Today I made this recipe. The only changes were
- I used fresh rosemary instead of dried (didn't measure, but more than a tsp)
- the spinach looked dodgy so we skipped it
- turkey kielbasa instead of the regular kind
It was yummy enough, but…kind of bland. At about 6 hours I tasted it, thought it was bland, and dashed in some sea salt and dried parsley. When we ate it, we both added a bit more sea salt.
What herbs and/or spices would you recommend adding to punch it up a little? Not necessarily spicy (hot spicy), as we eat a lot of that already. Just more flavorful.
(Please answer here on the blog rather than FB/Twitter, because I'm about to leave town for almost two weeks and won't have time to check those sites regularly, and by the time I get back any responses will have disappeared into the gaping void. I can never find anything on FB after a few days, if that!)
5 comments:
After you beans are done, I'd add red wine vinegar. With the turkey snausage, you're down on umami, so I'd consider adding a parm rind too, or miso.
For more flavor with less salt, add a pinch of cumin, and a half teaspoon of thyme or summer savory. A Tablespoon of good quality low sodium concentrated chicken broth will add a great deal of flavor also.
When cooking with fresh and dry herbs, there is a general rule when it comes to the ratio of fresh to dry. Because dried herbs are generally more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you'll need less -- typically three times the amount of fresh herbs as dry. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, you need only 1 teaspoon of dried, since 3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon.
Add a diced carrot. Use the spinach next time--it helps. Red wine (or as other suggested, red wine vinegar) would be good. Try fire-roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones, and some sun-dried tomatoes for extra oomph. If you have caramelized onions lurking in the freezer, use the equivalent of one onion's worth rather than a plain diced onion. More flavor, no extra work.
I usually use turkey Italian sausage for this type of soup/stew and pre-brown it. This adds a lot of flavor--both the more flavorful sausage and the browning, but also adds another step. If you go that direction, sweat the onions and garlic at the same time.
Also, is your broth flavorful by itself? Store-bought broth often isn't, especially the low-sodium kind.
I agree with the cumin add, and the red wine or red wine vinegar. But if your stock isn't full of flavor, you have to work harder.
I also prefer to pre-brown the sausage (or any meats); carmelizing onions is a good idea, but also toss in more fresh. (You can never have too many onions, in my opinion.) IF, however, you don't have the time for all that, toss in a rind of parmesan at the beginning of cooking, and it will melt completely into savory goodness.
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