Rue

Rue is used to make gravy or  as a thickening agent in soup.  You want to start by melting butter ,when the butter is melted add flour to your butter . You want just enough flour to get a nice thick consistency like the picture on the left.  I use a wire wisk to get the rue nice and smooth without lumps.While melting your butter and adding flour you can heat up some chicken stock or milk depending on what you plan to use your rue for. You can add it cold but when it's warm it blends a lot easier and you get a smoother consistency. Milk and heavy cream are great for chowders and alfredo sauce.You can add the hot liquid to your flour butter mixture and you will get a nice thick rue to add to your soup or simply use as a gravy. At thanksgiving time my mother likes to add rue directly into the gravy drippings of the pan the turkey was cooked in.The drippings are slowly cooked and stirred until you have a nice thick turkey gravy. Don't forget to add salt and pepper and a little chopped fresh parsley doesn't hurt either.You can also add the french touch and put in a little white wine. This gives your gravy a gourmet flavor. Play around with your ingredients get creative use different herbs and spices. It's amazing what you can come up with. Just follow the basics butter ,flour and liquid.Norpro 3-Piece Stainless-Steel Whisk...

Mirepoix.

Welcome to Soup 101 where I can share with you my secrets to making healthy vegetarian soups . Many of my soups start with a mirepoix which is french for celery carrots and onions. I sauteed my mirepoix in olive oil. Mirepoix can be used in a wide number of dishes including stocks, soups stews and sauces.
The best way to make a mirepoix is to chop up your celery,carrots and onions into small pieces. Make sure it's all cut the same size uniformly. I start with a large soup pot and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the pan is hot add the carrots, celery , onions and some sea salt and sweat the vegetables till they are tender. You are ready to create your soup. If you are in the market for some newpots and pans Farberware makes nice cookware that's very reasonable.