From Comfort Food: Soup
Mediterranean fish soup, above, has elegance.
Sustenance
There are times when
By Nadine Kam
only a bowl of soup will cure
what ails your body and soul.
Assistant Features Editor
Star-BulletinHow can you put comfort into a cold, steely can? Campbell's soups are icons of home, warmth and love -- that is, if you're a kid.
As adults, we want something more substantial, more earthy, more labor-intensive because we'd like to think we're worth the trouble.
Yet, canned soup is a convenience for those who still regard soup as a mere afterthought. Even in restaurants, it's an extravagance, something that doesn't quite have the appeal of a big steak or a dish of risotto.
From Comfort Food: Soup
Mediterranean meatball and rice dish is substantial.
At home, soup is not usually the dinner table headliner. It's the Ed McMahon to Johnny Carson, Sonny to Cher, Stimpy to Ren, on hand simply to enhance the real star.The only time we think about soup as life-giving, complete nourishment in itself is when we're feeling troubled, ill or our bones are chilled by wintry air. (And yes, it does happen in Hawaii, although New Englanders would probably scoff that our "cold weather" is equivalent to 65 degrees.)
In other words, when you want soup you want it bad, and by then, you're almost forced to resort to opening a can, jar or mix.
We forget that soup can be the heart of a perfectly satisfying meal. All you need to round it out is warm bread and a salad. Some diners will even settle for crackers.
From Comfort Food: Soup
Shrimp flavors and decorates this
Vietnamese lemongrass fish soup.
The biggest fear about soup-making is the notion of stock. Many regard it as one more step in a lengthy process. But stock is quite easy to make, and once you've done it, making your own stock will become a point of pride.The French word for stock is fonds, or foundation, and it is the flavor base upon which the rest of the ingredients build. A good stock can mean the difference between a soup that is watery and one with a richness and depth that truly warms the soul.
Making stock essentially calls for bringing a mixture of water, bones, vegetables, herbs and spices to a boil, and simmering them -- from 30 minutes for fish stock to at least 2-1/2 hours or as long as 6 hours for beef stock -- to release their essence.
From Comfort Food: Soup
Basil spices creamy tomato soup, above.
Purists might suggest that stock and commercial broths -- the former is more full-bodied and concentrated -- are not interchangeable, but don't let this stand between you and your next pot of soup. If a commercial can of broth makes homemade soup easier, it's perfectly acceptable.Soup and its accompaniments can be light and cool for summer, dense and warm for this time of year. A new book, "Comfort Food: Soup" by Charles Pierce (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $14.95), features 44 mouth-watering recipes from a simple Split-Pea Soup, to a hearty Meatball Soup with Rice, to a vegetarian's Summer Tomato, Corn and Okra Soup.
From Comfort Food: Soup
Okra, corn and tomato soup hints of the South.
Next time you feel a chill coming on, be prepared with the following recipes, adapted from Pierce's book. In the first two recipes, you can use commercial vegetable and chicken broths. But sorry, for the last recipe of Mediterranean Fish Soup, you'll have to make your own stock.You'll find these soups have a way of making you feel warm and tingly inside, in a way that pizza -- hot or cold -- never could.
Spinach and Chickpea Soup
Prepare Pita Crisps: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the pita breads with the oil. Cut the breads in half, then cut each half into 1/2-inch wide strips. Unfold each strip and cut in half.Pita Crisps:
2 5-inch pita breads
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound spinach, trimmed, washed well and coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned
4 cups vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juiceIn a large bowl, toss the pita strips with the cheese. Spread strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, for 5 to 7 minutes, until browned and crisp. Place baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.
For soup: In a large, heavy nonreactive pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until softened. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until wilted.
Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock; season with salt and pepper. Cook until just heated through. Do not over cook or spinach will lose its bright color. Stir in lemon juice and serve the soup in large shallow bowls, topped with pita crisps.
Makes 8 9-1/2 to 10 ounce servings.
Double Squash Soup
with Roasted Garlic PureeFor garlic puree: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place head of garlic on a square of foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Fold foil edges together to seal. Bake 1 hour or until garlic is very soft. Let garlic cool in foil. Gently squeeze garlic pulp into a small bowl; blend in lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
1 large head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 pounds EACH zucchini and yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 lemon, halved
Salt
1 large yellow bell pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
About 4 cups chicken broth
Freshly ground pepperFor soup: Put zucchini and squash in separate bowls. Squeeze lemon halves over, then sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside, tossing often, for about 1 hour.
Roast the bell pepper over a gas flame, turning it for 15 minutes or until blackened. Transfer to a plastic bag, seal and let steam for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel, core and seed the pepper. Cut into 1/2-inch dice.
Over medium heat, put 1-1/2 tablespoons of the oil into each of two large pots. Add half the onion and celery to each pot. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until onion is softened.
Add zucchini to one pot, and yellow squash and bell pepper to the other. Pour enough stock into each pot to barely cover, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Transfer the zucchini, with its cooking liquid, to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return puree to the pot. Repeat with yellow squash.
To serve, ladle some of the zucchini soup into one side of each bowl, then ladle some yellow squash soup into the other side. Top each serving with a rounded teaspoonful of the roasted garlic puree.
Makes 10 10-ounce servings.
Mediterranean Fish Soup
For stock: In large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the fish bones, water, wine, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt.
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 pounds meaty bones from non-oily fish, such as cod or snapper, cut unto large pieces
4 cups cold water
1 cup dry white wine
Fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves, crumbled
10 whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, peeled and julienned
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced, feathery tops reserved
1 medium leek (white part only), halved lengthwise, julienned
4 cups fish stock (recipe follows)
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Pinch of saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2-1/2 to 3 pounds lean white fish fillets such as sea bass, monkfish, snapper or cod, cut into large chunksBring to a boil, skimming off any froth that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Strain liquid over a large bowl; discard solids. Makes about 1 quart.
For soup: In a large heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, fennel and leek. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the fish stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in the tomatoes and saffron; season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the flavors have blended.
Add the fish and cook about 10 minutes, until opaque. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Using a slotted spoon, place the fish in large shallow bowls, ladle in the soup.
Makes 8 10-ounce servings of liquid plus fish.
