Vegetarian Harira

Yield:

• 8-10 servings

Time:

• 90 minutes plus soaking time

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons harissa or dried red chile flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• Salt to taste
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups/75 grams), divided
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups/75 grams), divided
• 1 (15-ounce/425-gram) can tomatoes, crushed or diced
• 7 cups (1 2/3 liters) chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups (400 grams) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked
• 1 cup (400 grams) green lentils
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons semolina flour 
• 1 large egg
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2.  Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa or chile flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup each of the parsley and cilantro, tomatoes, and the stock or water and bring to a boil. 
3. If using the soaked chickpeas, drain them and add to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, then add the lentils, another teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper and continue simmering until the chickpeas and lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes more. If using canned chickpeas omit the first 25 minutes of simmering and add with the lentils.
4. Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups (470 ml) of water. Stir into the soup. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more and serve, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro and parsley. 

Notes:

• Original recipe called for all-purpose flour, only 1 tsp harissa.  Not enough harissa!
• Vary any ingredients to your taste. 
• Serve with pita, dips, and salad

Source:  Joan Nathan, King Solomon's Table, via Epicurious.

Lobiani [Georgian Red Bean Soup]

Yield:

• 3 quarts

Time:

• 2 hours

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beans,  soaked and drained
• 7 cups stock or broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (optional)
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 T powdered dried red chiles or 1 teaspoon cayenne 
• 2 T chmeli suneli (Georgian spice mix) 
• 2 T tomato paste 
• 2 T pomegranate molasses 
• ¼ cup dry red wine (optional)
    
•  1/2 cup walnuts, chopped to desired consistency
•  1/2 cup chopped cilantro
•  1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

1.  Add beans  and bay leaves to stock, and cook until tender.
2.  While beans are cooking,  saute  savory vegetables and olive oil until soft. Add spices, tomato paste,  Pomegranate molasses,and red wine, and cook another 10 minutes.
3.  Puree half of cooked beans with sautéed vegetables and water. Add back into bean pot  and simmer another 15-20 minutes until flavors are blended.
4.  Stir in walnuts, coriander, and up to 2 minced cloves additional garlic, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
5.  Garnish with herbs and additional walnuts to  taste.

Notes:

• Very nice served with mamaliga (Balkan polenta)  topped with cheese,  yogurt, and herbs.
• Like all bean soups, tastes better the second day.

Variations:

• 1 t cayenne is a little hot, and overshadows other spices. Use less to taste.
• For a smooth texture, grind walnuts before adding.

Source:  combined recipes from Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook and Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan

Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣汤)

Yield:

• 4 servings

Time:

• 30 minutes

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dried woodear mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dried lily flowers
   
• 1/2 lbs (230 g) pork loin or chicken breast, cut into thin strips [optional]
• 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
   
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 green onions chopped, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder (or 1/2 teaspoon for a less spicy dish)
• 6 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
• 1/2 block (8 oz / 227 g) firm tofu, cubed
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Gently rinse dried shiitake mushrooms, dried wood ear mushrooms, and lily flowers with tap water. Soak each of them with 1.5 to 2 cups warm water in three big bowls. Rehydrate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. 
2. Slice shiitake mushrooms into strips. Snip off the tough ends of lily flowers and discard. Remove tough ends of wood ear mushrooms, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Combine pork or chicken (if using), Shaoxing wine, salt and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well by hand. Marinate for 10 - 15 minutes.
4. Add Chinkiang vinegar and white pepper into a small bowl. Mix well until the white pepper is completely dissolved.
5. Add water or stock, ginger, and green onion into a pot and heat over medium-high heat. 
6. Add rehydrated mushrooms and lily flowers, with their soaking water, to the pot. Add tofu and bring to a simmer. 
7. Add soy sauce and turn to medium-low heat.
8. Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water in a bowl until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Slowly swirl the cornstarch slurry into the soup. Stir to thicken the soup.
9. Add the pork from step one into the soup, stirring several times to prevent the pork strips from sticking together. Add the salt. 
10. Slowly swirl in the beaten egg and stir well to create threads. .
11. Remove the pot from stove. Add the vinegar and pepper mixture and stir to mix well.
12. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle with sesame oil. Give it a final stir.
13. Serve hot.

Notes:

• To my taste, needs more vinegar.  Spiced chili oil is also a nice garnish.  
• Chinkiang vinegar is essential.  Do not try to substitute another vinegar.  Similarly, use white pepper, not Szechuan pepper.
• Add vinegar and pepper only after removing from heat – else the vinegar flavor diminishes and the pepper can become bitter..

Variations:

• Skip the meat if you want to create a vegetarian dish.
• Use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water if you are not using the dry ingredients (shiitake mushrooms, lily flowers, and wood ear mushrooms) in this recipe.
• Other nice additions include julienned bamboo shoots, napa cabbage cut into ribbons, and bok choy. 

