Thread by @HeyChelseaTroy

I've been looking up a lot of soup recipes lately.

Now, the way that I learn things is to avoid committing a bunch of seemingly unrelated stuff to memory by coming up with a framework that connects all the pieces together.

I give you: A Framework for Vegetable Soup

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STEP 1: Choose two vegetables.

I have no idea why it's two, but I can confirm that "garden soup" where you blend several together tastes gross to me so let's just accept the Magic Number Two for now

Examples:
- Sweet potato & corn
- Broccoli & cauliflower
- Lentil & Tomato

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STEP 2: Chop up your two vegetables and sautee them until soft in a truly decadent amount of butter and probably some garlic.

Every single recipe appears to call for butter and garlic. I do not know why. I'm just recording an aggregate observation of the recipes here.

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STEP 3: Add caramelized onions and spices. Every recipe calls for a different laundry list of spices.

I'm never gonna remember this, so I figure:

Pick 1 spice that seems like it'd go w the veggies
Pick 3 more that seem like they go with the first spice
Use those 4.

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STEP 4: Put the cooked vegetables in a blender and then pour in chicken (or veggie, probably) broth until they're covered. Blend until lumpy but liquefied.

I actually DO know why this step is like this: blending doesn't work on raw veggies or without immersing in liquid.

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STEP 5: Put the lumpy liquid back on the stove and mix in cheese or cream.

This doesn't go for EVERY recipe, but I can't find a pattern to which ones do/don't do it, so: if this sounds like a thing you want, I guess, do it.

Evidently mixing continuously is important here.

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STEP 6: CHELSEA'S PERSONAL STEP NOT FROM THE RECIPES

This is where I add texture to soup because I need that in there for it to feel like food. Stuff I've used for this: rice, egg noodles, chopped up tofu, quinoa and kale, riced cauliflower, black beans, whole peas.

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STEP 7: Garnish with more cream, or chives, or crispy onion strings.

Again, no clarity on which of these to use on what, so do what feels right. The exception: black bean soup recipes usually call for crushed up tortilla chips as the garnish.

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That's it! Veggie soup in seven steps. Use this framework to your heart's content and let me know what did or did not work for you.

Happy soup season!

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