Re: Re: Making CRON Soup?

[Guest guest]

> Thanks a lot for the tip about soaking the beans separately. And I

> think pureeing the beans would be a great idea for thickening the

> soup… I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. ;-)

Any legume or grain should be soaked or fermented. For my soups I soak

and sprout some lentils, peas, and barley.

I'm not sure if there's any advantage to a thicker soup. The more liquid

the more mineral-carrying capacity for the broth I imagine. Soups are

often good for drinking.

The heart and soul of any soup is STOCK. There's no point in making a

soup without a good stock first, which requires long simmering. You can

get a decent load of minerals from a vegetable stock, but first and

foremost an animal carcass is the secret to great soup. You'll always

want to include some feet and marrow bones as available, and heads are

great too. I usually use beef bones and cook my stock for about 30 or 40

hours, then make a soup separately, cooking for only a few hours. As far

as I understand it, the nutrional keys to stock (and hence soup) are gelatin

and minerals. The nutritional value of gelatin is old news, but I believe

it is less well-known that it creates a hydrophilic

colloid that aids digestion and mineral absorption. I used to have the

" what's the point of soup? isn't is just food and water? why not just eat

the food? " view of soup, but studying Nourishing Traditions has turned my

understanding upside down. Minerals are not to be taken lightly. You

can also use dried shrimp, anchovies, fish carcasses, etc,

and these typically require shorter cooking times. The fish heads give

you the goodies from the glands. Same thing for animal heads in general.

Most soups can benefit greatly from some sea veggies like kelp, for both

minerals and flavor. I highly recommend the organic sea vegetables from

Maine Seaweed Co (http://www.alcasoft.com/seaweed/). On the topic of

stock and soup, one would be wise to consult Nourishing Traditions for

recipes, etc. To get some good fats into your soup, coconut and butter

are great, for both nutrition and flavor. A very nutritious and popular

traditional practice is to add some creme fraiche (or other fermented cream)

at the last minute before eating (if the soup is too hot it will kill the

friendly bacteria in the cream). For protein, well, some (properly

prepared) legumes and grains are nice, and meats are good too, although I

hesitate to subject meats to much cooking since they are tastier and

healthier raw. Of course, some good fat and protein can always be a

separate part of the meal. I have a small serving of soup with almost

every meal.

Oh yeah, one other thing about stock besides all the nutritional benefits:

Truly subtle and deep flavors will never be found in a soup without a

great stock.

>

> " This is good and can be added at the end or it will fall apart by the

> time the soup is ready. "

>

> So once the entire soup is done I chop up some tofu and throw it in

> there? Or do you mean right before I eat the soup? Could this be

> `pureied' as well?

You can probably find much better ingredients than tofu. If you're going

to eat soy, then keep in mind it should be fermented, which tofu is not.

Miso is a good option, and a good miso soup starting with a proper stock

is a great dish. I would simply recommend other legumes like lentils

that are more suitable for human consumption.

> What is gazpacho soup?

this is basically a salad put in a blender, usually tomato-based.

Mike