smooth legume soups

Smooth legume soups are those in which legumes are puréed with other ingredients. I am using “legume” in its culinary, not its botanical sense. In culinary terms, legumes include peas and beans. Botanically, a legume is a pea but not a bean. None of this will matter to you once you start making such delicious soups as the first one offered here, the Tarascan Bean Soup, with its puréed red kidney beans flavored with chipotle chiles, tomatoes, and onion. There are familiar classics, too, such as split green pea soup, which so many of us remember from our childhood, although this recipe is flavored with a smoked ham hock, leek, and onion and is correspondingly more satisfying. The best of the smooth legume soups is here too. It’s Najwa’s Lentil Soup. Najwa, my former wife, says it’s nothing really. Oh, yeah? Well, it was chosen one of the 150 best American recipes ever!

tarascan bean soup

Sopa Tarasca is the soup from the home of the Tarascan (or P’urhépecha) people in the Mexican state of Michoacan. These Native Americans spoke a language with little relation to any other, and their origins remain unknown. They flourished from 1100 to 1530. When the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century the Tarascan were unable to forge an alliance with the Aztecs, their enemies on their eastern border, and subsequently by 1530 both empires had succumbed to the Spanish. The center of their culture was Lake Pátzcuaro, and nearby Tzintzuntzan is now a much-visited archaeological site. It was the Spanish who named them Tarascan and who recognized their excellent craftsmanship. [ Makes 4 servings ]

1 cup (¹⁄₂ pound ) dried red kidney beans

2 sprigs fresh epazote, finely chopped or 2 teaspoons dried (optional)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt and more as needed

Water as needed

1 pound plum tomatoes, cut in half and seeded

2 large garlic cloves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¹⁄₂ large white onion, sliced

¹⁄₂ cup peanut oil

2 dried pasilla chiles

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo

¹⁄₂ pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 4 slices

1. Place the beans in a pot with the epazote, if using, the oregano, salt, and enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the beans are softened, about 1¹⁄₂ hours. Add more water if it is evaporating too rapidly and the beans are exposed. Drain, saving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

3. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a baking tray and roast until the garlic is softened, about 25 minutes, and the tomatoes are softened and their skins can be pulled off, about 45 minutes. Peel the tomatoes and garlic and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens just a little bit, about 3 minutes. Remove the onion from the skillet, add the peanut oil, and let heat for 3 minutes. Add the pasilla chiles and cook until they soften, about 30 seconds, then remove and cool a bit. Once they are cool enough to handle, seed them and cut into strips. Set aside until needed.

5. Transfer the tomatoes and garlic to a blender with the beans, onion, and chipotle, and blend using the reserved cup of cooking water to help the blades turn. Add a little water if it seems too thick. Pass the purée through a food mill or fine-meshed sieve to remove seeds and skins.

6. Transfer the blender mixture to a pot and heat over low heat until it starts to bubble slightly. Add the slices of cheese and the chile strips to the soup, season with salt, and stir until the cheese has melted, then ladle the soup into heated bowls.

cream of black bean soup

Before I moved to California, I thought Mexican food was Mexican food. Now, I have a much better understanding of that country’s regional cuisines and their differences. In my neighborhood, many Mexican-Americans trace their families to the state of Oaxaca, the home of moles. This soup is not a mole, but it is a delicious purée of flavored black beans that is garnished with roasted chile, crumbled cheese, and tortilla chips, called totopos in ­Oaxaca. It is called crema frijolito and is a dish served at the Temple restaurant on García Vigil 409-A, in downtown Oaxaca, Mexico. [ Makes 4 servings ]

¹⁄₂ pound (about 1 cup) dried small black beans, soaked in water to cover for 8 hours or overnight and drained

1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped

³⁄₄ cup coarsely chopped white onion

2 teaspoons dried epazote or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote or 1 fresh sage leaf (optional)

8 cups water

2¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt or more to taste

2 tablespoons butter

¹⁄₂ cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or sour cream

Chopped fresh epazote (optional)

For the garnish

2 ounces crumbled Mexican queso fresco or farmer’s cheese

1 roasted fresh pasilla chile or Anaheim (New Mexico) chile, seeded and cut into 4 strips

Chopped fresh parsley or coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 ounce tortilla chips

1. Place the beans, garlic, onion, epazote, if using, and the water to cover in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the beans are softened, about 1 hour. Season with the salt. Let the beans cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a blender and purée with their liquid until smooth, in batches if necessary.

