1 pound Button Mushrooms
2 packages of Frozen Carrots, Cauliflower and Broccoli
1 Large White Onion
2 pounds of Crookneck yellow squash
6 diced jalapeno peppers
30 oz of stewed Tomatoes
4 large Idaho Potatoes (Cubed)
1 pound Kale
1 pound Spinach
1 heaping tablespoon of "Better than Bullion" Lobster base
2 tablespoons of Weber brand Mesquite seasoning
2 tablespoons of Weber brand Garlic and Herb seasoning
2 tablespoon of McCormick Hot Madras Curry Powder
2 tablespoons of McCormick "Gourmet Collection Blends" Curry Powder
2 tablespoons of Paprika
1 tablespoon of Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce
2 tablespoons of Black Pepper


Method

Put all ingredients into crock pot and cook for 12 hours. Add just enough water to make the veggies able to be stirred in a slight broth. After cooking down, they will provide their own liquid. I used about 4 inches of water in the crock pot after the first load of veggies was in it.

I had to wait for everything else to cook down a bit before adding the Kale and Spinach. After about 4 hours, it had reduced enough to add them.

I make this to be used as a base for other meals. Just enough broth in it to keep the veggies floating to cook. I stirred it well, about 6 times during the 12 hours.

This made 5 quarts of finished soup and stew base. To use it, I sometimes puree it and use it as a vegetable gravy, (smooth) or as a sauce on pasta dishes (processed to bits and pieces with thickener).

Or, I add some chicken or beef broth and eat it as soup.
I also add pork sausage, beef, chicken or veal to it as a stew.
Tonight, I'm having it as a processed and thickened sauce on angel hair pasta with a side salad.

 

[Snip 13]

Sounds great Just one question, what is mesquite seasoning? When I read it the first time I thought it said "mosquito seasoning" Lol!

 

[Timothy]

Sounds great Just one question, what is mesquite seasoning? When I read it the first time I thought it said "mosquito seasoning" Lol!

Weber Smoky Mesquite Seasoning

Ingredients: salt, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, chili pepper, red pepper, natural smoke flavor, extractives of paprika (color) and natural mesquite smoke flavor.

Mesquite wood smoke adds a wonderful, rich tasting flavor to smoked foods and when used as a flavor enhancer to seasonings.



.

 

[Snip 13]

Weber Smoky Mesquite Seasoning

Ingredients: salt, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, chili pepper, red pepper, natural smoke flavor, extractives of paprika (color) and natural mesquite smoke flavor.

Mesquite wood smoke adds a wonderful, rich tasting flavor to smoked foods and when used as a flavor enhancer to seasonings.



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Thanks for the info! I've never seen it here though. I use aromat seasoning a lot, think it might be addictive Think you have that though. Yellow gold in my kitchen and probably not to healthy but I don't want to know! I'm weaning myself off it slowly with celery salt :p

 

[Timothy]

Thanks for the info! I've never seen it here though. I use aromat seasoning a lot, think it might be addictive Think you have that though. Yellow gold in my kitchen and probably not to healthy but I don't want to know! I'm weaning myself off it slowly with celery salt :p

I've never even heard of Aromat Seasoning.

Now I have!

Aromat Seasoning

Use before and after cooking to flavor soups, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables
Blend includes salt, milk lactose, dried onions, dried porcini mushrooms, and spices
Also includes onion and garlic powders, monosodium glutamate, and palm and sunflower oils
Tumeric and caramel color add appetizing hue to foods

 

[Snip 13]

I've never even heard of Aromat Seasoning.

Now I have!

Aromat Seasoning

Use before and after cooking to flavor soups, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables
Blend includes salt, milk lactose, dried onions, dried porcini mushrooms, and spices
Also includes onion and garlic powders, monosodium glutamate, and palm and sunflower oils
Tumeric and caramel color add appetizing hue to foods

Yip that's it! Come to mama lol! Love that stuff! Must be the MSG
Makes everything taste better!

 

[Claire]

If I might add something for those trying to make vegan/vegetarian fare; toss the vegetables large enough to do so on the coals and let brown, then stew with the smaller and the seasonings. Your broth will have a lovely smoked flavor that you can make bean, split pea, or lentil soup that will have everyone believing you put a ham hock in it! Oh, the veggies should have a light coating of olive oil to make sure they don't stick to the grill.

