The Recipe

Source: The Silver Spoon

6 1/4 cups meat stock
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
12 ounces Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup lentils, soaked in cold water for 3 hours and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup long-grain rice
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to serve

Bring the stock to a boil. Heat the oil in another pan, add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the Swiss chard and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the lentils and tomato paste and stir well. Pour in the stock, bring back to a boil and add the rice. Cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into a soup tureen, drizzle with olive oil and serve with Parmesan.

The Recipe

Source: An American Place by Larry Forgione

12 ears corn (in the husk)
8 cups dark poultry stock or canned beef broth
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Place the ears of corn directly on an oven rack and roast, turning, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the husks are evenly browned. Let cool.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the husks and silk. Cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife and set aside.

Chop or break the cobs into pieces and put them in a large saucepan. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan until very hot. Add the beef and sauté over high heat until evenly browned. Add the reserved corn kernels and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and crushed peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions soften.

Strain the stock and add it to the meat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the scallions and serve.

The Recipe

Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe by Danny Meyer

4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 4 to 5 ears); corncobs cut into 2-inch pieces and reserved
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup well washed and diced leek, white part only
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
pinch of ground turmeric
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup sliced (1/8-inch-thick rounds) fingerling or small new potatoes (about 12 ounces)
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

Combine half of the corn kernels, the cut-up corncobs, the cream, and milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and use tongs to remove and discard the corncobs. Puree the corn and cream mixture in a blender in as many batches as necessary. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and into a large bowl, and set aside.

Melt the butter over low heat in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, jalapeño, ginger, salt, and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the remaining corn and the potatoes and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the reserved pureed corn mixture to the saucepan with the vegetables. Pour in the vegetable or chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook gently, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chives, and serve.

The Recipe

Source: Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking by Nancy Harmon Jenkins:

1 cup dried white beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight
1 large bunch of escarole (about 1 pound)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 crisp green celery stalk, coarsely chopped
5 or 6 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for serving
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 dried red chili (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted slices of bread, for serving

Drain the beans, put them in a saucepan, and add fresh water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans, reserving the bean liquid.

Measure the bean liquid and add enough water to make 2 ½ cups.

Rinse and core the escarole. Chop the leaves into pieces about 1 inch long. Add them to the saucepan in which you cooked the beans, cover the pan and cook the escarole over gentle heat in the water clinging to its leaves until it is tender. Be careful not to let it scorch, adding a little boiling water to the pan if it starts to burn. When it is tender, set it aside with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Chop together the garlic, celery, and parsley to make about ½ cup finely minced aromatics. In a small skillet, cook the aromatics gently in the olive oil for about 10 minutes or until they give off fragrance but are not brown. Stir in the halved tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomatoes have shriveled somewhat and given off lots of juice.

The Recipe

Source: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera by Laura Giannatempo

For the pesto (my recipe):

Bunch of basil
tbsp of pine nuts
tbsp of walnuts (optional)
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino cheese
Good extra-virgin olive oil

For the minestrone:

10 cups (2 ½ quarts) cold water
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1 small carrot, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 small Italian eggplant, cut 1/2-inch dice
½ large onion, chopped
1 small Savoy cabbage, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1 Yukon gold potato, cut in 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 small Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
2 zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 medium leek, cut in 1/2-inch dice
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans, presoaked (or use canned beans)
1 cup coarsely chopped spinach leaves
3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Make the pesto:

See my quick recipe here

Make the minestrone:

Bring the water to a boil in large pot, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and reduce to a slow simmer.

Add the carrot and eggplant, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, cabbage, potato, green beans, and the Parmigiano rind and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, leeks, tomatoes, beans (only if the beans were dried and presoaked; hold them if they were canned), and a pinch of salt and continue simmering, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Add the spinach and beans (if canned) and simmer for another 5 minutes. At this point the vegetables should be very soft and the liquid should have reduced a bit.

Remove the rind, stir in the olive oil, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and let the minestrone cool off the heat. Serve the minestrone warm, at room temperature, or cold, topped with a generous dollop of pesto. (Use any leftover pesto to make pasta or for another batch of minestrone).

The Recipe

Source: Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

2 chicken legs or 1 chicken breast (approximately 1 pound)
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 ounces cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and drained
5 to 6 stalks bok choi or Swiss chard, thoroughly washed
3 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the chicken, remove and discard the skin and fat, and place in a large pot. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, half-covered, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the broth and let sit for a moment, until cool enough to handle. Discard the bones, shred the meat, and set aside. If you have time, chill the broth and then skim off the fat; if not, strain the broth into a saucepan through a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this point and the chicken and broth stored separately, once cooled, in well-sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Meanwhile, using scissors, cut the soaked noodles into 3- to 4-inch lengths; set aside. Cut off the bok choi or chard stems and set aside for another purpose. Slice the leaves lengthwise in half and cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.

