A Good Stock Is the Foundation for Many Dishes, Sauces and Soups

Message

•Soup is perfect on cold winter days, and there are hundreds of variations. Did you know that most soups fall under one of five classifications?

Monday

Culinary:stock

•Stock – a clear, rich liquid that remains from slow cooking meats, fish, poultry and vegetables.

•A good stock is the foundation for many dishes, sauces and soups.

•Beef stock will have the deepest flavor and color followed by chicken, fish and finally vegetable.

Sustainability:

•The Clean Air Act (1970) set goals and standards for the quality and purity of air in the United States. By law, it is periodically reviewed. A significant set of amendments in 1990 toughened air quality standards and placed new emphasis on market forces to control air pollution.

Tuesday

Culinary:cream

•Cream soup is any soup where heavy cream, half and half or milk is added at the end of the cooking process.

•Cream soups are generally thickened with a roux.

•Bisque – A rich creamy soup made with shellfish.

Sustainability:

•The Clean Water Act (1972) Established and maintained goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.

Wednesday

Culinary:clear

•Clear soups are thinner and the ingredients are highly visible.

•Consommé is a strong clear soup made from concentrating and clarifying stock.

•Basic steps for making a clear soup: sweat the vegetables, add stock, simmer, skim fat add seasoning and serve.

Sustainability:

•The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1986) requires companies to disclose information about toxic chemicals they release into the air and water and dispose of on land.

Thursday

Culinary:chilled

•Gazpacho – a chilled pureed blend of tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and onions.

•Borscht –made with beef stock, beets and potatoes. Generally served cold but in some European countries it is served warm.

•Fruit – made from cooking in season fruits with water, herbs or spices and thickened with cornstarch then chilled.

•Vichyssoise – a traditional French pureed soup of potatoes, leeks and cream

Sustainability:

•The Endangered Species Act (1973) is designed to protect and recover endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants in the United States and beyond. The law works in part by protecting species habitats.

Friday

Culinary:chowder

•Chowder – a seafood or vegetable stew made with potatoes and milk.

•Manhattan clam chowder is the exception to the definition of chowder. Manhattan is made with tomatoes and tomato juice.

•Corn chowder does not have seafood but does contain potatoes and milk.

Sustainability:

•The Oil Pollution Act (1990), enacted a year after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, streamlines federal response to oil spills by requiring oil storage facilities and vessels to prepare spill-response plans and provide for their rapid implementation. The law also increases polluters’ liability for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources and imposes measures – including a phase-out of single-hulled tankers – designate to improve tanker safety and prevent spills.- all above info provided by NRDC