2. In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the bean purée and the crema. Stir until well blended, then add the fresh epazote, if using, and continue to heat until hot. Serve with the garnishes sprinkled and crumbled on top.

rick bayless’s black bean soup

My first introduction to the regional cuisines of Mexico was when I moved to Cal­-ifornia. Before that all I knew was that there was real Mexican food, which I probably never had had, and Tex-Mex, which I thought of as heartburn food. But in Los Angeles, Mexican-­American communities could be identified by the state from which the immigrants came. Around my neighborhood, Oaxacan immigrants founded churches and restaurants, and theirs became the food from Mexico I liked the most. This Oaxacan soup, called sopa de ­frijoles negros, was one of my favorites. It’s different from the preceding recipe; the two give you a sense of how much Oaxacans love black beans.

This recipe is from chef and cookbook author Rick Bayless, who has helped Americans understand the real Mexico and get past the Tex-Mex concept. I’ve adapted it from his book Mexican Kitchen. He asks you to fry your own corn tortilla strips, but you can cut a corner by buying already fried tostadas or high-quality corn tortilla chips to use as a garnish. When buying the chorizo sausage, make sure you get the pure pork sausage in natural casing and not the pork parts in plastic casing. The chipotle chiles in adobo are sold in small cans in most supermarkets. [ Makes 4 servings ]

³⁄₄ pound (1¹⁄₂ cups) dried black beans, picked over

12 cups water

6 ounces (about 1 link) Mexican-style chorizo sausage, casing removed and crumbled

1 stalk fennel, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped

4 teaspoons salt or more to taste

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined if necessary

5 corn tostadas, broken up or a handful of corn tortilla chips

¹⁄₂ cup crumbled queso fresco or cheddar cheese

1. In a large pot, place the beans and cover with 6 cups of the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat off and let the beans sit for 1 hour. Drain.

2. Return the beans to the pot and cover with the remaining 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, stir in the chorizo, fennel, onion, and chipotle chiles in adobo, partially cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 hours.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if necessary, and blend until it forms a smooth purée. Return the soup to the pot, add the salt and pepper, stir, and heat over medium heat until hot, then add the shrimp and cook until they are orange-red, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the soup in individual bowls garnished with the tostadas and crumbled cheese.

legume velouté

A legume is not a bean, technically. A pea, however, is one kind of legume. Legumes are, specifically, the dry, one-celled fruit that develops from a simple superior ovary and splits into two halves, with the seeds attached to the ventral suture. This splitting into two halves along natural lines is called dehiscing. Legumes tend to have very earthy tastes and are very satisfying eating. The best-known legumes include split green peas and all the dals of India, dal being a generic Hindi term for legumes. The cuisines of the Indian subcontinent are the greatest users of legumes—again, mostly in the form of the prepared dish called dal, a kind of spiced legume stew.

This recipe is not spiced, but gets its flavor from the particular fats used and from the variety of legumes. Many of those used in this soup will be found in Indian markets, and for these I have provided the Hindi name in parentheses. I do suggest substitutes, though. (All the legumes are dried.) [ Makes 4 servings ]

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) black gram (urad dal) or black lentils

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) green gram (moong dal) or yellow split peas

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) red gram (pigeon pea or toor dal) or brown lentils

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) split green peas

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) mung beans

2 ounces (¹⁄₄ cup) red lentils

1 unsmoked ham hock (about 1 pound)

2 ounces salt pork with skin side or one 6 × 3-inch piece pork skin or 1 pig’s ear

6 sprigs fresh parsley

6 sprigs cilantro (fresh coriander)

8 cups chicken broth

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons walnut oil

1. Place the black gram, green gram, red gram, split green peas, mung beans, and red lentils in a large pot with the ham hock, salt pork, and sprigs of parsley and cilantro. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat on the ham hock is falling off, about 3 hours.

