Soup Basics

What could be better than a hot bowl of soup on a winter's day?
Homemade soup is easy but there are a few basics to remember.

I always start by lightly frying and onion, some celery , a carrot and a clove of garlic. Depending on the soup, you can also add some bacon or ham.
A common  combination is called mirepoix, named for the French town in which it was supposedly first invented. It is simply a 2:1:1 ratio of diced onion, carrot and celery. (Equal amounts of celery and carrot, with twice as much onion). Mirepoix often also contains diced ham in a smaller amount

The broth you use as the liquid part is also important. You can use home made stock, white wine, or even cheat and use store bought stock.

The main ingredient would be what the soup is - chicken, vegetable, beef etc etc
I always add bouquet garni for flavour.

So the basic recipe would be:
Lightly fry the base ingredients, add the main flavour ingredient and lightly fry for a few minuites,
Add the stock and cook for as long as necessary.

You can either liquidize or leave as is (in this case the main ingredient would have to be cut up into small pieces)

For a cream soup, add the cream after you have liquidized the soup

This is just a very basic way of makin a soup so if anyone has more suggestions please let me know!!!