Source: Omnivore's Cookbook.

Gazpacho

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 c [2 lbs] chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 c peeled seeded cucumber
• ½ c finely diced red onion
• ½ c diced green pepper [replace with red]
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 3T olive oil
• 1T sherry vinegar
• 2 t salt
• ¼ t ground pepper
• 1T minced dill 
• 2 c chilled tomato juice

Notes:  Dill and jalapeno make the difference.  If available, use red pepper instead of green for less bitter taste.

Variations:

• Add Worcestershire sauce and tabasco to taste
• Add 1 c fresh bread crumbs for authenticity and a more substantial dish.
• Garnish with minced cucumber, bell pepper, radish, etc.

Source: Brendan McDermott.

Tortilla Soup

Yield: 4 to 6 large servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
• Cayenne
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 8 cups unsalted turkey or chicken broth
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 4 corn tortillas, at least a day old, cut in 1/2-inch strips
• 4 to 6 cups cooked turkey or chicken, shredded

• 1 or 2 firm-ripe avocados
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and let soften, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
2. Toast the cumin, coriander and peppercorns in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute, then grind in a spice mill or mortar. Add the ground spices to the pot, along with the garlic, cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne and salt.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, then taste for salt and adjust. Keep hot, covered, over very low heat.
4. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2 inch into a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and looks wavy, add the tortilla strips and fry until barely colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The oil may be strained and saved for future frying.)
5. In a medium saucepan, heat the shredded turkey meat with a little of the hot soup. Divide the meat among 4 to 6 soup bowls and add a few slices of avocado to each. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each bowl, then garnish with tortilla strips, scallions, jalapeño slices, chopped cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice.

Notes:

• Very nice for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Source:  New York Times, November 23, 2011.

Pasta e Fagioli

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes, plus overnight soaking of beans

Yield: 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried cannellini beans
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 celery stalk, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 onion
• 3 canned San Marzano tomatoes, seeds removed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 pound dry tubetti or ditalini pasta
• Cracked pepper, for garnish.

Instructions

1. Cover the beans with water, and add the baking soda, half the celery stalk and the bay leaf. Soak them for 24 hours.
   
2. Drain and rinse well. Place in a pot and add cold water to two inches above the beans. Add the rest of the celery, the onion, tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
   
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the celery, onion, and bay leaf. In a soup pot over low heat, sauté the garlic in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 1 minute, add 2 tablespoons parsley, and continue to sauté until garlic is light brown, 1 or 2 more minutes. Add the beans and 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid, mashing a few beans with a fork to give the soup body. Bring to a simmer.
   
4. When the water has reached a boil, add the pasta and cook for half the time called for on the package. Drain the pasta and add it to the beans, reserving the cooking water. Raise the heat under the soup pot to medium and cook until the pasta is al dente, adding enough reserved pasta water or bean cooking liquid to make a thick broth.
   
5. Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley and pepper, and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Serve immediately or the pasta will absorb the broth.
   

Source:  New York Times.  Adapted from Emilio Vitolo, Emilio’s Ballato, Manhattan

Cold Tomato-Basil Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 15 minutes, plus time for chilling
 
Ingredients

• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped [or ½ of 28-0z can]
• 1 (11-ounce) can vegetable cocktail juice
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 (14-ounce) can ready to use chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream (nonfat is fine)
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 15 basil leaves, julienned
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 6 whole basil leaves

Instructions

1. In food processor, place tomatoes and cocktail juice; process until smooth. Place in glass bowl and add tomato juice and chicken broth; stir well and refrigerate. 
2.  In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir into tomato mixture.
3. Stir in cream, pepper, and julienned basil and chill soup for 2-3 hours before serving. Garnish with more basil and chopped tomato. Serves 4-6

Notes:   I used only ½ cup cream and it was fine.

Chilled melon soup with prosciutto, ginger, and mint

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

• 1 very ripe orange-fleshed melon, seeded and peeled.
• 1 pinch salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger [or more to taste]
• 2 oz prosciutto, diced or cut into thin slivers
• Several leaves fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau [optional]

Instructions

1. Set aside about 1/8 of melon for garnish, and process remaining melon together with salt, pepper, lime juice, and ginger in a food processor or  blender until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 
2. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. Saute prosciutto until crisp, and drain.
4. Roll mint leaves into a cigar shape and slice crosswise very finely in a chiffonade.
5. Cut remaining melon into small dice.
6. Into chilled bowls, add diced melon and pour in one cup of the puree. Garnish with prosciutto and mint and serve immediately.

Notes:

• For smoother texture, run processed melon through a sieve before chilling - you can skip this step to save time, but in my opinion it is worth it. 

