Cream of Nothing Soup

In honor of the government shut down and the impending debt ceiling, I thought a frugal recipe might be in order.  Actually, this is a bit more than a recipe, it is more of a method.  First, the long form with comments and explanations.  Then, at the end, a summary of just the recipe. 

This will be a milk-based soup, partially because it is more filling that way, and partially because my family used to have access to government surplus milk and cheese.  Some of you may still get that stuff.  This will help turn it into a meal.  It is also a great way to use up leftovers, especially those tiny bits that are almost too small to save. 

Step 1

First, build up the flavor.  While you can make a soup without this step, your soup will be more filling and satisfying if you do more than just dump in some milk.  Melt two tablespoons of butter or margarine or bacon grease in a skillet over medium heat.  Oil will work in a pinch.  When fully melted add aromatics.  Aromatics are optional, but will help to raise the flavor of your soup from edible to sublime.  Aromatics may include onions, leeks, scallions, garlic, elephant garlic, dried onion flakes, herbs, finely minced carrots, bell pepper, or celery.  Add up to four tablespoons of these.  Cook until soft, but not brown.  You can use leftover cooked versions of the aromatics if that is what you have on hand.  Appropriate herbs depend on what else you will be adding.  Chicken and tarragon are lovely together, for example, and nutmeg goes with just about any cream soup.  Feel free to experiment and work with what you have.  Don’t add more than a teaspoon of herbs unless you really feel like you know what you are doing.  Although adding them to the warm butter will help maximize their flavor, you can always add more at the end. 

Step 2

Now add thickener.  Flour is easiest, if you have it.  You can also use corn starch, tapioca, bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, or oat flour, among other things.  Basically, you are adding a starch to thicken up your soup.  Go with what you have.  Add about two tablespoons, which is the same as the amount of butter you added (use only 1 Tablespoon if you are using corn starch or arrowroot.)  Stir thoroughly, scraping your spoon or spatula a bit on the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing gets stuck.  It will bubble and get thicker.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the butter/starch mixture just starts to get a little bit brown.  This is called making a roux, which is a fancy cooking school term for cooking the flour and fat until it doesn’t taste raw any more.  If you know what you are doing, feel free to go for a darker roux if it will fit with your other ingredients.  You will probably need to cook the starch for 5-8 minutes.  Don’t wander off and talk on the phone or anything or you will burn everything.  If you do that, there is nothing to do but throw it out and start over. 

Step 3

Now you can add the liquid to your soup.  This is the largest part of the soup, the part that will make it filling and big enough to serve 2-4 people.  The basic liquid here is milk.  Dry powdered non-fat milk that has been reconstituted is probably the cheapest, especially if you are getting it as government surplus.  Milk, condensed milk, cream, soy milk (unsweetened), half-and-half and broth all work.  Feel free to mix these components to get at least two cups worth (that’s the same as a pint, if you are using milk and don’t want to measure.)  Use a little water if you have to.  You can even use some sherry or white wine, but I don’t suggest adding more than ½ cup or using beer unless you know what you are doing.  If you are using the optional starch in your bowls (see step 5), feel free to add up to 3 cups of liquid, but 2 is fine.  Of course, if you use broth instead of milky stuff, it won’t turn into cream of something soup.  It will just be soup.  That’s okay, but it isn’t what we are focusing on here.  Stir in your liquid.  It will look like the floury stuff will never dissolve into the liquid, but it will.  Keep stirring and maybe smushing on the floury stuff a bit.  When the liquid warms up, I promise the floury part will dissolve into it nicely.  You don’t have to stir continuously, but stir often.  You will notice that the whole thing will start to thicken, after maybe 5-10 minutes.  Once this process starts, it will get thicker quickly.  Don’t worry, if you let it get too thick you can always add more liquid. 

Step 4

Once it starts to thicken, add the “something” to your soup.  No, I don’t mean a secret ingredient that gives it a certain je ne sais quois.  I mean the ingredient that will dominate your soup.  You can call it cream of whatever this ingredient is, if you wish. Cream of broccoli, cream of chicken, cream of corn, whatever.  This is where you throw in up to a cup of leftover meat or vegetables.  Chicken, tuna, hamburger, salmon, beef, bacon, turkey, ham, hot dogs, sliced sausage, firm tofu, seitan, TVP, whatever you got.  Even hard-boiled eggs.  Just make sure it is already cooked and is cut into bite-sized pieces.  Canned chicken and tuna work well if you are short on leftovers.  If you are a little short on meat, cut it even smaller to help spread it around.  You don’t strictly need any meat or meat substitute for this dish, since the milk provides a lot of protein, but including some helps make the meal more filling and satisfying.  If you don’t have meat, don’t worry, just add more veggies.  Just notice that you are supposed to add a TOTAL of 1-2 cups of meat and veggies, not 2 cups of each one.  Good veggies for this include broccoli, corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, or a combination.  If you have more carrots than you were told to add as aromatics, you can toss in some diced, cooked carrots at this point, too.  Like the meat, the vegetables should be already cooked (fresh out of a can counts) and cut into small pieces.  Now all you have to do is stir and cook until the “something” is hot.  Taste the soup and “adjust the seasonings.”  That means throw in some salt, pepper, and any other spices until it tastes good to you. 

Step 5

Serving.  Presentation is an important part of any meal, but it is especially crucial when you are trying to turn “nothing” into “something.”  Presentation makes food more satisfying and can help your diners feel full and happy.  If you have it, add a starch to the bottom of each diner’s bowl.  Crumbled toast, bread, croutons, bread crumbs, crackers, corn bread, or leftover biscuits. (This is just about the only good thing to do with leftover cold biscuits in the whole world, unless you play hockey, so use them for this dish!)  You can also use cooked pasta, although I think that goes better with a broth-based soup, but use what you have.  Then add the soup to the bowls.  If you have it, top with something nice:  croutons, bread crumbs, crackers, corn chips, a sprinkle of fresh or dried herbs, cooked bacon bits, grated cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, green onion, panko, salsa, something like that.  This makes it look pretty, which really is important. 

That’s it.  For the novice in the kitchen, I offer a few suggestions for what goes well together. 

Chicken, corn, and ½ teaspoon rosemary.

Canned salmon, dill, and peas.  (sprinkle additional dill on top)

Turkey, corn, and green beans with a small quantity of sage (start with 1/4 teaspoon, it is stronger than you think.)

Beef, carrots, and potatoes.

Spinach, hard-boiled eggs, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.  (Tastes better than it sounds.)

Ham, spinach, and a tiny bit of ground cloves. 

Bacon, green beans, and ½ teaspoon tarragon. 

In summary, here is just the recipe

Cream of Nothing Soup

2 tablespoons butter or other fat

1-4 tablespoons aromatics like minced onion

2 tablespoons flour or other thickener

2-3 cups milk or other liquid

1-2 cups meat and vegetables, already cooked and diced

1-2 cups starch (optional), evenly divided between four soup bowls

Optional toppings

Melt butter then add aromatics.  Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until soft but not yet starting to brown.  Add flour and stir frequently until it just starts to brown, about 8 minutes.  Add liquid and stir until flour base is thoroughly dissolved.  Add meat or vegetables, heat through.  Serve over the starch, garnish with optional toppings.