Onion Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour People think of onion soup as fancy, but the most exotic ingredients you need here are fresh parsley and thyme. Even without those, an onion soup made with just pantry stalwarts”onions, bay leaves, garlic, and oil (for a...
One-Hour Vegetable Stock MAKES: about 1 quart TIME: 1 hour, somewhat unattended There are a few differences between this and the preceding recipe: here you cut the vegetables into smaller pieces, which extracts greater flavor; you pan-cook them first, which browns...
North African Couscous Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 20 minutes The texture of couscous in broth is extremely comforting, so if you have couscous and tomato paste in your pantry, a bowl of this soup should be in your very near future. If you have no fennel or...
Mushroom Stock MAKES: about 6 cups TIME: About 1 hour Mushroom stock has a pronounced mushroom flavor that might compete with other ingredients; for most of the soups in this chapter, you will probably want to use one of the preceding three vegetable stocks or plain...
Mushroom Stew MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes I don't often use flour to thicken soups because there are more flavorful and nutritious ways to give them body (see Giving Soups More Body). But there are exceptions, like the Corn Chowder and this Louisiana-inspired...
Mushroom Barley Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes Taking an untraditional approach to the classic Eastern European “grandmother” soup (where the ingredients are usually put in a pot with some beef and boiled), this delivers real heartiness and a depth of...
Mushroom Barley Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes Taking an untraditional approach to the classic Eastern European “grandmother” soup (where the ingredients are usually put in a pot with some beef and boiled), this delivers real heartiness and a depth of...
Mung Bean Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of mung bean Recipes for all kinds of dishes often begin with a base of aromatic vegetables and spices cooked in oil or butter, a process that activates the aromatics’ essential oils and...
Mixed Vegetable Soup, Spanish Style MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 1 hour In Spain, a soup similar to minestrone is likely to begin with roasting the vegetables, which yields a more robust flavor (and takes a little more time). 1 large onion, roughly chopped 1 head...
Miso Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 15 minutes At its simplest, miso soup is really just tea—miso mixed with water (which you can do in a cup, with a little whisk). This recipe is slightly more complicated, flavorful, and substantial. Almost needless to say, you...
Minestrone MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 45 to 60 minutes The Italian take on what-have-you vegetable soup and, like most others, infinitely and easily varied. A mix of vegetables, always with tomato, is all you’re looking for, though combining “hard” and...
Lentil Soup with Coconut MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 11/2 hours, largely unattended I use regular brown lentils here, but you can use red lentils, which actually cook faster, or the more traditional split pigeon peas, also known as tavoor dal (available at most Asian and...