Open Season for Soup Hunting
It's getting to be my favourite time of year. I love Autumn. It makes me feel invigorated - I know that's weird - most people think that way about springtime - but not me. I love cool, crisp evenings and the deep blue of the sky and how the autumn sun is a burnt orange ember rather than a blinding white summer fireball. I love clothes for cool weather. I get busy in Autumn!I must be part squirrel or something. I am a super-gatherer in Autumn. I stock my cupboards with more tins of tomatoes, tomato puree, bags of rice, orzo, beans, lentils, stocks, spices, dried herbs and all sorts of capers, olives, pickled baby onions, relishes and currant jams. I am preparing for my favourite cooking season.
Hearty, warming soups and stews and warm roasts slowly braised with root vegetables and caramelised sweet onions. The welcome smell of wine and shallot sauces simmering on a back burner. Roasted baby hens with rich, red currant sauce. Roast pork shoulder with apple cider and potato pancakes. My mouth is watering!
I have already warned my butcher that I plan on making plenty of braised lamb shanks and to set aside the best meat for stews in the coming months. We have a good relationship - my butcher tells me when his holidays are so I can plan accordingly. He assumes I won't be cooking meat while he's away - of course not.
Late September - I am a woman on a mission.
October is two days away - and it's still a bit warm. Summer is truly over, but I feel like I am in limbo. It's not cold enough for a stew, but cool enough to crave hot soup. I know what I want! Mom's fish soup. I love the simplicity and elegance. Perfect for a dinner party.
Thinly slice a large fennel bulb and a medium yellow onion. Saute in olive oil in a deep, heavy pan until soft. You're not looking for colour, but to release all the fennel essences and the sweetness of the onion.
Add two cans of good quality Italian tomatoes, whole or crushed, no difference. Add a tablespoon and half of good tomato puree and saute for a few minutes. Add your liquid - I use at least 2 pints of liquid depending on how much fish I will be cooking because it needs to be reduced. I use a great fish stock (fond) made by a French company and available in every supermarket over here. Those of you who have the benefit of shopping Whole Foods can get it at your fish counter. Also at good fishmongers of course. Anyway, if you get a salty fish stock, you may want to cut it with vegetable stock or water. I usually add a tiny splash of Vermouth - a good and bad habit depending. A dash (and I mean a dash) of Ricard or Pernot wouldn't hurt either. Add the liquid and simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes. You are looking to reduce the liquid and condense the tomato and fennel flavours.
Once reduced by a third, put aside and let cool enough to strain in to a bowl through a very fine strainer, pushing with the back of a ladle to get all the essential juices out in to the bowl. Once done, transfer the liquid back to your pan. You can set this aside until serving time.
I say this is perfect for a dinner party because you can have all the liquid done ahead - you can even make it a day in advance if you need and refrigerate. The day of the party I bring fresh fish home, clean it and cut it in to nice pieces so everyone gets a bite or two of each fish. I lay it out on a plate and cover with cling film and put in the fridge until I am ready to serve.
About 10 minutes before serving, bring the liquid back up to the simmer on medium heat, taste and add salt/pepper as needed. Once simmering, gently add your fish. I tend to use a combination of 2 or 3 firm fish - like monkfish, cod, haddock, plaice, ray etc. Of course, add your larger pieces first and in a minute or two, add your smaller pieces. Do not stir or break up any of the fish pieces. Cook until each piece is just cooked - slightly firm and opaque in the middle but not hard. About 3- 4 minutes depending on the amount of fish in the pot.
Extras and alternatives : Mom sometimes adds tiny potatoes when available. She cooks them ahead and just adds a couple to the bowl before adding the soup. This soup is good with toasted bread and aoili sauce - the traditional accompaniment to Bouillabaisse. Once, to flavour the liquid, I used sun-dried tomatoes instead of tomato puree - I blitzed a half jar of them in the food processor - this gave the soup a darker, richer flavour. If you do this, use more fennel bulb because the smokier flavour of the sun-dried tomatoes can overpower the fennel.
Serve in wide, low bowls with slices of mini baguettes toasted with Gruyere cheese on the side. I sprinkle a tiny amount of chopped parsley across the top.
A perfect soup for the season - a nice way to slide into cool weather.
Who's coming for soup?
posted by Brussels Confidential @ 10:21 AM
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