Soup Night (5 page)

The fickleness of autumn weather means we can go from balmy Indian summer to darned cold overnight. So you might find yourself suddenly craving soup with no recipe-specific ingredients on hand. With good-quality commercial stock, a little sour cream, and just about any fresh vegetable, you can whip up something immensely satisfying. I call it “Cream of Anything Green,” but in fact you could also use cauliflower, carrots, or any other non-green veggie you have at hand. True to the improvisational nature of things, no specific quantities or servings are listed. It’s the only time I’ll do that in this book, I promise.

• An onion, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, and enough olive oil to sauté them in
  
• Several cups of any chopped fresh green vegetable: broccoli, spinach, kale, or any combination thereof
  
• An equal amount of chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water — or a combination
  
• A pinch of your favorite herbs or spices
  
• A little bit of nonfat sour cream
  
• Red pepper purée, for garnish
  

1. 1.
   Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Dice the onion and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Mince the garlic, add it in, and sauté 1 minute longer.
   
2. 2.
   Cut the veggies into small chunks, tossing them into the pot and gently sautéing as you continue chopping. Add the broth along with any herbs or spices you think would complement the vegetables. I often use a spice blend called Shallot Pepper from Penzey’s (
   www.penzeys.com
   ). Personally, I think it’s misnamed, because the main flavor is tarragon, which is a wonderful addition to this soup. Actually, it’s wonderful in many things; I’m never without it.
   
3. 3.
   Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are very very tender. Transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot.
   
4. 4.
   Extra step but worth it: Strain the soup through a fine sieve to remove any stringy fibers or tough bits.
   
5. 5.
   Return the soup to the pot, reheat gently if needed, and then whisk in the sour cream (a little goes a long way).
   
6. 6.
   A swirl of puréed roasted red peppers (from a jar) makes the soup pretty enough for company.
   

Serves 6

This luscious soup takes advantage of the so-called winter pears that are at their peak in the fall. If you can find them, use Comice pears — their juicy sweetness is like no other.

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 4 pears, preferably Comice, peeled, cored, and chopped
  
• 3 cups vegetable broth
  
• 6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola, crumbled
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon paprika
  
• Juice of
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  medium lemon (about 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  tablespoons)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• Chopped roasted pistachio nuts, for garnish
  

1. 1.
   Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the pears and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Add the cheese, paprika, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the cheese is melted; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
   
3. 3.
   Transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot. Strain it through a fine sieve to remove any small fibrous bits of pear.
   
4. 4.
   Return the soup to the pot and reheat gently until hot enough to serve. Garnish each serving with chopped pistachios.
   

Variation:
For a dinner party, this elegant soup cries out for an elegant garnish, such as edible flowers. You should be able to find organically grown pansies or violas (which are cool-season flowers) at specialty markets, if not in your own garden.

Make ahead?
Complete the soup except for the garnish; refrigerate; rewarm
slowly
.

For large crowds:
Probably not the best choice for making huge quantities, since the cheese is going to be relatively expensive and you really can’t do without.

Serves 6

Cauliflower gets a bad rap, in my opinion. When absolutely fresh, as it is in the fall, it offers a wonderful crispness and mild taste that melds well with other flavors. This soup takes advantage of this classic autumn vegetable, and has one other terrific trait: it’s delicious either hot or cold. Of course in the fall or winter you’d probably serve it hot, but the cold version is a lot like vichyssoise except with fewer calories. Two other garnishes that offer a nice color contrast are chopped pistachios and red pepper purée (see
page 24
); also delicious, especially on the hot version of this soup, is Parmesan Lace (
page 37
).

• 8 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped, white part only (see
  page 186
  )
  
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  
• 1 cauliflower head, finely chopped (about 6 cups)
  
• 4 bay leaves
  
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 2
  ²
  ⁄
  ₃
  cups nonfat milk, heated
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish
  

1. 1.
   Combine the leeks, onions, cauliflower, bay leaves, and chicken broth in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
   
2. 2.
   Add the hot milk, salt, and pepper, and transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it’s hot) and purée until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender and purée the soup right in the pot.
   
3. 3.
   Serve hot with a sprinkling of chives.
   

Make ahead?
Yes, but I would hold off on the milk and add it at reheating time. And, of course, don’t add garnishes until serving.

For large crowds:
With its inexpensive ingredients, this is a perfect choice for multiplying as much as you like.

Serves 6

Once upon a time, I made a batch of red beans and rice for some friends, and the next day I had a little bit left over. Not enough for another meal, but too much to throw away. (Besides, have I told you about my grandmother? She would scold me from her grave if she saw me throw away good food.) So I wondered, could I turn it into soup? Sure I could, just by adding some chicken broth. It was pretty good, but I kept fiddling with it, and this version is the result. Homemade chicken broth makes a big difference here. I also learned to brown the chicken first, because when you add raw meat to simmering broth it poaches, leaving you with an unappetizing layer of foam that is hard to remove.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  
• 1 cup uncooked rice
  
• 4 cups chicken broth
  
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black or red beans, drained and rinsed; or about 4 cups cooked black or red beans (see
  page 27
  )
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

1. 1.
   Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté just until browned. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and rice. Stir to coat the grains of rice with oil, and then sauté until the vegetables are soft and the rice begins to turn opaque, about 5 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer until heated through.
   
3. 3.
   Taste, and then season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
   

Variations:
Red beans and rice (the dish) is often flavored with some type of smoked sausage, so if you want to add some to your soup, you have my blessing. For a genuine New Orleans flavor, substitute andouille sausage for the chicken, or, better yet, use some of both.

Make ahead?
Cook the chicken separately; chill. Cook the rice separately; chill. Sauté the vegetables as instructed, add the broth, beans, tomatoes, cooked chicken, and rice, and heat through.

For large crowds:
Double or triple everything; if cost is a concern, you can use a smaller increase of the chicken, perhaps three half chickens, and it’s still wonderful.

For vegetarians:
Omit the chicken, and substitute vegetarian broth (or water) for the chicken broth.