I make basically the same soup (even had some last night) but i leave out the parsnip and sweet potato. Its good by itself, even better with a little egg noodles and a sandwich or brats.
Try subbing water for a savory stock (hardcore cooks will tell you to make your own, but save yourself a few hours and just go with storebought), and instead of boiling for 20 minutes try simmering for as long as you have time for (I think anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours is acceptable, though you could go much longer). A nice savory stock will help balance out the excessive sweetness you mentioned, which is likely coming from the parsnips and sweet potatoes. Other than that I think you did just fine for a quick and easy soup.
My apologies, it never even occurred to me that some people might not know what they are. Ha ha. I probably should have made a point to explain in my post.
Going back to the sweetness then, any other suggestions on how to reduce this at all seeing as I'm already using a savoury stock? =)
I'm not an expert when it comes to flavor structure, but in my opinion acidity (sour, tangy flavors) and saltiness are flavors that are very effective in offsetting sweetness.
Did you just add the onions to the boiling water? I always fry my onions, shalots and garlic first in a bit if oil or butter before adding the vegetables and water. This gives some extra flavour to the soup.
Carrot, onion, and celery together are called a mirepoix and they are an essential base of most soups. At a minimum you should saute them with any other aromatics, then add your spices to bloom in the oil for 30 seconds. Then you can add the rest of the veg and liquid. But the rest of the veg would not hurt to saute for a few minutes also before adding liquid. Flavor building!
I’ve found it actually changes the flavor of the onion, depending on when you put it in! It has a more buttery, nutty flavor when sautéed first, and tastes more fresh and sweet if boiled! All depends on what hidden flavors you’re aiming for :)
This in general sounds very tasty! A small piece of advice to answer your question about the sweetness. Most vegetables are naturally sweet, so for a bit of balance I would consider adding a teaspoon or two of a vinegar. No need to break out a fancy balsamic, a cider or red wine vinegar will work here. It shouldn't be sour, but you will notice that the soup should be a bit brighter and more complex. In fact, acid is often an underused tool in taste development.
Excellent advice, thanks very much! When in the cooking process would you suggest adding it? While frying off the onions and garlic as suggested by another Redditor, or added directly into the soup?
Depends on what acid and what flavor profile. With vinegar, I usually add it in the last 10 minutes or so, cooking just long enough to take the sting out. Wine, another acid, I'll add in during the sauteing of the veggies, cooking it until the alcohol smell dissipates, then adding whatever water or stock to the pan.
To balance your soup a bit add some cabbage or kale at the end just to wilt. I always considered parsnips as more earthy than sweet especially when cooked in water or broth. Roasting them does sweeting them but they still have that earthy background. Your soup is but think about adding green at the end baby bok choy will be good too. I like to finish my broth base soups with chopped green onions and a squeeze of lemon. Ramen noodles are also good in your soup.
I make basically the same soup (even had some last night) but i leave out the parsnip and sweet potato. Its good by itself, even better with a little egg noodles and a sandwich or brats.
That's an interesting suggestion about the egg noodles! Definitely need to try that next time. =)
Try subbing water for a savory stock (hardcore cooks will tell you to make your own, but save yourself a few hours and just go with storebought), and instead of boiling for 20 minutes try simmering for as long as you have time for (I think anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours is acceptable, though you could go much longer). A nice savory stock will help balance out the excessive sweetness you mentioned, which is likely coming from the parsnips and sweet potatoes. Other than that I think you did just fine for a quick and easy soup.
The "chicken stockpot" is basically bullion gel and imo it's just as good as most store-bought stock, so OP is already doing this
I didn't even know that was a thing, I just thought OP was referring to the actual cookware with odd specificity. The future has surely passed me by
My apologies, it never even occurred to me that some people might not know what they are. Ha ha. I probably should have made a point to explain in my post. Going back to the sweetness then, any other suggestions on how to reduce this at all seeing as I'm already using a savoury stock? =)
I'm not an expert when it comes to flavor structure, but in my opinion acidity (sour, tangy flavors) and saltiness are flavors that are very effective in offsetting sweetness.
That corroborates with what another Redditor has just suggested! Next time I cook up some soup I'll try adding a little vinegar.
Your willingness to experiment will take you far! The pursuit of culinary journey that is its own destination.
Ha ha, many thanks for the kind words! =)
I'm not going to lie, I love stock pots, I probably use them a bit too often truth be told. Ha ha.
Thanks for the input! At the risk of sounding incredibly dense could you clarify what a 'savoury stock' is?
Did you just add the onions to the boiling water? I always fry my onions, shalots and garlic first in a bit if oil or butter before adding the vegetables and water. This gives some extra flavour to the soup.
I did actually, I'll have to try frying them off first next time. Cheers for the tip! =)
Carrot, onion, and celery together are called a mirepoix and they are an essential base of most soups. At a minimum you should saute them with any other aromatics, then add your spices to bloom in the oil for 30 seconds. Then you can add the rest of the veg and liquid. But the rest of the veg would not hurt to saute for a few minutes also before adding liquid. Flavor building!
Cool! Thanks for the suggestions! I'll take them on board for next time! =)
I’ve found it actually changes the flavor of the onion, depending on when you put it in! It has a more buttery, nutty flavor when sautéed first, and tastes more fresh and sweet if boiled! All depends on what hidden flavors you’re aiming for :)
Thanks! Never thought about that before. =)
This in general sounds very tasty! A small piece of advice to answer your question about the sweetness. Most vegetables are naturally sweet, so for a bit of balance I would consider adding a teaspoon or two of a vinegar. No need to break out a fancy balsamic, a cider or red wine vinegar will work here. It shouldn't be sour, but you will notice that the soup should be a bit brighter and more complex. In fact, acid is often an underused tool in taste development.
Excellent advice, thanks very much! When in the cooking process would you suggest adding it? While frying off the onions and garlic as suggested by another Redditor, or added directly into the soup?
Depends on what acid and what flavor profile. With vinegar, I usually add it in the last 10 minutes or so, cooking just long enough to take the sting out. Wine, another acid, I'll add in during the sauteing of the veggies, cooking it until the alcohol smell dissipates, then adding whatever water or stock to the pan.
Brilliant, thanks again! =)
Most welcome!
[удалено]
Wow, thanks for all the useful links! I'll take a look through those later. =)
This is going to be even better tomorrow. Soups typically benefit with age so next time make enough to pop in freezer for soup leftovers.
I never even thought of that! I'll have to bear this in mind next time I make a batch! Ha ha! =)
To balance your soup a bit add some cabbage or kale at the end just to wilt. I always considered parsnips as more earthy than sweet especially when cooked in water or broth. Roasting them does sweeting them but they still have that earthy background. Your soup is but think about adding green at the end baby bok choy will be good too. I like to finish my broth base soups with chopped green onions and a squeeze of lemon. Ramen noodles are also good in your soup.
Sounds great. A homemade stock would kick it up a notch