Storytime Tapestry E-zine

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Welcome to Fascinating Facts and Eductional Trivia

A Hartson Dowd Column

November 15, 2007

Fascinating Facts and Educational Trivia:

Take Stock of Soup

While the French say ‘soup du jour,’ the Italians know it as ‘zuppa.’ No matter what you call it, soup is served around the world and is a staple of many – if not all – cultures.

Go International

Since autumn is a traditional time for Canadians to cook up comfort foods, let’s take stock of the wide variety of hearty soups served around the globe.  Take inspiration from the list assembled here, search the internet or your favourite cookbooks for recipes and grab your biggest stockpot as you head for the kitchen.

Borscht:  Common to Russia and many parts of the former Soviet Union, this soup consists of meat stock, cabbage and potatoes, or is made with beets and served with sour cream.  It can be served hot or cold.

Brazil Nut Soup: Called “sopa de castanha do Para” the word “castanha” is usually translated as “chestnut” in Portuguese.  This scrumptious-sounding soup is from the northern Amazon state of Para.

Cajun Shrimp Bisque:  Rich, thick and creamy. Seafood bisque is an excellent stick-to-your-ribs supper soup that originated from the Cajuns, the French-speaking descendants of the outcast Acadians who made their way to Louisiana 200 years ago.

Cape Cod Corn-Clam Chowder:  Commonly thought of as New England cuisine, chowder can refer to any variety of soups, enriched with salt pork fatback and thickened with flour.  Clam chowder is often synonymous with the word chowder, but corn can also be used – or combine the two.

Egg Drop Soup:  A classic Chinese soup, this one is mild enough for younger palates.  As an added bonus for families, kids can watch – or help – pour the egg into the hot broth to make it.

Mediterranean Lamb Lentil Soup:  Since ancient times, dried lentils have been a staple in many Mediterranean countries because of their high nutritional value.

Mexican Chili:  Think of it as a kind of beef soup, thickened with tomatoes.

Minestrone Alla Romano:  From Italy, this is a thick vegetable soup with dried and fresh vegetables, rice or pasta.

Mulligatawny:  Although it originated in India, this flavourful chicken soup with the silly-sounding name has been popularized by the British.

Pasta Fagioli:  A favourite of Tuscany, this soup features pasta and fagioli [pronounced fa-ZHOH-lee], the Italian word for “beans” that usually means white kidney beans, as the main ingredients.

Portuguese Green Soup:  From Portugal’s northwest region of Minho, this soup gets its name because it’s made with green kale.  It also includes smoked garlic sausage.

Potee Lorraine:  French for “potful”, this is a thick, substantial soup of pork, beans and cabbage.

South American Supper Soup:  A colourful soup, it is made from a medley of South American staples, including beef, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, green bean and chickpeas.

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SOUP-ER TIPS

Make-Ahead Meals

• While preparing soup for tonight’s meal, double the recipe and freeze half for the future (up to six months).  Defrost, heat and serve the leftovers with frozen garlic bread or refrigerated crescent rolls that you just have to drop in the oven.

Speedy Gonzales

• While the onion is saut?ing, prepare the vegetables for added convenience, buy ones that are already cut up at the grocery store, or purchase frozen cut-up vegetables.
• Don’t start your soups with meats that require long cooking, instead choose chicken or turkey breasts cut into small pieces or beef sirloin, or packaged pre-cooked meals.

Quick Soup Formula:

Oil: 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive, safflower, sunflower or canola oil.

Onion:  1 medium chopped onion, chopped garlic (optional)

Broth:  910 ml (32 oz) low-sodium chicken, vegetable, beef or fish broth; it can be homemade, canned or in a carton.

Vegetables:  450g (1 pound) raw or frozen, cut into bite-size pieces.

Protein:  450 g (1 pound) skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breast (cubed); pork tenderloin; lean sirloin (cubed); lean ham or smoked turkey (sliced or cubed); firm fresh fish; shellfish or soy meatballs.

Starch:  (optional):  250 ml (1 cup) white or sweet potatoes (cubed); 1 455-ml (16 oz) can beans (black, white, cannelini, soy or garbanzo); 57 g (2 oz) uncooked noodles or couscous; 80 ml (1/3 cup) uncooked rice or orzo.

Seasonings:  Fresh, frozen or dried herbs and spices; salt and pepper, to taste.

** In a large pot, heat oil.  Add onions and garlic, if using.  Saut? to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add broth, vegetables, protein, starch and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until protein and vegetables are tender and flavours have blended, about 20 minutes.

ON THE WEB

www.recipeland.com  This site has more than 2,700 recipes for various soups, as well as recipes for stews, chowders and dumplings.

www.campbellsoup.ca/en/about/timeline.html  Campbell’s website features a fun to take on soup, tracing its history from ancient times right on through to the year 2000.

www.nutritionalconcepts.com

Hartson S. Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net