Spices in the soup kitchen at Hurricane’s Cafe & Deli.

Phil Wilbur is the soup maker at his family owned business in Greene, Hurricane’s Cafe & Deli.

Deryck Beliveau chops up celery for a chicken vegetable rice soup at Hurricane’s Cafe & Deli.

Maine lobster bisque at Hurricane’s Cafe & Deli.

Types of soup

Bisque: (French) a creamed soup, often made from pureed vegetables or shellfish.

Chowder: (French) a thick soup or stew usually made with seafood, potatoes and vegetables with a milk or tomato base.

Gazpacho: (Spanish) a chilled soup typically made from tomatoes and cucumbers.

Borscht: (European) soup made with beets, cabbage or other vegetables, served chilled or warm.

Gumbo: (American) a stew or thick soup usually made with okra, chicken and seafood.

Goulash: (Hungarian) beef or veal stew with vegetables and paprika.

Wilbur’s super soup tips

Dissolve seasonings and base in water before adding to the pot. This will help avoid clumps of base in the broth.

If using rice in a soup, save a little cooking time by soaking it in
some of the stock for 10 to 15 minutes while the soup begins to simmer,
then mix it in.

There’s nothing quite like hot soup on a cold winter day. It warms you up, inside and out. Believe it or not the first version of soup came about around 6000 B.C. Amazingly, it was a means to cook certain animal parts and nuts, making them edible, and not as a clever way to warm a person after being out in the cold. True soup making started about 5,000 years ago when containers for boiling liquid were developed. Over time, people realized the potential of the dish, as slower cooking and the mixing of ingredients created flavors that yielded more and more varieties.

Today there is soup, stew, bisque, chowder, gazpacho, gumbo, goulash and borscht, but no matter what name it goes by, it’s still soup. Phil Wilbur, part owner of Hurricane’s Cafe and Deli in Greene, is a chef who truly knows soup. After years in the restaurant industry, Wilbur, his wife, Lorraine, daughter, Kirsten Shovilin, and her husband, Joseph, opened Hurricane’s on Route 202. His penchant for soup making led to adding the wholesale part of the business, from which they currently make 13 soups and chowders that are served in area restaurants and stores.

Wilbur says that the key to a really good soup is the stock. Using a high quality vegetable, beef, chicken or fish stock or base that is preservative-free makes all the difference. Look for stock that is refrigerated or should be refrigerated after opening. Wilbur says that he’s found most supermarkets are now offering a decent selection of all-natural and organic ingredients. Also, making sure you can identify the ingredients is important, as it indicates better quality and less chemicals or preservatives.

“We don’t make our own stock here,” said Wilbur. “We buy really high quality, all-natural bases; no preservatives.”

Wilbur combined chicken base, seasonings and water as he began making Hurricane’s Chicken Vegetable with Rice soup, while Deryck Beliveau, a staff member, fed stalks of celery through a food processor. Once the stock was heated through, Wilbur added chopped onions, carrots and celery, bringing the mixture to a boil, before lowering it to a simmer.

Have a good plan before starting; in other words know what order to add ingredients to keep all the cooking to one pot. Prepare as much as possible ahead of time, even the day before, Wilbur advised.

“Soup should be a one-pot deal,” said Wilbur. “Put everything together in the right order.”

After nearly an hour, the chicken and rice are mixed in, and the soup continued to simmer for another hour. Once the vegetables and rice are cooked through, the soup is ready to eat, and smells oh so delicious.

“It’s a good party soup,” said Wilbur. “But you could have it as a meal with a nice baguette, some good bread, or maybe a salad.”

Most often best when made fresh, there are many varieties that can be frozen for future meals, although Wilbur recommends not freezing anything cream based because the flavor can be adversely affected.

When making soups at home, trial and error are definitely a factor in creating a soup you’ll return to again and again, said Wilbur. Often, a delicious new version of a soup arises from a creative cook just hearing the name of a soup somewhere and giving it a try. Wilbur suggests perusing menus and online recipes for ideas when it comes to mixing up your own version. Creativity is a plus, so don’t be afraid to try things, he said. And use local ingredients whenever possible; a great soup or stew can be made from whatever is in season.

Don’t feel like making your own soup? An informal Sun Journal poll found that in addition to Hurricane’s Cafe and Deli, other favorite area soup-makers include Simone’s Hot Dog Stand, Fuel Restaurant and She Doesn’t Like Guthrie’s, all in Lewiston, Soup for You in Farmington, and Sedgley Place in Greene.

Hurricane’s Chicken Vegetable Soup with Rice

3 quarts of strong chicken stock
8 ounces of onion, diced
16 ounces of celery, sliced
16 ounces of carrots, sliced
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound cooked chicken meat
1/2 cup uncooked rice

Start by dissolving a high quality chicken base in hot water according to directions on the jar. Phil Wilbur, part owner of Hurricane’s Cafe and Deli in Greene, suggests 3 to 4 ounces of Better than Bouillon brand, available at most grocery stores. Saute vegetables in the bottom of a six (or eight) quart kettle. Add chicken stock and all of the seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to barely simmering for 45-60 minutes. Add chicken and rice, stir and bring back to a simmer, stirring occasionally for an additional 45-60 minutes, making sure the rice is tender.

Next week:

We book it to the Auburn Public Library, where a new cafe there is writing a new chapter for the library’s food space.

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