Halloween has come and gone, the clocks have gone back, and winter is officially here. While, many won’t be excited at the prospect of colder, darker evenings, those who revel in the kitchen certainly will. It’s Food Month at The Irish Times and that always coincides with the time of year for slow braises, rich sauces, spices, brown sugar, butter, comfort and all the things that act as a hug in a bowl or on a plate. Expect plenty of the above in these pages over the next few months.
First up, I’m keeping it simple, but without compromising on flavour or comfort: soup. Soups may be basic, but they have always been used as a lesson in creating flavour. I remember in the first few weeks of culinary college, creating soups of all sorts. Most recipes begin with the caramelisation of onion, garlic and selected vegetables, these are seasoned to begin extracting the maximum flavour from each ingredient. The size of the chopping, control of heat, and addition of liquids were all details that effected the end result. Generally once the base flavours have been cooked off, the main ingredients are added along with a flavoured liquid or stock. Once the main ingredients are cooked, the soup is either blended into a purée style with the addition of some cream (or velouté in the professional kitchen) or left as a broth, with the ingredients left suspended in the liquid. The addition of seasoning is also key, developing a balance of sweet, salt, acid and fat. So while a soup can appear simple to produce, you can see how it’s a great training ground for the key elements of cookery.
I’m showcasing two soups this week; a purée style using pumpkin and cream in honour of Samhain, the traditional pagan festival that gave us Halloween. The festival was in honour of a successful harvest, and pumpkin is bang in season at this time of year. The second is a version of Scotch broth, which involves cooking winter root vegetables in a stock made from meat bones and often pieces of slow-cooked meat. Barley or similar grains are added to bulk it up into more of a stew. The quality of the stock in both is key to the quality of the finished dish. So embrace the weather and the longer nights; there’s plenty of comfort to be found in your kitchen.
