Category: Soups & Stews

Servings: 3
Preheat: 
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020828-lemony-shrimp-and-bean-stew

With minimal prep and a quick cook time, this shrimp stew feels elegant for such an easy weeknight meal. You can also take the dish in a number of directions: Substitute the shrimp with an equal amount of flaky white fish or even seared scallops, or stretch the dish into a meal for six by stirring in some butter and serving over cooked spaghetti or rigatoni. A good glug of your best olive oil would also be a welcome.

Ingredients: 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp (tails removed)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2 large leeks, trimmed, then halved lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick (or 1 large onion, minced)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving (optional)

Directions: 

Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until leeks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high. Lower heat and simmer, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with toasted bread.

Servings: 4 to 6
Preheat: 
Prep Time: 50 Minutes
Source: Smitten Kitchen

A great chicken rice soup…rice, leeks and garlic make the difference.
Ok to use pre-cooked leftover rice.

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
2 large or 3 medium leeks, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 carrot sticks, thinly sliced (optional)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken stock or broth, preferably homemade
2 cups water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup long-grain white rice (I used jasmine)
Big handful chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, and dill are favorites here)
Lemon zest and juice
Red pepper flakes (I’m using Aleppo, which is milder) or harissa

Directions: 

Heat olive oil or butter over medium-high heat in a 4- to 5-quart pot. Add leeks, celery, and carrot (if using), salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until leeks have softened a bit, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more. Add broth, water, and chicken plus salt (I use 2 to 3 teaspoons of additional kosher salt for barely-salted stock) and many grinds of black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover, simmering for 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender and cooked through. Remove chicken with tongs and set on a cutting board. Add rice and return the heat to a low simmer, cover with lid, and cook for 15 minutes, until rice is tender. Use two forks to shred chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the soup to rewarm. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls and finish with some herbs, lemon zest, red pepper flakes (or harissa), and serve
with lemon wedges on the side.

Note: Rice continues to expand in soup so the longer you have the soup sitting, the more porridge-y it will seem.

Servings: 6
Preheat: 
Prep Time: 1 hour
Source: https://honest-food.net/salmon-head-soup-recipe

Salmon head soup has a more gruesome name than the dish actually is. Yes, it is indeed a fish head soup, and you do use salmon heads to made the broth, but there are no eyeballs, bones or jaws floating around. It is actually a refined, Japanese-style miso soup with noodles. It doesn’t even take very long to make, and this soup is so, so satisfying. You’ll never toss those fish heads again.

Ingredients: 

4 large salmon heads, gills removed
1 small onion chopped, about 1 cup
A 2-inch piece of dried kombu seaweed (optional)
A 3-inch piece of slivered ginger
Salt
1/4 cup 1/4 cup mirin (sweet wine)
Asian noodles somen, udon or rice noodles
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons white miso paste
Chives and sliced chiles, for garnish

Directions: 

Two important things to remember when you use salmon or other fatty fish are 1) to never let this broth boil, or it will get overly fishy and cloudy (think making a tea rather than boiling a soup); and 2) it doesn’t keep well. Eat your fish head soup that evening or the day after. Beyond that, and things can get stinky.

Wash the salmon heads well to remove any blood or gills. Gills will ruin the broth by making it bitter and cloudy. Cover the heads with water in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, kombu and ginger and bring to a bare simmer. Do not let this boil. Simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain the broth and save the heads. Pick out all the meat from the heads, especially the cheek meat. Reserve in a bowl.

Return the broth to a clean pot and add the mirin. Heat but do not let boil. Add the soy sauce. If the broth still needs salt, add salt — not more soy sauce, as that will make the broth too dark.

Bring another pot of salted water to a boil: This is for the noodles. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.

Ladle out some broth into soup bowls. Add a heaping teaspoon of miso (or more) to each bowl and stir to combine. Portion out the noodles to each bowl. Add the salmon meat on top of the noodles. Each person should get at least one cheek. Cover with more broth, garnish with chives and sliced chiles and serve at once.

