Chilled curried crab and tomato soup, above, is mmm-mmm good on a hot Hawaiian day.
Chilled curried crab and tomato soup, above, is mmm-mmm good on a hot Hawaiian day.
Ferrary and Fiszer have just released "A Good Day for Soup," a 287-page compilation of recipes, including 22 for cold and cookless soups.
While fitting the season, cold soups also fit into busy lifestyles. Many can be made quickly, without warming the kitchen stove, or they call for minimal cooking.
The book's usability doesn't end with fall's arrival. Other chapters are devoted to such themes as "Dinner in a Bowl," "Entertaining soups," "Slendersoups" and Folksoups." Recipes range from a comforting Wild Rice and Chicken Soup, to Black and Orange Witches' Brew, made with pumpkin and served with black-olive topped Tapenade Toasts for Halloween.
Before starting on their main subject, the authors offer several recipes for basic stocks - the building blocks of soups. An additional section features soupcons, the "little extras" such as infused oils, breads and dips meant to add panache to a soup-based meal.
Three recipes from "A Good Day for Soup" follows. The first is for an elegant Chilled Curried Crab and Tomato Soup, in which the hardest task is scooping the meat out of a crab.
Italians have long emphasized beginning a meal with fresh fruit, and Mixed Melon and Prosciutto Soup is a spoonable variation on an antipasto platter.
Mint, a menthol-containing herb, has a cooling effect on the tastebuds and can make a Cool Minted Pea Soup taste colder than it really is.
To serve, little more than a roll of French bread and light summer salad is necessary.
2 tablespoons oilIn a medium-size nonreactive saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook shallots until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in curry, cayenne, coriander and flour. Cook over low heat about 3 minutes.
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
Pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half
Salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked crab meat
1/2 cup chopped chives
Stir in tomatoes and stock. and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Pass soup through a food mill. Cover, chill and stir in half-and-half. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve garnished with crab and chives.
Serves 4.
1 small ripe cantaloupe, seeded, peeled and cut into chunksPuree melons and parsley until smooth in a food processor or blender.
1 small ripe honeydew, seeded, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons Cointreau
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips
Transfer to a bowl and stir in wine, Cointreau, lemon juice and cream. Cover and chill.
Taste for salt and pepper and serve topped with prosciutto strips.
Serves 5.
4 cups chicken stockIn a medium saucepan, bring stock to a boil. Add scallions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add peas, thyme, sugar and mint and cook until peas are tender, about 8 minutes.
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound shelled fresh peas or frozen and thawed peas
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon sugar
12 mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup yogurt or sour cream
Salt and pepper
Puree mixture in a blender or food processor. Stir in lemon juice and sour cream; cover and chill.
Just before serving taste for salt and pepper.
Serves 6.