createURGENT - My soup needs depth!
I’ve just made a bean and barley soup and although the texture and basic taste is pretty good, it seems to be lacking some depth. Adding some salt helped, but it needs something more. Any suggestions?
What your soup needs is Umami. It sounds like a made up word, but it’s legit. It is the “fifth” taste - after sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
And to get it you should consider adding ingredients that have it. While chicken stock is not a bad answer, you may not want to add meaty goodness to a vegetable soup. Two obvious suggestions:
Mushrooms - especially shitake.
Parmesan - especially Reggiano - and I would suggest using the rinds.
A good cheese monger might give you a big bag for a few bucks. A thief will charge you the $20/lb rate they normally ask for the actual cheese. This will also give you a good sense of the character of your local merchant. I will not buy from a thief.
But there are lots of other foods with umami too. Look it up. Have fun.
Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.
Try a little chicken stock. I sometimes find some heat helps a soup. Maybe a dash of cayenne? And plenty of ground black pepper. Keep it simmering to release all the flavors. It will probably taste way better tomorrow anyway. Soups always seem to, don’t they.