To Make The Perfect Soup

Most people who know me know that my cooking isn't half bad. I love to cook and I will try to cook just about anything except seafood; I am not a big seafood fan and have never made anything with fish in it. The one thing that I have tried to make several times is soup.

No matter what I do, I can never make a soup just the way I would like it. I can make curry really well but that is as close as I come. Tonight, I made a chicken and barley soup and I must say, that was the best soup I have made to date but by know means where I would like it to be as far as taste is concerned. I think my problems lie in two places, the spices and the consistency. My soups tend to be very watery and lack substance. I do not know how to put it exactly but I know that it isn't right. As for the spices, I can never get the broth to taste just the way that I think it should and I do not know why.

I think I am going to try to make a soup base soon and then see if a homemade base changes anything. I may also try to find a good soup cookbook. The way that I have learned how to cook over the years is to look at recipes and try them and then once I have them down pat, I extrapolate on them, adding my own flavor to the mix. This has worked very well for me so far but my family is not a big soup making family and the soups that my mom and my grandmothers do make tends to be the thick and creamy variety. My mom makes an excellent chicken and noodle soup that I have yet to make for myself but other than that, not a lot of traditional soups are to be had for me to learn.

Anywho, I am on a quest to make a very good soup. One that has a good broth and is very warming. I have a few ideas for next time I try but I do not think they will lead to perfection. I think I am going to have to experiment a bit before I get to that.