Servings: 8
Preheat: 
Prep Time: 
Source: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/new-orleans-style-anasazi-beans-and-rice

In New Orleans, red beans and rice, affectionately called “red and white,” is traditionally served on a Monday as a way to use up Sunday dinner’s ham bone. Here, smoked sausage lends its spicy flavor to the rice and meaty Anasazi beans. For this recipe, it’s not essential to keep the beans’ shape intact—you want them to be very soft.

Ingredients: 

1 lb. (2-1/2 cups) dried Anasazi beans
1 Tbs. pure olive oil
6 oz. fully cooked andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 medium celery stalks with leaves, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1 medium green or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 dried bay leaf
1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups long-grain white rice
Hot pepper sauce, for serving
Jarred pickled jalapeños, for serving

Directions: 

Spread the beans out and pick through them, discarding any rocks, bits of debris, and shriveled beans. Rinse the beans under cold water to remove any dust or dirt. Put the beans in a large metal bowl with enough cool water to cover by about 3 inches. Soak at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, adding more water if the level gets low. To see if the beans have soaked long enough, cut one in half. It should be the same color at its center as it is at the edge. Drain and rinse.

Put the beans in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Add 2 quarts cool water, or enough to cover the beans by about 3/4 inch. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water if necessary to keep the beans submerged, until they begin to soften, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the celery, scallions, bell pepper, onion, 1/2 cup of the parsley, the bay leaf, thyme, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sausage mixture to the beans and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the beans are very tender and the liquid is very thick, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a heavy-duty 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Add the rice and 1-1/2 tsp. salt, stir once, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes

Discard the bay leaf from the beans, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup parsley, and season to taste with salt and hot pepper sauce. Serve the beans over the rice, with the hot pepper sauce and pickled jalapeños with their liquid on the side.

Servings: 8
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 2.5 hours
Source: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/mushroom-barley-soup/

Robust and flavorful deli-style soup. Chicken or vegetarian broth.

Ingredients: 

3 quarts chicken or mushroom stock (low sodium okay)
1 1/4 cups pearl barley
2 bay leaves
6 dried shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery, including leaves
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 lb white mushrooms, scrubbed and sliced
Salt and pepper

Directions: 

Pour chicken or mushroom stock into a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir in the barley, add the bay leaves, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered. Set your timer for 2:15 (2 hours 15 minutes) starting now.

While the soup simmers, place dried mushrooms in a separate small saucepan. Add 3 cups of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, remove saucepan from heat and let the mushrooms soak for 20 minutes.

Drain the mushroom water by straining it through a coffee filter (use a mesh strainer or colander to hold the filter). Reserve the mushroom water.

Chop the soaked, softened mushrooms into small pieces and reserve.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté till softened.

Add the celery and carrots and sauté for 5 more minutes till everything is browning and starting to caramelize.

Add the soaked chopped dried mushroom pieces and crushed garlic, sauté for 2 more minutes. Your kitchen should smell really good right about now!

Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the strained mushroom broth into the skillet, bring to a boil, stir. Cook for 2 more minutes till mixture is hot and bubbly. Add the contents of the skillet to the simmering stockpot with the broth and barley.

Without rinsing the skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat, tilting to coat the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the sliced white mushrooms in a single layer at the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and turn heat to high. Let the mushrooms sear without stirring.

After 2 minutes, stir the mushrooms continuously for another 1-2 minutes until they are seared golden brown and shrink to about half their size.

Pour the seared mushrooms into the soup pot. Heat the last 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet and repeat the process for the remaining mushrooms. Add the rest of the seared mushrooms to the soup pot, stir to blend all ingredients.

Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the soup cook uncovered until your timer goes off (2 hours 15 minutes total cooking time), or until the barley is completely tender and the soup is nicely thickened. Add water during the simmer if the soup becomes overly thick. At the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Servings: 6
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 1 hour
Source: My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

The recipe calls for crème fraîche because its sturdy richness stands up well to to the soup, but you can use heavy cream instead. If you do use heavy cream, whip it very stiff, to the point where it just about turns to butter.

