Autumn in the Air

When autumn is in the air, it’s time for hearty, hot soup. All summer I have been serving cold, mostly fruit soups at the inn as a first course for breakfast but suddenly they have lost their appeal and its time to start the kettle on the back of the stove (I don’t really do that, but it sounds so homey and delicious).


Soup is a topic that could cover pages and pages and not even make a dent in the lore and recipes to be found. Nothing says comfort and hospitality and sustenance like homemade soup. And all begin with such a simple thing: stock.

There are devotees of homemade stock and many sources of the best way to make that stock and then there are respected chefs and food writers who unabashedly use and recommend good quality canned stocks. There are cooks who throw everything but the kitchen sink into their soups (read kettle on back of stove) and the purists who clear and strain and follow a precise recipe for their homemade broths.

Regardless of which school of thought you prefer, almost all good soups begin with a stock of some kind to which you may add other ingredients at will. The only exceptions are those soups whose main ingredient makes the broth at the same time it makes soup, such as split pea soup with a ham bone as its flavor source.

Personally, I think that homemade stock is one of two secrets of great cooking. Julia Child in volume I of Mastering the Art of French Cooking says, “The wonderful flavor of good French food is the result, more often than not, of the stock used for its cooking, its flavoring or its sauce. The French term, fonds de cuisine means literally the foundation and working capital of the kitchen.” And it is so easy to make and convenient to store. Yes, you have to set aside some time to get started and actually do it, but once you have, you’ll be a convert.

I keep a collection of bones and meat scraps in the freezer. Beef and veal are preferable red meat sources over pork or lamb. Use fresh vegetables—and don’t use starchy vegetables as they tend to cloud the stock.

Basic Meat Stock (Adapted from Julia Child’s Vol. I Mastering the Art of French Cooking)
To make 2 or 3 quarts:

3 quarts of meat and bones in 2-3-inch pieces
2 tsp salt
2 medium scraped carrots
2 medium peeled onions
2 medium celery stalks
Tie in cheesecloth: One-fourth tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
6 parsley sprigs
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 whole cloves
Optional: 2 leeks, washed

In large kettle place meat and bones and cover them by 2 inches with cold water. Cook on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Skim scum with spoon until it ceases to accumulate.

Add rest of ingredients and more water to cover by an inch. When liquid is simmering again, skim as necessary. Partially cover kettle and simmer for 4 or 5 hours. Accumulated fat and scum may be skimmed off occasionally. Never allow the liquid to boil. Never cover the kettle airtight. Taste until you are satisfied with the flavor and strain the stock out of the kettle into a large bowl.

Set the stock uncovered in the refrigerator until the fat has hardened on the surface and can be scraped off.

Taste the degreased stock for strength. If its flavor is weak, boil it down to concentrate strength. Correct seasoning and it is ready to use. When stock is cold you can refrigerate for 3 or 4 days or freeze.

The most versatile and beloved of all stocks is a great chicken stock. This can be used in almost any savory dish you make. For quick and easy meals, a good canned chicken broth can be used (for instance, Swanson’s) But if you really want to put your soul into the dish, make this wonderful, absolutely frugal chicken stock and freeze it to use as needed. When the soup has been defatted, you can boil it down to half its volume; cool and pour into ice-cube trays. Freeze. Remove “ice-cubes” and put into a freezer plastic bag and freeze. You can use one cube at a time, diluting each cube with one-fourth to one-half cup water, wine, vegetable cooking water or tomato juice. Or use cubes without diluting as a flavor booster any time.

Absolutely Frugal Chicken Stock (adapted from “Soup and Bread” by Crescent Dragonwagon

3 and one-half quarts water, vegetable cooking water or secondary mild stock
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
4 pounds chicken
Pam cooking spray
2 medium onions, unpeeled, quartered
8 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled
1-1/2 tsp. salt
6 to 8 black peppercorns
3 ribs celery, with leaves, broken in 2 or 3 big pieces
3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
1 medium leek, washed
1 medium parsnip, scrubbed and cut into pieces
2 medium carrots, scraped and cut into pieces
Large pinch each of dried rosemary, thyme, sweet basil, sage and savory or 1 Tbsp each chopped fresh herbs
Large pinch of celery seeds.

In large kettle bring water to boil with vinegar. Stud each onion quarter with a clove. Spray another heavy soup pot with Pam and place the chicken in it. Surround chicken with studded onions and all other vegetables and seasonings. Pour over all boiling water. Bring liquids back to a boil, then turn down the heat and let simmer, uncovered, skimming surface foam for about 20 minutes.

Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes; check for tenderness. If you poke it with a fork, you should be able to pull it from the bone with little effort. It should not have reached the point of completely falling off the bone on its own. About 1 hour of simmering over low heat should do it. Remove chicken from pot.

Strain, reserving both the chicken and the stock but discarding the vegetables. Cool the chicken and stock separately for 30 minutes. Refrigerate the stock to defat.

Pull the chicken from the bones in large pieces, discarding the skin. Save the bones and return to defatted stock and cook them a second time, uncovered for another hour. Strain again.

You are now ready to make a delicious chicken soup with added carrots, cooked chicken meat and noodles, matzo balls or dumplings. Or use your imagination and use it to cook any vegetable; pair with a starch—dumplings, rice, wild rice, diced potatoes, corn, noodles or barley. Then again, you can make the cooked chicken meat star and make it into a hearty casserole, or substantial hearty main-dish soup for which there are innumerable recipes. Yum!

Oh yes, the other vital ingredient in your cooking is the love with which you make your dishes—the value of this cannot be underestimated.