Spaetzle Soup the Easy Way MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes To me, homemade pasta in broth is the ultimate comfort food. But say homemade and everyone seems to run for the hills, assuming that the challenge will be overwhelming. Spaetzl free-form mini-dumplings that...
Southwestern Mixed Vegetable Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes Another vegetable soup with wide-ranging possibilities: you can make it fiery hot or mild, increase the amount of corn or black beans or omit either or both, use chayote in place of (or in addition...
Smooth Chickpea Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 3 to 4 hours, largely unattended Starting with dried chickpeas is important here, because their cooking water becomes an essential ingredient. The basic idea is to extract as much flavor as possible from the beans, strain...
Simplest Split Pea Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 11/2 hours Meat-eaters automatically associate split peas with ham bones, so many vegetarian versions of split pea soup add a smoky taste through smoked chiles like dried chipotle or ancho. Tossing a piece of...
Simple, Easy, and Fast Vegetable Stock MAKES: about 1 quart TIME: 40 minutes, somewhat unattended Within reason, any stock you make is going to add more flavor to your soups and sauces than water. If you don't have all the ingredients listed here it's a pretty minimal...
Sauerkraut Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour, mostly unattended Surprising things happen when you base a soup on sauerkraut: it instantly creates a complex broth that mellows its distinct sourness and emphasizes its crisp texture and bright flavor. The first...
Roasted Vegetable Stock MAKES: 3 quarts TIME: About 2 hours, largely unattended Roasting the vegetables first to brown them well adds a complex family of flavors that you don't get otherwise. And if you use leeks in place of onions and add a few other ingredients not...
Roasted Beet Borscht MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour, plus time to chill if desired; largely unattended Roasting the beets concentrates their sweet, earthy flavor and turns the soup a deep purple. No, it's not the way my grandmother made hers, but I know she...
Rich Zucchini Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes Eggs, a handful of raw rice, and grated zucchini instantly turn a simple broth into a luxurious soup, much like the silky soups and sauces of Greece and Italy. The idea is not to see the eggs but to use them for...
Pumpkin (or Winter Squash) MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour, mostly unattended I call this pumpkin soup but encourage you to experiment with some of the other members of the hard-skinned squash family (see Squash Winter), especially butternut squash. Any (except...
