Getting Comfortable with the Comfort Food

Who doesn’t love soup? During this unit, we learned all about different ways to prepare soup and the main ingredients in a soup. We made chicken broth, chicken and sausage gumbo, and a vegetable purée soup. We learned about the different elements of soup, including mirepoix and bouquet garni. All of our recipes turned out pretty well. We made stock as a base liquid for our other two soups, gumbo and a vegetable purée soup. To add flavor to the soup, we made a bouquet garni out of cheesecloth and herbs and added a nourishing element of chicken meat and bones. When we made gumbo, we made a roux with flour and butter, and cooked meat and vegetables to add to it. Before serving, we garnished it with chopped parsley. The next dish we made, vegetable purée soup, was a bit more creative. We chose any leftover vegetables from the previous soups we made, and sweat them. Then we simmered them in chicken broth and then puréed them to make a creamy potato and vegetable soup. I chose to make a carrot and squash soup. From soup to nuts, this unit was souper fun and educational. I learned all about the methods and elements of the food, and got more comfortable preparing soup on my own. My favorite soup that I made was the chicken and sausage gumbo, which was delicious and more challenging to make than the vegetable soup. This unit was a great start to an exciting new class! Emily T.