Can the Canned Soup!

I was discussing with some friends today how so many recipes these days call for a can of soup... and those of us who are trying to avoid additives and preservatives and too much salt (and dairy in a lot of cases) don't use canned soup. As Doris Longacre says in the "More With Less Cookbook" (one of my old favourites):

"Contemporary casserole recipes all seem to call for a can of soup . . . Will there finally be only three flavours identified at a carry-in dinner - cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and cream of celery? Buy a wire whisk and break the mushroom soup cycle. Save money and cans by returning to the basic five-minute white sauce. Variations are as infinite as the herbs and seasonings on your cupboard shelf and the cheeses, broths, and vegetables in your refrigerator."

One of the first practical things I learnt to cook was a basic white sauce (by hand) - it's so easy even kids can do it! I make this recipe in the Thermomix, as it's so quick and easy. It makes over 500mls of sauce, which can be substituted for cans of soup in any recipe (make with rice/almond milk for a 'cream of' soup, or with stock for a clear 'consomme'). To make a smaller quantity, halve the recipe and reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes. Check out the many variations you can make - you'll never need to buy tinned soup again! If you don't have a Thermomix, use the basic version below.

The photo above is a mushroom sauce made with this recipe - mushrooms and some red capsicum are sauteed first in oil, then butter/ghee, flour, chicken broth, and rice milk are added, with a dash of worcestershire sauce and a pinch of Rapadura, and cooked as outlined below. Delicious served over baked potatoes!

Thermomix version:

Place in bowl and cook for 7 mins at 90 degrees on speed 4:
- 500g rice/almond milk
- 50g plain spelt flour (or corn or rice flour for gf)
- 30g butter/ghee/olive oil
- 1/2 t salt
- other optional flavourings (see below)

Flavour Variations . . .

Parsley Sauce - Chop a handful of parsley first, on speed 7, then add rest of ingredients.

Cheese Sauce - Add 60-70g strong flavoured cheese chopped in cubes, and 1/2 tsp each mustard powder and paprika.

Tomato Soup - Use tomato juice as liquid, add dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, basil & oregano.

Mushroom Soup - Chop 1/4 of an onion or a stalk of shallots on speed 5, 3 seconds. Add a good handful or two of mushrooms and chop on speed 3, 10 seconds. Saute in the butter/ghee/oil before adding remaining ingredients.

Cream of Celery Soup - Chop 2 stalks celery, quartered, and 1/2 an onion, on speed 5 for 3 seconds. Saute in butter/ghee/oil before adding remaining ingredients.

Cream of Chicken Soup - Use chicken broth or stock powder in water as half of the liquid. Add 1/2 t sage, a dash of tamari or worchestershire sauce, and diced cooked chicken if available.

Creamed Corn or Chicken & Corn Soup - Make as for cream of chicken soup, adding a cup or two of fresh or frozen corn and leaving out the sage. If making creamed corn, leave out the chicken pieces.

Vary flavour with any of the following:
- curry powder
- garlic, onion or celery salt/powder
- grated nutmeg
- lemon juice
- Worchestershire sauce
- Tamari sauce
- chili powder
- chopped or blended vegetables
- chopped parsley/chives
- chopped boiled eggs

(If you want to add veges, put them in bowl first, chop on speed 5 for 3 seconds, and saute with the butter/oil - 3 mins, 100 degrees, speed 3; then add other ingredients and cook as above.)

Basic White Sauce (Traditional Method) - makes approx. equivalent to one soup tin.

Melt in heavy saucepan:
- 3 T butter or ghee or olive oil

Blend in, cooking and stirring until bubbly:
- 3 T plain spelt flour or plain GF flour
- 1/4 t salt

Using wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in:
- 1 c rice/almond milk, or stock, or combination
(of course, you can use cow's milk instead if you can handle it)

Cook, stirring, just until smooth and thickened.

Vary as above.