Corn Chowder MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour This chowder celebrates the bounty of a single summertime crop—corn. And since you will probably make it only once or twice a year, I would opt for the richer half-and-half option, though the leaner version has a…
Cool Yogurt Soup with Nuts MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 4 hours, largely unattended There is nothing easier than turning a couple cups of yogurt, some herbs, and a handful of cut-up vegetables—or fruit, for that matter—into a quick chilled soup, but this is a little…
Cold Cucumber and Seaweed Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 20 minutes Japanese and Koreans make good use of both cucumbers and seaweed, and this is an example of how the two combine with their love of cold soups. Add a little shredded daikon or thinly sliced red radish…
Classic Lentil Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour This recipe is about as easy as cooking can be, especially for a dish so filling and nutritious. Unlike the overly thick versions that put so many people off, this lentil soup is nicely balanced. 1 cup dried…
Chile Bisque MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 11/2 hours, largely unattended This is one of those pure and simple soups flavored by a single ingredient. Well, almost. The only other things between you and the complex taste of mild dried chile are a touch of garlic and a…
Chickpea Soup with Saffron and Almonds MAKES: 4 servings TIME: At least 2 hours (much less with cooked or canned chickpeas) The combination of chickpeas, almonds, and saffron is found throughout the Mediterranean, but especially in Spain. Both intense flavor and a…
Cauliflower Soup, Italian Style MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes This is how many people cook vegetables in Italy, a technique that can then turn the vegetable into a soup or pasta sauce in a sec. Garlic, pepper, and oil are the distinguishing characteristics, and…
Black Bean Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes with cooked beans This works best when you pure some of the sturdy black beans and stir them back in, for a smooth-chunky effect. But in many Latin American versions the beans are left whole, with chunks of sweet…
Barley Soup with Seasonal Vegetables MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes It is tempting to think of barley soup as quintessential winter fare. But when you let the season dictate your choice of vegetables, the heartiness changes dramatically. Start with the basic…
Zucchini, Corn, and Amaranth Soup Makes 8 cups (2 L) Summertime is a good time to make this soup, when fresh local produce and herbs are at their peak. To remove corn kernels from the ear, slice off the stem and place the ear of corn, stem end down, on a damp cloth to…
Vegetable Stock Makes 6 cups (1.5 L) This simple stock can be kept on hand in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days or made in larger quantities and frozen. When making stock from scratch, try substituting different vegetables, such as tomatoes, fennel, leeks, and…
Tuscan Minestrone Soup Makes 8 cups (2 L) Tuscany, a region in central Italy, is a charmed land blessed with copious amounts of sunshine. The cuisine from this famed tourist destination incorporates plenty of olives, garlic, tomatoes, cannellini beans (white kidney…