Recipes - Winter Soups

Are there many foods more soothing than soup? Almost any winter day is a soup day. Soup smells warm and welcoming on a frigid, dark February evening. Soups are also one-dish meals, requiring only the addition of hearty bread and perhaps a salad.

Our family enjoyed this tortilla soup on a vacation in Baja, California. There are many variations of tortilla soup, but this one is particularly simple yet rich-tasting. Enjoy it and dream of warmer climes.

• 3 green chili peppers
• 3 onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons butter (or oil)
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetarian "un-chicken" broth
• corn chips
• diced avocado
• grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Cut vegetables into small pieces and cook in two tablespoons butter until soft. Put into blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Add rest of butter and broth (adjust the amount of broth to taste). Cook until thoroughly warmed. Serve with chips, avocado, and cheese.

This onion soup has been a staple of our Thanksgiving feast for twenty years. The secret is the slow-cooking of the onions, which removes any trace of harshness, replacing it with a sumptuous sweetness. (It smells great while it's cooking, too!)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups free range chicken (or vegetarian "un-chicken") broth
• 4 cups free range beef (or mushroom) broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
• French baguette, sliced to 1-inch thickness

Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan over very low heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sugar and cook until onions are a rich golden brown. Stirring occasionally (may take up to two hours).

Sprinkle flour over onions, stirring until flour is completely dissolved. Meanwhile combine broths and heat to a boil. Add boiling stocks, wine, and mustard to onions, and blend well. Cover partially and simmer 30-40 minutes. Taste and season with pepper; add more broth if necessary.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with bread and grated cheese. You can either melt the cheese in the microwave or in the oven.

Our sage plant is amazingly abundant, so I am always searching for recipes that utilize fresh sage. This one, adapted from a recipe by Deborah Madison, is especially good. I like kabocha squash for this soup. This forest green round squash with dark orange flesh has a wonderfully rich flavor.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• kabocha squash (approximately 3 pounds)
• 2 onions, halved
• 6 cloves unpeeled garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 cups free range chicken or vegetarian "un-chicken" broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh sage
• 1/2 cup small cubes of fontina cheese

Heat olive oil in a small frying pan. When oil is hot, add sage leaves and stir until they turn a darker green (about 1 minute). Remove leaves with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Reserve the oil.

Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds. Brush cut surfaces of squash and onions with reserved oil. Place squash and onions, cut side down, in a large shallow baking pan. Put garlic under squash. Bake at 375 F until all vegetables are soft when pressed (45 minutes to one hour). Scoop flesh from squash and onions, discard skins. Peel garlic. Reserve any pan juices.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine squash, garlic, onion, parsley, chopped sage, and thyme. Mash mixture with back of a heavy spoon or a potato masher. Stir in reserved pan juices and broth. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Distribute cheese equally among serving bowls and ladle soup into bowls.