HOW TO MAKE A PURÉE SOUP
Purée soups are simply soups in which the ingredients, usually one or a few main flavoring ingredients, are puréed in a stock. In comparison with cream soups, purée soups have less smooth texture, and some solid ingredients may be added to finish the soup off, just for a more interesting look. They can also be garnished like other soups, with croutons, herbs, bacon, etc.
Purée soups need some interesting and full body, and for this reason some starchy vegetables are often used as a base. Beans, potatoes, celeriac, or zucchini are common main ingredients. As for the other ingredients, they need to complement the soup, and usually some aromatic vegetables are used, for example onions, celery, carrots, garlic, as well as thyme and other herbs. Of course, proper seasoning, including salt and pepper is also necessary.
As a liquid, one can either use a pre-made stock or broth, or one can make a soup out of new fresh ingredients. Soups that use beans or other legumes are usually complemented with some pancetta or bacon. Other ingredients that may work in purée soups include mushrooms, herbs, or even sour cream. It all depends on what the main ingredient is and it is imperative to choose the right complememntary ingredients. Sometimes, you just need to use one ingredient (!) in a purée soup, for example if you make broccoli soup - the broccoli has so much nice flavor on its own, it only needs some salt to make it into a purée soup.
A basic recipe for making 1 liter/1 quart of purée soup:
1 lb/500 g of the main ingredient(s), unless you use some legumes then take just 250 g/0.5 lb
1 liter/1 quart of stock or broth, or water if you decide on making your own stock
salt, pepper, bouquet garni (optional) for seasoning
other seasoning ingredients that apply to the soup, e.g. mirepoix, lemon juice, herbs, bacon
garnishing like croutons, herbs, solid ingredients
1. If you use bacon in your soup, begin by frying it in the pan and let the fat come out. Then brown the flavoring vegetables in it. If you don't use the bacon, just sauté the vegetables in some oil or butter on moderate heat, until they get a light brown color.
2. Add the cooking liquid (stock or water) and add the rest of ingredients when appropriate (don't overccok the main ingredient but add it so it will be cooked properly when the soup is ready to be puréed). Also add the seasoning ingredients when proper, e.g. bouquet garni goes in 15 minutes before end. Simmer the soup throughout the cooking and let a good flavor develop (it takes longer if you make everything from scratch, but the cooking time can be shortened if you use pre-made stocks). Skim the soup frequently to remove impurities.
3. Purée the soup, adjust seasoning, and pour into the serving bowls. Garnish the soup and serve. Now your puréed soup can be enjoyed.