Hizzoner's was noted for it's soups. We won many awards at the Allied Arts Soup Festival and accolades from customers. I even demonstrated our Senegalese Chicken and Peanut soup on KCTS Chefs one year.
There really is no big secret to making good soups. In fact there are a lot of great soups that you can make out of leftovers. That leftover pot roast will make great vegetable beef or beef and barley soup, that leftover roasted chicken or turkey has all kinds of possibilities. Use your imagination.
I've never been one to be a stickler about what kind of stock or soup base you use. It depends on what kind of cook you are and how much time you have to devote to it. I see absolutely nothing wrong with using the good soup stocks available on store shelves these days. Why spend a lot of time trying to make your own stock when there are so many good ones available. Whether you use ready made stocks or canned stocks or bouillon cubes (my least preferred) just remember DO NOT ADD SALT until the end of your soup-making. Taste the soup first. Most of the time you won't need to add any salt if you are using a prepared stock or soup base.
I also cast no judgment on frozen vegetables versus fresh. Depends on what is in season and what is cost effective. They all make great soups.
Here's a great tip. If a soup such as a cream of potato or broccoli soup is coming out a bit thin, use potato pearls or potato flakes to add thickness instead of a roux or corn starch. Just add a bit of potato pearls to your soup and stir them in, wait a few minutes to give them time to incorporate and then stir thoroughly. If you want it thicker, simply add some more. I really like to use potato pearls if I need to thicken a soup because they add a layer of flavor as well as do a really good job of thickening up the soup.
So, here are a bunch of Hizzoner's soup recipes for you to play with. Have a good time, make some soup, grab a loaf of crusty bread and make your family feel really, really happy and loved.
"Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite." -Auguste Escoffier
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