Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I've made this soup for several occasions over the years, and it is always a hit. Time after time, it always takes me by surprise how much flavor the dill and paprika add to this otherwise simple broth with sliced mushrooms. The broth is thickened with a little flour, which creates a thicker broth without added fat. The soup is best with a medley of mushrooms, but I've used all white button mushrooms as well. It's one of my favorites!

Hearty Lentil Soup

This soup is right up my alley. Packed with flavor and fiber, but low-cal. Fire-roasted tomatoes, leafy kale, carrots and celery are added to a cumin-flavored lentil soup base for a nice hearty bowl of healthy goodness. I've read that french lentils are great for lentil soup because they get less mushy over time (see Sweet Science), but I've used a variety of other lentils for soups and they've all been good enough for me. Next time I'll try out the French...

SWEET SCIENCE:
Brown, red, black, green - lentils come in a variety of colors and sizes. They were originally native to Southwest Asia, but are now commonly grown across Europe and Asia. There are two main varieties of lentils: varieties with flat, large seeds, 5mm or more across, and varieties with small, more rounded seeds. Because lentils are flat and thin, with thin seed coats, cooking water only has to penetrate a millimeter or two from each side, so lentils soften much more quickly than most beans and peas. The large varieties are more commonly grown and available in grocery stores; the smaller variety include green French lentille du Puy, black beluga, and green Spanish pardina (and since they are less flat, they don't tend to get as mushy in soup over time).

Rosemary White Bean Soup

I got my first Ina Garten Cookbook a year ago (the Barefoot Contessa for Food Network fans out there). I have two of her cookbooks now, and I love them. I find that she uses flavors well, really only using the ingredients needed to maximize the taste of the dish without clouding that flavor with extras. This soup is a perfect example. There are essentially three main ingredients: beans, onions, and rosemary; plus some staples: chicken or vegetable stock, garlic, bay leaf... but that's it! It's so simple. The soup tastes like just that, a simple white bean soup, but then with a punch of rosemary. It's amazing how just that one simple herb adds magnitudes of flavor! It's a nice soup for the winter: hearty, but light at the same time.

Alli's Mexican Tortilla Soup

The first time I made Tortilla soup was right after I moved from Arizona to Colorado. I found a recipe in the University of Colorado's student paper, and I was craving the spicy flavors that I had gotten used to in southern Arizona. I've adapted that recipe over the years and it's one of my favorite soups to make throughout the year. The broth of this soup is what I like best - it's very light, but nice and spicy and full of tomato and vegetable flavor. The best part is, this soup is so easy to make! This recipe can be made with chicken or without. The chicken adds a nice portion of protein to the soup, but is absolutely not necessary for the overall flavor of the soup. I often make just the veggie version, especially if I make the soup on a whim with no chicken on hand. The recipe calls for RO*TEL tomatoes, which you can usually find next to the diced tomatoes in the store. The soup would be fine with regular tomatoes, but I've been using the RO*TEL tomatoes in this recipe forever and I like the added heat to this soup. If you're worried about the spiciness of the soup, I've given a few suggestions below to help control the heat level.

SWEET FACTS: Jalapeno Peppers originated in southeastern Mexico, in Xalapa, Veracruz. Starting in the late-90s, the peppers have also been widely cultivated in southern New Mexico and western Texas.  Jalapeno peppers grow 2-4 inches long and are most often picked when they are still green. They have a mild to hot level of heat, depending on the cultivation of the pepper. The heat is concentrated in the seeds and veins (the white stuff) of the jalapeno, so de-seeding and de-veining the peppers can help reduce the level of heat when cooking. The acidic oils coating the seeds and veins also cause irritation to skin or eyes so be careful when handling with bare fingers - don't touch your eyes! The outer, green flesh of the pepper without the heat tastes very similar to a green pepper.

Look for Jalapeno peppers with firm, smooth skin with a solid green color. Dry lines are signs of a mature pepper and indicate hotness, but avoid peppers that are soft, bruised or wrinkled.

Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

I had extra roasted sweet potatoes from last weekend's cupcakes, so I decided to dig out an old favorite soup recipe. It's from an unlikely soup source: Weber's Real Grilling cookbook. Last time I made it I grilled the sweet potatoes, onions, and ginger. This time, since I had already roasted the sweet potatoes (and my grill is buried in storage ready for its move to Michigan...), I decided to just oven-roast the onions and ginger. This soup is simple and easy to make. The potato makes a nice thick broth and the ginger adds a nice kick of flavor. I can't say that I can actually taste the roasted red onions, but sweetness of the red onion combines well with the sweetness of the roasted, caramelized sweet potatoes. Definitely try it as the temps start to go down!

Harvest Vegetable Soup

In Colorado, we are currently getting hammered by an early snowstorm (20 inches and counting!), but in general the weather is still quite temperate this early in the season. So as far as soups go, I'm in the mood to celebrate fall but I'm not anxious to bring out the really hearty, heavy fall soups quite yet. Maybe in a couple weeks... so for early fall, this soup is a perfect balance. Fall flavors, but still very light. The soup starts out by cooking the squash, carrots, and onions with a little bit of oil, then the spices, then the liquids. All in all, very simple, and very fast. The whole thing takes less than an hour to prepare. My favorite part is the kale. It's not meaty, but the thickness of it works well with the carrots and squash.

Simple Corn and Red Potato Soup

This recipe comes from the Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook (from the Macrina Bakery outside of Seattle, Washington). My sister-in-law gave me the cookbook a few years ago, and quickly became one of my favorites. The style of the cookbook is very close to what I imagine my own cafe would be if I had one: simple, rustic, a wide variety of baked goods (savory breads, morning pastries, cakes, etc.), but also a nice collection of soups and sandwiches. I haven't cooked my way through the savory section of the book, so I decided this fall would be a perfect time to try the Corn Chowder with Pink Potatoes and Cream.

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical as to how the flavor of the soup would turn out, with such a simple broth (onion, garlic, corn, water, thyme) - and also how the lime garnish would pair with the corn chowder at the end. But I was pleasantly surprised with the final product. The broth without the lime is a lovely mild broth with pronounced flavors of corn and thyme. The hint of lime at the end adds a little tang to the soup which is quite wonderful - don't leave it out! The lime addition to an otherwise very light soup makes the soup feel more summery. Light, simple, and flavorful! Really good!

Tomato-Gin Soup

I made this soup for a bbq a few weeks ago (odd thing to take to a bbq, but it was a hit!) I love a good tomato soup, and I was intrigued by adding gin and nutmeg. Surprise, surprise... it tastes awesome! The gin is so subtle that you can't quite place what the flavor is, but it adds a depth to the simple broth. This recipe also came with a great idea for serving any creamy soup: whip up some of the cream and place a dollop on top of the hot soup right before serving. Unlike sour cream or yogurt, the whipped cream slowly dissolves into a luscious foam on top of the broth. So yummy!