When ready to serve, heat the broth to a simmer. Add the fish sauce, taste for seasonings, and add salt if you wish. Divide the shredded chicken ammong six soup bowls. Add the cellophane noodles and greens to the simmering broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Give the soup a good stir, then ladle the hot soup over the chicken, distributing the noodles and greens among the bowls. Grind black pepper generously over each bowl and serve at once.

Note: This soup can be served Vietnamese style over cooked rice: Allow at least ½ cup cooked rice per person. Place the rice in large soup bowls, add the shredded chicken, and ladle the soup over.

The Recipe

Source: Chanterelle by David Waltuck

2 pounds mussels (preferably Prince Edward Island or other rope-cultivated variety), scrubbed under cold running water and debearded
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces hot, dry Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large leek, cut into 1/4-inch dice and washed well
1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups fish stock
1 ½ cups (about 12 ounces) canned whole tomatoes, with their juice, coarsely chopped
1 cup Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice, and covered with cold water until needed
kosher salt
black pepper from a mill
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Put the mussels and wine in a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Cover and cook, very gently shaking the pot a few times, until the shells open, about 5 minutes. (Discard any mussels that do not open.) Drain the mussels in a colander set over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Strain the mussel broth through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over another bowl, discarding the shell fragments. Remove the mussels from their shells and reserve the meat.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to a bowl. Add the leek, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook in the chorizo oil over low heat until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Pour in the stock and reserved mussel broth and add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Drain the potatoes and add to the pan, cooking until they are tender to a knife tip, about 15 minutes. Adjust the soup’s seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Add the cooked mussels and chorizo just before serving to rewarm them, and ladle the soup evenly among 4 wide, shallow bowls. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

The Recipe:

Source: Biba’s Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities by Biba Caggiano

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 3/4 cup)
1 celery stalk, minced (about 3/4 cup)
5 to 6 fresh sage leaves, shredded, or a pinch of crumbled dried sage
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, with their juices, put through food mill to remove the seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 cups chicken broth
1 pound farro (about 2 1/2 cups), soaked in water to cover for 2 to 3 hours, then drained

Heat the 1/3 cup oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until lightly golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sage, stir for about 1 minute, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring from time to time, until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency, about 10 minutes.

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Drain the farro, rinse it under cold running water, and add to the broth. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, stir the sauce into the broth, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until the farro is tender and the soup has a nice thick consistency, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring from time to time. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Let the soup sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

The Recipe

Source: Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, by the CIA (quantities modified for home kitchen)

Yield: 1 quart or 5 servings

1 tbsp minced shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
4 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp butter
3/4 pound carrots, thinly sliced
20 ounces vegetable stock
1 ounce white wine
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 cup (8 oz) orange juice
2 ounces yogurt
4 ounces carrot juice
salt to taste

Saute shallots, garlic, ginger, and onion in the butter

Add carrots, stock, wine, cardamom, and orange juice; simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Place the mixture in a food processor and puree to a smooth texture; chill.

Finish with yogurt. Thin with carrot juice. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Adjust seasoning with salt before service.

Soup can be garnished with dollop of whipped cream, chives, and carrot chips. Fried ginger chips also make a spicy garnish.

The Recipe

Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe by Danny Meyer and Chef Michael Romano

12 oz portobello mushrooms, stems removed and caps rubbed clean
3 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled and chopped carrot
1 cup peeled and chopped celery
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
10 cups vegetable stock or water
6 packed cups stemmed and chopped spinach
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Thinly slice the mushroom caps and then cut the slices crosswise into thirds. (You should have about 6 cups of sliced mushrooms.)

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are softened, but not colored, 8 to 10 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium-high, add the portobellos, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up and then reabsorb their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomato and cook until the mixture is juicy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the salt, black and Aleppo peppers, and the lentils. Add the stock or water; bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.

Scoop out 1 cup of the lentils with a slotted spoon (some of the vegetables will cling to the lentils) and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and stir to continue.

Stir in the spinach, bring the soup to a simmer, and continue cooking until the spinach wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Ladle the soup into a warm serving tureen or individual soup bowls. Sprinkle each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano and drizzle with olive oil. Serve piping hot.