Ingredients: 

Horseradish Cream
1 1/2 cups crème fraîche
Generous pinch of sea or Kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

Ham Chips
6 slices prosciutto

Soup
4 large leeks, cleaned
6 Tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or Kosher salt, plus additional if needed
1 1/2 pounds celery root
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs thyme
6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
Minced fresh chives, for garnish

Directions: 

Prepare the horseradish cream. Whip the crème fraîche in a metal bowl with a whisk until it thickens. It should hold it’s shape when you remove the whisk from the bowl. Whisk in the salt and lemon juice. Stir in the horseradish. Let the mixture chill for an hour to allow the flavors to meld. (It is best make 3 to 4 hours in advance.)

Prepare the ham chips. Preheat the oven: 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the slices of prosciutto on the paper, evenly spaced. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn the slices midway through. Watch the ham carefully as the thickness determines how quickly they crisp up. When they feel dry and firm, remove from the oven and let them cool until crisp. Store the chips in an airtight container until ready to use.

Prepare the soup. Slice the leeks into 1/4-inch slices, white and light green parts, only. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for 10 minutes until the leeks are completely soft. Add salt midway through cooking.

As the leeks are cooking, peel the celery root. To peel the celery root, cut off the top and bottom ends of the root and set it on a cutting board, flat side down. Cut away the coarse skin, slicking it with a curved motion to match the curvature of the root. Conserve as much flesh as possible. Slice the root into 3/4-inch thick slices. Cut the slices into cubes. Add the cubes to the pot along with the water, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat so that the mixture is at a simmer. Cover with the lid askew. Cook the mixture for 30 to 40 minutes until the celery root is tender. Pierce some cubes to check for tenderness.

Remove the bay leaf and the thyme. Let the soup cool to tepid. Add the white pepper. Blend the soup until completely smooth. A hand blender or processor may also be used. If using a blender and the soup is still warm, only fill the container halfway. At this point the soup may be stored covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To serve the soup, reheat and ladle into serving bowls. Add a generous dollop of horseradish cream and then crumble the ham chips over the top. Sprinkle chives over the top and serve.

Servings: Serves six to eight
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 
Source: Fine Cooking editors from Fine Cooking Issue 83

Ingredients: 

5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/4 cups small-diced pancetta (about 6 oz. or 6 thick slices)
4 cups large-diced Savoy cabbage (about ½ small head)
2 cups medium-diced onion (10 to 12 oz. or 2 small)
1-1/2 cups medium-diced carrot (about 4 medium carrots)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
7 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth
2 15-1/2-oz. cans small white beans, rinsed and drained (about 2-1/2 cups, drained)
1 to 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, toasted
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions: 

Heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a 4- to 5-qt. Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until quite shrunken, golden brown, and crisp (the oil will also be golden brown), about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and with a slotted spoon or strainer carefully transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off and discard all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pan.

Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the chopped cabbage. Cook the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until limp and browned around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat again and transfer the cabbage to another plate.

Put the pot back over medium heat and add 2 Tbs. more of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and the vegetables are browned around the edges and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the last 1 Tbs. of olive oil, the garlic, 1 Tbs. of the fresh rosemary, and the ground coriander and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stir together, and cook the mixture 2 to 3 more minutes.

Return the cabbage to the pan and add the chicken broth. Stir well, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes to infuse the broth with the flavor of the vegetables. Add the beans, bring back to a simmer, and cook for a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the remaining 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, and let rest a few minutes.

Taste the soup and add lemon juice to brighten it—you’ll want at least 1 tsp. Season with more salt if necessary and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Serve the soup hot, garnished with the reserved pancetta crisps, the toasted breadcrumbs, and the grated Parmigiano.

Servings: 6
Source: Saveur in Issue #21
If fresh cranberry beans are available, omit overnight soaking.

Ingredients
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 lbs. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables are soft, 15 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tbsp. each of parsley and basil; cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, cook 10 minutes more, then add beans, 4 cups water, bay leaf, and sage. Simmer soup over medium heat (adding water if necessary) until beans are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add remaining parsley and basil, season with salt and pepper, and serve.”