area to volume and most pastes have already been cooked, the process takes only a few moments —just until the spices start smelling fragrant Step 5: Add Your Liquid Your choice of liquid can have a big impact on the finished dish • Chicken stock is an easy fallback and always a good choice It has a neutral, mild flavor that adds meatiness and savoriness to a dish without overwhelming any flavors Likewise vegetable stock can bring similar complexity, though buyer beware: unlike store-bought chicken broth, most store-bought vegetable broths are vile You’re better off making your own • Vegetable juice is what you want if you value intensity of vegetable flavor over balance Carrots cooked and pureed in carrot juice will taste insanely carroty You can buy many vegetable juices at the supermarket these days, or juice your own with a home juicer Mixing and matching a main ingredient with a different vegetable juice (like in my recipe for Roasted Squash and Raw Carrot Soup) can lead to great end results • Dairy such as milk or buttermilk is a good way to get yourself a heartier, creamier dish, though dairy fat does have the tendency to dull bright flavors This is not necessarily a bad thing: dairy is the perfect foil for the intense flavor of broccoli in a creamy broccoli soup, or tomatoes in a cream of tomato soup, for instance • Water is a perfectly fine choice if the other options aren’t available Whatever liquid you choose, don’t use too much Use just enough to cover your ingredients by an inch or so You can always thin a thick soup out after blending, but reducing a pureed soup that’s too thin is a much more difficult thing to do (if you don’t want to risk burning it to the bottom of the pot) After adding your liquid and main ingredient, bring the soup to a simmer and let it cook until the vegetables are just cooked through; you want them to be just tender enough to pierce with a knife with no resistance For things like carrots, parsnips, and other root vegetables, you have a bit of leeway Overcooking won’t be the end of the world But for bright green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, peas, string beans, or leafy greens, you want to make sure to stop cooking them before they start turning a drab green color— if a brightly colored soup is something you care about, that is Step 6: Puree and Emulsify Here’s the fun part: pureeing The smoothness of your final soup will depend on the tool you use • A blender will give you the smoothest result, due to its high speed and vortex action When blending hot liquids, always hold the lid down with a kitchen towel, start the blender on low speed, and slowly bring it up to ... do (if you don’t want to risk burning it to the bottom of the pot) After adding your liquid and main ingredient, bring the soup to a simmer and let it cook until the vegetables are just cooked through; you want them to be just tender enough to... Step 6: Puree and Emulsify Here’s the fun part: pureeing The smoothness of your final soup will depend on the tool you use • A blender will give you the smoothest result, due to its high speed... Overcooking won’t be the end of the world But for bright green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, peas, string beans, or leafy greens, you want to make sure to stop cooking them before they start turning a drab green color—