 

[Selkie]

Alton Brown said, "Don't add anything that doesn't add flavor."

I might suggest that you be careful not to add too many ingredients. You're combining many flavors that don't normally work well together (eg. jalapeno and mushrooms; lobster base and mesquite seasoning) and they over power one another, making them unnecessary to even use.

I like the idea of your soup & stew base, but you might think about simplifying it, IMHO.

 

[Timothy]

If I might add something for those trying to make vegan/vegetarian fare; toss the vegetables large enough to do so on the coals and let brown, then stew with the smaller and the seasonings. Your broth will have a lovely smoked flavor that you can make bean, split pea, or lentil soup that will have everyone believing you put a ham hock in it! Oh, the veggies should have a light coating of olive oil to make sure they don't stick to the grill.

I do love grilled veggies! The next time I make this, I'll grill a few and see how it affects the final taste. Thanks!

 

[Timothy]

Alton Brown said, "Don't add anything that doesn't add flavor."

I might suggest that you be careful not to add too many ingredients. You're combining many flavors that don't normally work well together (eg. jalapeno and mushrooms; lobster base and mesquite seasoning) and they over power one another, making them unnecessary to even use.

I like the idea of your soup & stew base, but you might think about simplifying it, IMHO.

Thanks Selkie, but I disagree with Alton brown's statement. I would state my own feelings as "Add anything and everything that makes the dish nutritional and/or flavorful. Sometimes flavors clash when used in simple recipes, but add overall to recipes with lots of nutritional ingredients."

Nutrition is what this type of soup base is all about. After having eaten it, I can assure you that it tastes wonderful and has a pleasing appearance and mouth feel. Each of the ingredients adds some nutrition to the dish and combined, make it a powerhouse of good eating.

I wouldn't change anything in it, but I might swap around ingredients if others were better buys at the market.

Sometimes ingredients clash, but when combined with even more ingredients, the clash goes away and the dish becomes even more pleasing than if those paired ingredients were missing. This recipe is a perfect example of that manner of thinking.

 

[Dawgluver]

I did not know they made Better Than Boullion Lobster base! We can only get the chicken and beef flavors here. I will be on the lookout!

 

[Timothy]

I did not know they made Better Than Bouillon Lobster base! We can only get the chicken and beef flavors here. I will be on the lookout!

It's really good! Much like shrimp base, it really doesn't taste much like it's Titled ingredient. It's rich with a very full flavor that is a fantastic addition to broth type foods.

I love seasonings. OMG, I have no idea how many I have, but it's probably near 100 or so. Sometimes, I'll combine some in nothing but water to see what flavor they produce!

Good luck on your hunt!

Here's one place online:
"Better Than Bouillon" Lobster Base

 

[Dawgluver]

It's really good! Much like shrimp base, it really doesn't taste much like it's named primary ingredient. It's rich with a very full flavor that is a fantastic addition to broth type foods.

I love seasonings. OMG, I have no idea how many I have, but it's probably near 100 or so. Sometimes, I'll combine some in nothing but water to see what flavor they produce!

Good luck on your hunt!

Here's one place online:
"Better Than Bouillon" Lobster Base

Thanks, Timothy!

I know what you mean. I had to build a separate stand-alone cabinet to hold some of mine, along with having a cupboard cabinet already full of them. Being a Penzeys addict, along with having a friend who blends and markets spices and seasonings for a living, I have an unending supply. Not that that's a bad thing...

 

[Timothy]

Thanks, Timothy!

I know what you mean. I had to build a separate stand-alone cabinet to hold some of mine, along with having a cupboard cabinet already full of them. Being a Penzeys addict, along with having a friend who blends and markets spices and seasonings for a living, I have an unending supply. Not that that's a bad thing...

You're very welcome, Dawgluver! What a cool friend to have! I grow a lot of mine and buy many of my seasonings. When I add them to boiling water and let them sit for an hour with a couple stirs, the resulting broth gives me an excellent sample of what they will do together in a dish. I've found some interesting combinations that way.

I love cooking AND eating. The two loves go well together!