Soup Talk

Let's talk soup stock. I want to share with you some incorrect ways to make stock; as I learned from experience, I am passing on to you; the faithful reader. Some seemingly innocuous details can make or break a vegan soup stock. Here are a few: 1) Undercooking. I know that we all want a Raw Revolution, but when it comes to flavor, I'm not one to compromise. Take your time with the stock and render it well. Evaporation removes excess hydration, and leaves behind concentrated flavor- reducing the need for excess sodium. In the end, it will really enhance the soup to let it slow simmer for a solid hour (or more; remember Crock pots?) 2) Leaving out one of the Trinities. You have celery, but no onion. Don't. You have onion, but no celery. Don't. You have carrots, but no garlic. Don't. 3) Believing that it will taste right if I just add enough seasoning without FAT. I know we all do this for low cal among other things, but hey- there's no flesh in this dish- the calories are gone! Might as well make it taste good. Olive, canola, avacado; there are many pressed oils out there that will add a trivial amount of calories to your dish and a ton of flavor. Vegan “butter” works too, but why the heck is it solid? Do I want that stuff solidifying in my arteries? Haven't bought it in a while due to a mild paranoia. Research welcomed. 4) This one really screwed up a dish a while back. You may disagree, but I don't care- overcooked green peppers suck; essence of overcooked green peppers in your soup stock really sucks. Leave out the green peppers until ready to serve; or just put them in a salad. If you are making vegan chili, that is a different playing field altogether. If you fail to heed this rule, it will be a bitter-buttery-oil slick of a messy soup stock that you'll just end up watering the plants with. So if you want a good fertilizer...

Now, to do it right? Well we all know how to make soup stock. Wait- that was generation X with parents that cooked. Okay, you don't know what soup stock is. Sigh.