By GAIL BLAKELY
Asteaming mug of pumpkin chicken chowder, or a soothing, flavorful bowl of Tuscan vegetable soup—these are dishes that are very welcome this time of year. If you are feeling flush, perhaps you might want to try making some lobster bisque—you can get away with less than a pound of lobster meat, or if you want, make a seafood bisque and add just a little lobster, some poached scallops, a few shrimp, and/or a bit of fresh crab or white fish.
It’s that time of year: as food writer Laurie Colwin said, “To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.” Indeed. It’s now much easier to make a really good pot of soup, as we have so many stocks and broths available on our market shelves.
Chefs and cookbook authors alike often said that the best way to make truly delicious soup is to start with homemade broth, or stock. Made from scratch chicken, beef, vegetable and/or seafood stock was highly recommended. Not so today. The soup section of the market has become as large as the baking department—even bigger in some stores.
When you are purchasing store bought stock (or broth–for the sake of writing about this, I will use them interchangeably), your first choice is brand. You will do well to avoid the store-brand, and go for a name with which you are familiar.
Also, consider how the soup will be made: if you are going to be simmering your soup uncovered for 30 minutes or longer, low sodium is a good choice because the salt in the broth will become more concentrated as the liquids reduce. Also, if you are using salty ingredients such as bacon, celery, fish sauce or soy sauce, you are getting additional salt that way as well.
Generally speaking, the fewer the ingredients, the better you want your quality to be. For instance, if you are making a soup that won’t have too many additions—a fall root vegetable soup, you want a chicken broth that is more substantial than one you might add to a white cheddar cream soup that calls for butter, cheddar cheese, and bacon (all salty as well).
If you feel that you must improve the stock you are using for your potage, consider adding a few vegetables to your canned, or boxed, purchased stock. Simply place two quarts of low sodium stock in a saucepan and add a handful of chopped celery, onion, carrots, parsley and thyme to the pot. Bring that to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes; strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and adjust the seasonings to your personal preference.
Given the plethora of choices now available, you should start by tasting your store bought stock. Now we also have bone broth available, some with flavorings, others plain. One of the recipes below calls for some chicken bone broth with turmeric and ginger, which is sort of like liquid gold. It’s really a matter of personal preference: standard broth, stock, or bone broth. Taste and choose!
All the equipment you need is a soup pot with a lid, a strainer, either a food processor, blender, food mill or immersion blender for pureeing, and a ladle for serving. Soups cook really well in a standard slow cooker, especially those that have a saute function so you can start and finish the soup in the same pot, or in an instant pot—also known as an electric pressure cooker (see the sidebar for more information about multi-cookers like Instant Pots).
The leaves are falling and mornings now have a distinct chill in the air. Consider making any of thefollowing recipes to welcome autumn—a wonderful season for soup!
PUMPKIN CHICKEN CHOWDER
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 boneless chicken breasts or 4 boneless thighs, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
14 oz canned pure pumpkin (organic preferred)
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup long grain rice (white or brown)
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped,or 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
Fresh parsley and/or additional fresh chopped basil for garnish
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add chicken and cook, stirringfor a few minutes. Add the diced onion and red pepper and continue cooking until the onions have softened and the chicken is no longer pink; add garlic and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds.
Add the chicken broth, pumpkin, corn and basil; stir well to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup for 20-30 minutes, to cook the rice, thicken the soup and develop the flavors. Taste the soup to make sure that the rice is cooked; season to taste with salt and pepper (if the soup tastes flat, it needs more salt) and stir in some additional black pepper and/or fresh basil, if desired. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
LOBSTER BISQUE
3 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped white or yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp flour
2 cups seafood stock
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup cognac or brandy (optional)
12 oz (or more) chopped cooked lobster meat (or a mix of your choice of seafood)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh chives
In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat; add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste, and saute for 5 minutes or until the onions are cooked and translucent. Sprinkle the mixture with flour, and stir to be sure that it evenly coats the vegetables; saute for 1 minute, then add the seafood stock, white wine, cognac, paprika, bay leaf, thyme and cayenne, and stir to combine. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalk, if using, and stir in heavy cream; season to taste with salt and pepper; puree the soup using an immersion blender. Return the puree to the pot and add the seafood; heat through and serve hot, garnished with minced chives.
ZUPPA TOSCANA
¼ cup chopped pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about one cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage
6 cups chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, cubed
2 cups chopped kale or spinach
1 to 2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 zucchini or summer squash, diced
1 cup diced green beans
1 1/2 cups half and half
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnish
Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat; add pancetta and saute until it’s lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and place it in a small bowl lined with a paper towel. Add the onion to the fat in the pot and sauté it for a few minutes, until tender; add garlic and sauté another minute.
Add Sausage And Cook Until No Longer Pink; Add Chicken Broth, Potatoes, And Green Beans. Bring To A Simmer, Then Reduce Heat To Medium-Low And Cook For 10 Minutes, Add The Tomatoes And Continue To Cook Until Potatoes Are Tender. Stir In The Kale And And Season With Salt And Pepper To Taste; Rurn Off Heat And Let The Soup Stand For An Hour Or So To Blend The Flavors. To Serve, Heat Through, And Add The Half And Half; Ladle Into Bowls And Serve, Topped With Freshly Grated Cheese And Pancetta.
LEMON CHICKEN SOUP
2 tbsp each: olive oil and butter
1 sweet onion diced
1/2 cup each: chopped carrots and chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 cups shredded chicken
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 8-oz boxes chicken bone broth with turmeric and ginger
2 cups water
3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini, orzo, or Israeli couscous)
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil or cilantro
3 tbsp chopped chives
Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil and butter; once melted, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes; stir in the lemon zest and chicken. Add the lemon slices, chicken stock, bone broth, and water; bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and reduce to a simmer; cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the herbs and the chives and serve hot.
FABULOUS FALL
ROOTS SOUP
4 tbsp butter
3 to 4 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and diced
1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
1 lb rutabaga, peeled and diced
½ lb parsnips, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups crème fraiche or heavy cream
3 tbsp minced flat leaf parsley
Heat the butter in a soup pot and add the vegetables; saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil; cover and simmer for half an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper and puree the mixture; whisk in half the crème fraiche and serve, garnished with the parsley and more crème fraiche, if desired.
WHITE CHEDDAR CREAM SOUP WITH CRISPY BACON
3 tbsp butter
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
¼ cup AP flour
4 ½ cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups half and half
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ tsp cayenne
12 oz grated sharp white cheddar
6 bacon slices, cooked until crisp and crumbled
6 scallions, minced
Heat the butter in a soup pot and add the onion; saute for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; add the stock and cream and bring to a simmer. Add the cayenne and wine, then the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition. Season with salt and white pepper; serve hot, garnished with bacon pieces and scallions.