Julia Child's bouillabaisse

Mark Bittman writes about making Julia Child's bouillabaisse recipe:

I gently sauteed (the chefs would say “sweated”) leeks, onions, and garlic in a lot of olive oil. (There are those who argue that the most important element of this style of fish soup is the emulsion of olive oil in water, and that there must be plenty of the former.) To that I added parsley, thyme, basil, fennel seeds, and chopped tomatoes.

Then came 3 or 4 big, fresh and meaty skeletons of fish, and heads, roughly chopped. Am I forgetting anything? Water of course, and more olive oil, and I think I saw Bob sliding some Cointreau in there (we had no orange peel, always a nice addition). Cover and simmer for less than a half-hour. At that point I turned it off and left for an hour to allow it to steep and cool for a bit, then strained it and voila - as you see. Gorgeous, huh?

Now you can do whatever you like. We chose to add potatoes (noodles are good, too) and celery (and/or carrots, fennel is a natural also) then cooked it until they were almost tender, then added big chunks of white fish (nearly any seafood will “work”), while we made the garlicky-spicy mayonnaise called rouille and toasted some bread. But it’s all in the broth, and I must say Julia nailed that one.

Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyasleves)

Yield: 8 portions

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2 T oil
• 2 lb beef shank or chuck, cubed
• 2 t salt
• 1 T paprika
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 T flour
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• Salt
• Chopped parsley
  
  
• 1 egg
• Flour
• Salt
• Parsley, minced (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in fat until golden. Add the beef and stir until well browned.
   
2. Add salt, paprika, and tomatoes, and let simmer (adding a little water to prevent over-browning) for 30 minutes.
   
3. Sprinkle the flour over the meat, stir, and pour enough water to cover the meat well. Add carrot, parsnip, green pepper, and bring to a boil.
   
4. Turn to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
5. Add potatoes and more water, and salt to taste. Simmer until potatoes and meat are well cooked.
   
6. For pinched noodles, combine ingredients with enough flour to make a medium dough. Drop tiny noodles from a spoon into simmering soup. When the noodles float to the surface, they are done. (Alternatively, roll dough into thin rope, cut off 3/4 inch pieces to drop in the soup)
7. Boil a few minutes longer with the chopped parsley; serve in a deep bowl.

Source: RecipeSource.

Borscht

Time: About 1 hour, plus chilling

Yield: 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red beets, peeled
• 1 large onion, peeled
• 1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed and tied in a bundle
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon juice to taste
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered, optional
• 1 firm medium cucumber or half an English cucumber, diced, optional
• 4 medium red or white new potatoes, boiled until tender and kept hot, optional
• Sour cream

Method:

1. Grate beets and onion together on a box grater or food processor outfitted with basic blade (pulse carefully) or grating disk. Place mixture in large saucepan with dill-stem bundle and 6 cups of water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so liquid simmers steadily but not violently, until beets are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, remove dill stems, and chill.
3. When soup is cold, taste and add lemon juice, salt and pepper as necessary. Chop as much of the dill fronds as you would like for garnishing.
   
4. Serve borscht in bowls, with garnishes of your choice and the dill. Pass sour cream at table.

Variations: Beat hot soup into beaten egg, 1/4 cup at a time, before chilling.

Source:: The Minimalist.

Carrot-Fennel Soup

Yield: Four servings.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch scallions
• 5 oz diced potatoes
• 5 oz fennel bulb
• 5 c stock
• 1 celery stalk
• 4 T cream
• 1 lb grated carrots
• 4 T parsley for garnish
• ½ t cumin

Source: 20 Minute Recipes (Sulami/Feinberg).

White Bean and Escarole Soup

Yield: 10 cups. Serves 4-6.

Time: 3 hrs.

Ingredients

• 1 lb white beans
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 4 cloves
• 1 lb escarole
• 2 onions
• 4 c (chicken) broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Method

1. Soak beans 1 hr and drain. Stud an onion with the cloves and simmer with beans, bay leaf, and 2" covering of water for 90 minutes.
2. Saute other onion and garlic in 1/3 c of the oil till onion is golden.
3. Add escarole and saute till bright green. Stir broth into beans, cool 15 min and puree with escarole.
4. Saute tomato in remaining oil for 1 minute, and use as garnish.

Source: Gourmet.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Yield: 9.5 cups. Serves 4-6.

Time: 1.5 hrs.

Ingredients

• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 t thyme
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/2 c pearl barley
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 5 c (chicken) broth
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1 T paprika
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 1.5 lbs sliced mushrooms
• 3 T chopped dill
• 1/2 oz dried sliced mushrooms

Method

1. Saute onions till soft; add carrot, pepper and paprika, and cook 1 minute stirring. Stir in mushrooms, thyme, barley, broth, and 4 c water.
   
   
2. Simmer for 50 minutes or till barley is tender.
   
   
3. Dissolve cornstarch with lemon juice, and stir into soup with dill.
   
   
4. Boil and stir until thickened slightly.

Source: Gourmet.