Faith Bahadurian

By: centraljersey.com
As winter settles in after the holidays, we think of cozy foods and, for many, soup is at the top of the list (OK, maybe after hot chocolate). But for some reason, I’ve never been as enamored of soup as most other folks seem to be.
First, it is often more liquid than not, so it doesn’t "stay" with me the way that solid, chewable food does. A couple of hours later and I’m rummaging in the fridge or, worse, in the cookie jar.
Given that limitation, soup drops precipitously on my priority list of things to cook. Honestly, I can barely get dinner on the table as it is some nights, so have little inclination to add an extra course to mealtime preparation and cleanup.
And yet, as daylight wanes on Sunday afternoon, and I’m down to the wire on a writing deadline and have to think about what meals I will have at hand for the upcoming week, soup often seems just the thing for office lunches. It’s fairly portable, and easily augmented with a whole grain roll or half sandwich from the cafe at work.
I can nearly always find the makings of some kind of soup in my cupboard, pantry, or freezer, often conveniently using up leftovers. Spinach starting to wilt? Make an Asian soup with boxed broth and frozen Chinese dumplings, tossing in the spinach and a little toasted sesame oil at the end. And that leftover roasted butternut squash? I’ve written before about how easy it is to transform it by pureeing it in simmering broth, and then garnishing with toasted pumpkin seeds or blue cheese.
I keep cans of chopped clams and bottled clam juice on hand, which, with a little bacon from the freezer and milk from the fridge, makes chowder. And a chunky vegetable soup bursting with flavor I recently enjoyed at Chambers Walk Cafe in Lawrenceville had me wondering why I never make that. Probably because I just don’t keep enough kinds of fresh vegetables on hand. But I could keep a bag of frozen, mixed veggies in the freezer. I might not want frozen vegetables on my dinner plate, but drop said veggies into a base of simmering stock and crushed tomatoes, and you’ll likely not hear me complaining.
KIMCHI SOUP WITH TOFU Adapted from "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian," Mark Bittman, Wiley (2007) Serves 4.
3 tablespoons dark (toasted) sesame oil
6 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
1-1/2 cups cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped
8 ounces silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon go chu jang (Korean red pepper paste)
6 cups water or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or other mild vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
1/2 cup short-grain white rice
Freshly ground black pepper
Put 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add scallions and cook stirring, for about a minute. Add the kimchi, tofu, and red pepper paste and cook, stirring, for just a few seconds more. Add the water, vinegar, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Then adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily. Add the rice, stir, and once again adjust heat so the mixture simmers. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding more soy if necessary, along with some black pepper and the remaining sesame oil. Serve at once.
RED LENTIL AND RICE SOUP Adapted from "Arabesque, A Taste Of Morocco, Turkey, And Lebanon," Claudia Roden, Knopf (2006) Serves 6 to 8
2 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
7-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
1/2 cup short-grain rice or risotto rice
Black pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 lemons
Fry the onions in the oil. Cover the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Then cook over high heat, stirring often, until they are very brown and caramelized. Drain on paper towels and keep them aside.
Bring the stock to the boil, then add lentils and rice. Add black pepper and coriander, and simmer for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the lentils and rice fall apart and soup has a creamy texture. Add a little salt toward the end of the cooking time, if needed, and a little water, if necessary to thin soup to a light creamy consistency. Serve, sprinkling each bowlful with a pinch of cumin and garnishing each with a topping of fried onions. Pass the lemon quarters.
CABBAGE AND CHEESE SOUP Adapted from "Serves One," Toni Lydecker, Lake Isle Press (2005) 2 servings (notwithstanding the title of the book! F.B.)
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup cole slaw mix
1 cup diced red-skin potatoes
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/8-1/4 teaspoon paprika, sweet or hot, smoked or not
1/2 cup sliced or diced fully cooked sausage, such as Spanish chorizo (optional)
Salt