The Ultimate Soup Cookbook brings comfort food to your kitchen with soup recipes for every occasion. Impress guests and large parties with tasty and simple recipes or have a cozy dish ready for when you or your loved ones are feeling under the weather.
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Recipes from The Ultimate Soup Cookbook, by Dru Melton and Jamie Taerbaum. Quarry Books, $29.99.
Beer and cheese with smoked bacon soup
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
350ml beer, any medium-body brew will work
710ml chicken stock
230g cooked smoked bacon, chopped
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
710ml whole milk
5 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp spicy mustard
2 tsp hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. In a large stockpot with a lid, sweat the onion, celery, and carrot in the butter over medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook two minutes longer. Add the beer and stir well, then add the chicken stock and bacon. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes and remove from heat.
2. While the vegetables and beer are cooking, make the cheese base in another large pot with a heavy bottom. Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour all at once. Stir constantly as the flour cooks and starts to darken slightly. Stir in the milk a cup at a time and keep the mixture moving to avoid scorching the roux, for about a minute or two. The mixture will thicken as it heats. Once the last cup of milk is incorporated remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the grated cheese one cup at a time until incorporated.
3. Over low heat, mix the vegetables and beer into the cheese base one cup at a time, making sure to stir thoroughly after each addition. Add mustard and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
Serves 8.
Italian wedding soup
Ingredients
450g ground beef (we use sirloin)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
945ml chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 cups spinach, washed, trimmed and sliced
1 cup acini de pepe pasta
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Place the beef in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, oregano and thyme. Shape mixture into 2.5cm round balls. Set meatballs aside.*
2. Add the olive oil to a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the spinach and meatballs. Allow the soup to return to a simmer; then reduce heat to medium low.
3. Be careful not to let the soup reach a rolling boil, which could toughen the meatballs. A slow gentle poach will give you good, tender meatballs. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meatballs are no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the pasta is done.
Chef's note: When packing the meatballs, do it gently, and pack the meat in your hands just tightly enough to hold together when dropped into the simmering water. Try not to squeeze or knead the meat, which can make it tough.
Serves 6.
North African vegetable soup
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp harissa
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large tomatoes, chopped
945ml vegetable stock
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
2 small kohlrabis, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
2 parsnips, sliced
Method
1. Sauté the onion and the carrot in the olive oil in a large stockpot set over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices to the pot and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and the stock to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Once a simmer is reached add the sweet potato, kohlrabi and parsnips. Cover and cook until the kohlrabi and yams are tender, about 30 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as necessary with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
Persian lamb and spinach stew
Ingredients
1 carrot, sliced
2 leeks, root and green tops removed, sliced
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
945ml chicken stock
1 kg lamb stew meat, cut into 2.5cm pieces
2 bunches fresh spinach, washed and chopped (or 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp lime juice
Method
1. Melt the butter in the oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the carrot and leeks, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock and lamb, and bring to a simmer. Cover the stew, reduce the heat to low and cook until the lamb is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Add the spinach, parsley and brown sugar. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Taste the stew and adjust the seasonings as necessary with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.