that I haven’t made into a smooth, creamy soup, and there
are even fewer that I’ve not loved,† but my experience has
taught me something: that first process of making a
chanterelle soup wasn’t really just a recipe for chanterelle
soup. It was a blueprint for making any creamy vegetable
soup. You just need to break it down into its individual steps
and figure out how to universalize them.
Let’s say, for instance, that I’ve never made a smooth
carrot soup flavored with ginger and harissa, but I really like
the idea. Here’s how I’d go about it.
Step 1: Prepare Your Main Ingredient
The simplest soups can be made by merely adding your
main ingredients raw and simmering them in liquid later on.
When preparing this type of soup, all you’ve got to do is get
your main ingredient ready by peeling it (if necessary) and
cutting it into moderately small pieces. The smaller you cut,
the quicker your soup will cook down the line.
There are times when you may want to boost the flavor of
a main ingredient by, say, roasting or browning it. This is an
especially effective technique for sweet, dense vegetables
like sweet potatoes and squashes, or brassicas like broccoli
or cauliflower, all of which intensify in sweetness with some
browning. To roast them, cut them into large chunks, toss
them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, set them in a
baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper,
and roast in a 375°F oven until tender, with their edges
tinged brown.
This works in two ways. First, the process of
caramelization breaks down large sugars into smaller,