Experimental Soup
Posted by terrepruitt on April 9, 2011
On the way to teach my Los Gatos Nia Class on Friday I thought that I would be making soup on a warm day. By the time Nia class was over it was getting cloudy. I was thinking it might turn into a good day for soup. I was going to attempt the Green Garlic Spinach Soup. On the way to class I decided to shop at the store somewhat on the way home from the fitness place. I had never been there and was hopeful they would have green garlic. Since it looks like a scallion I was thinking that I had seen it in stores before and I just didn’t know what it was. Well, some of the produce at the store was less than desirable. I passed on the collard greens and I couldn’t find the green garlic. I had my mind made up that I was going to make soup using my emulsion blender. I decided that I would make baby bok choy and spinach soup. I am going to share about the soup making process and issues in this post. My next post (Tuesday) will be the “recipe”.
I bought the basic ingredients I would use. By the time I left the store it was cold and cloudy. Perfect day for soup. When I got home I decided to get out the blender to figure out what blade to use and to wash the blade. I neglected to look at the blade my friend used. In looking at the instructions I was thinking “blade C” would be the right blade.
Since I’ve never cooked bok choy before and I didn’t really know if it would work, I decided to sauté the bottom portion of the stalk and save the leafy part to add to the soup at the same time as the spinach. I sautéed the veggies. When I finally added the broth I was thinking this soup was going to be pretty flavorless so I added some of a beer that was open in the fridge. It was a Hefeweizen. So it was going to add some heartiness. I also put in a dash or two of teryiaki. I let it boil then added the leafy part of the bok choy and the spinach. I thought my friend had just let it cook long enough to wilt it.
Oh, I didn’t yet mention that I don’t have a stock pot. Maybe some of you know where this is going. 🙂
The instructions for the blender said that when you use blade C use it in a chopping motion. Ok. So I stuck the blender in the pot with one little pulse I thought, “Hmmm . . . . I should cover this.” With the next “whrrrrr”, I thanked God because I was going to heat some bread in the oven on foil but decided not to and I think that having the piece of foil out already is what kind of made me think to use it. Even with the foil it made a mess. I used blade C but it wasn’t getting creamy. So I added some cream cheese. Not part of the original soup plan. I tried blending again. Still not creamy, I added the rest of the spinach. Still not as creamy as my friend’s soup.
I decided to use a different blade. Blade B. I put it on and put the blender in the pot and it did absolutely nothing. So I decided to go back to blade C. Now mind you, I was very careful to unplug the blender, and detach the stick from the motor. So I walk over to the place where I have to blade removal tool and there is no blade. Well, no wonder it wasn’t doing anything! So I fished the blade out of the soup. I put it back on and it still didn’t do anything. So I was going to change back to blade C and guess what? Blade B was back in the soup.
I tried blade C again. By now, I am using a portion of a lid and foil (I have this half metal half plastic lid and the plastic always falls out leaving the metal “rim” — so I was using that to help keep the mess down). There was still green soup dripped all over the sides of the pot and all over the burner. So I decided to use yet a different blade, the Raw Meat blade.
I never really got ALL the secondary spinach chopped up clean and the soup never got creamy. But my hubby said over and over again it was good. He said it was a keeper. The next day (today) he was still talking about it and said I had to post the recipe on my blog. I thought that those of you that make soup and those of you that use an immersion blender would enjoy hearing about how I made soup a mess by not using a stock pot or the correct blade.
Do you know which blade I should be using to blend the veggies and have it come out creamy? Also, tell me how to use the blender. Do I move it around like a hand mixer or set it at the bottom of the pot, then blend, then pick it up and set it back down, etc.?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
niachick said
Yowza. I stay away from blades and let my husband do the cooking. He uses the food processor for EVERYTHING.
Good luck with figuring it all out!!!
LikeLike
terrepruitt said
So I asked my soup-making friend last night. She said her blender only has one blade. Ha! She said her was shaped kinda like an “S”.
I will experiment. The instructions do explain that a blade might need adjusting with pliers. So when it fell off into the soup the first time I thought I had just not put it on properly, but the second time I realized it needs adjusting I just didn’t want to do it while I was cooking.
I made a soup once where I used the blender (the pitcher kind), but it is really nice to be able to do it all in one pot . . . . of course, it will be less messy with a stock pot.
Thanks (for the luck) it is all part of the journey. Fun adventure of cooking.
LikeLike
Elaine said
Hmmm. My immersion blender is not so fancy, it just has the one blade with a dome over it (maybe to keep the splashing to a minimum?) and the entire bottom half pulls off to go in the dishwasher. It’s this one: http://www.cuisinart.com/products/hand_blenders/csb-76bc.html and the blade looks most like your raw meat blade (ew!).
You really need to hit the farmers market for green garlic, I’ve never seen it in the store (maybe Whole Foods would have it, but I don’t generally shop there).
The beauty of soup is that it’s really, really hard to mess up (just don’t serve the fallen blade to anyone). Yay for kitchen experiments!
LikeLike
terrepruitt said
Funny, since mine is soooooo old, I thought that it was LESS fancy. It has the blades I have pictured, PLUS a food processor and a chopper with a couple of different blades. It is fancy schmacy. The stick portion does separate from the motor part. As you might not be able to tell in the picture. The stick part is standing upright leaning on the motor part.
Farmers market . . . . green garlic. Ok. I will have to wait until NEXT week because this week I gotta prep for the American Cancer Society Benefit Nia Class on Sunday.
Are we going to that “thing” on Friday? The Green Workplace thing with Eucalyptus Magazine?
Yes, I am recognizing the beauty of soup. Now that my hubby will actually eat it, (saying the entire time, “Soup is not food.”). The instructions for the blender do include a portion regarding pliers and tightening the fit of the blade. So while I was surprised that it had fallen off I was not totally shocked. At first I thought I just hadn’t put it on properly, but then I realized it just needs a little squeeze.
Yay for kitchen experiments. More exuberantly YAY for friends that help us and teach us that its “harder” to mess soup up than it is to just experiment and make the darn stuff. You showed me how easy it was so I just did whatever. Thank you!
LikeLike
Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] Posts Experimental SoupCreamy soup without CreamAlkaline WaterNaked FeetMovie and More That Is The DifferenceHiccups – […]
LikeLike
May 2011 « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] I don’t mind it so much. Especially since, as you may know, I have a new found love . . . making soups with my immersion blender! The last one I made I made it too spicy and I couldn’t eat it. I […]
LikeLike
Stock, Broth, Bouillon Cubes « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] have posted a lot about soup because a friend showed me how to use the stick blender to make soups. I fell in love with blended vegetable soups. Recently I posted about soup that my friend had […]
LikeLike
Butternut Squash Soup Adaptation « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] the pot off the burner and blend the soup until smooth. (I use the immersion blender). Add the cream cheese. Stir. Blend until the cream cheese is full incorporated in the […]
LikeLike