By CINDY MAHAN

By CINDY MAHAN

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

The next time the big snowstorm hits, make sure to have ingredients on hand to cook up a big pot of satisfying and “stick to your ribs” soup. . Many soup ingredients are staples kept in the kitchen anyway, such as potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and dried herbs, which can be used to make your own stock or add to the soup itself.

Homemade stock is one of those items which can really make a soup special. Canned broth is okay, boullion cubes could be used in a real pinch, but homemade stock is easy and economical to make. It makes sense to make a large batch at once and freeze some for later.

A vegetable stock, for example, needs nothing more than some chopped onions, carrots, celery (including the leaves), water, and a little salt to make a savory stock addition to your soup (see recipe below). Chicken, meat and fish stock recipes call for bones to further flavor the broth; recipes can be found in almost any general cookbook.

One good thing about soup recipes is that some of the ingredients can usually be interchanged, especially in a vegetable soup. Whatever is on hand goes into the simmering pot on the stove, with each addition contributing to the overall flavor.

One method which I use to thicken a bean or vegetable soup is to puree about one-third of the finished soup in a blender and add it back into the soup. Doing this with a soup which includes beans or potatoes makes it especially thick, so just puree a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

For me, making soup is a thoroughly satisfying and relaxing experience. Chopping the vegetables, is one of the joys of cooking, and for a soup they usually don’t have to be cut uniformly. Use your creativity and experiment with different sizes and shapes. Try chopping carrots or celery on the