2. Remove the skin, parsley, and cilantro and discard. Remove the ham hock and remove the meat. Discard the bone and chop the meat. Pour the soup into a blender and blend until very smooth. Return to a clean saucepan with the chopped meat and heat. Season with salt if necessary and add the walnut oil. Serve hot.

english pea soup

The famous London “pea souper,” an idiom meaning a very thick fog, as thick as pea soup, is often used in England for any thick fog. But the phrase originally referred more particularly to a yellowish smog produced by the soft coal burned prior to the passage of the United Kingdom’s Clean Air Act in 1956. Such fogs were prevalent in British cities, particularly London, during the rise of the industrial era in the nineteenth century. A New York Times article from 1871 refers to “London, particularly, where the population are periodically submerged in a fog of the consistency of pea soup . . .” An English pea soup is made with split yellow, not split green, peas. This recipe is the purest version of the soup you’ll encounter. [ Makes 4 servings ]

1 cup (¹⁄₂ pound) yellow split peas

¹⁄₄ cup (¹⁄₂ stick) unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 quart vegetable broth

Bouquet garni, tied in cheesecloth, consisting of 5 sprigs fresh parsley, 3 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs marjoram or tarragon, and 1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt or more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

1. Place the peas in a large pot, cover by a couple of inches with cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and leave to soak for 2 hours. Drain well.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat, then cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, drained peas, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper and let it return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 2 hours.

3. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée. Return it to the pot and heat a bit, correct the seasoning if necessary and serve hot.

split green pea soup

Green peas and pea soup have a long history, as we know from Aristophanes’ play The Birds, in which Trochilus says, “Again he wants some pea-soup; I seize a ladle and a pot and run to get it.” In America, split green pea soup was more popular in the early twentieth ­century than it is today, but one taste of this old-fashioned soup and you’ll see why it was so popular back then. Formerly it was made so that you could see and taste the chunky pieces of peas. Today, it’s smoother, which is the way I like it. In California, drivers passing through Buellton have for decades seen the billboards for Pea Soup Andersen’s, a restaurant established in 1924 whose split green pea soup was so popular that Anton Andersen renamed his restaurant to reflect its specialty. It’s likely that split pea soup was brought to America by the Dutch settlers in New York, who used green peas rather than the yellow cultivated by English settlers. But its popularity is not in doubt, as we are reminded by a familiar English nursery rhyme:

Pease porridge hot,Pease porridge cold,Pease porridge in the potNine days old.

When I was a kid my mom always added cut-up frankfurters, which I still love and think of as comfort food. I think you will find a combination of croûtons and chives a bit more adult—but perhaps you shouldn’t ignore your inner kid. [ Makes 4 servings ]

1 cup (¹⁄₂ pound) split green peas

1 smoked or unsmoked ham hock (about 1 pound) (optional)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small leek, white part only, split lengthwise, washed well, and chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

Bouquet garni, tied in cheesecloth, consisting of 5 sprigs fresh parsley, 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried, 1 bay leaf, and 2 allspice berries

6 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the garnish (choose one or two)

¹⁄₂ cup small toasted croûtons

2 cooked frankfurters, split lengthwise, sliced

¹⁄₄ pound cooked ham, diced and sautéed in butter

³⁄₄ cup whipped cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. Place the split peas in a pot with the ham hock, if using, the onion, celery, carrot, leek, garlic, and bouquet garni. Cover with the water and bring to a near boil over high heat, skimming the surface of foam as it appears. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender and the meat on the ham hock is almost falling off, about 3 hours.

2. Remove the ham hock and the bouquet garni. Scrape the meat off the ham hock if desired, then discard the bone and the bouquet garni. Set the ham hock meat aside. Transfer the soup, in batches, to a blender and blend until a smooth purée.

3. Return the soup to a clean pot, season with salt and pepper, and reheat over ­medium heat with the ham hock meat. Stir in the cream and butter. Once the butter melts serve with a garnish of your choosing.

spring pea soup

The fresh garden peas of spring are like the candy of the vegetable world. Spring is the season for English garden peas, whose plump pods open like a zipper when you pull the string and spill them out with a flick of the thumb. Look for the plumpest pods, the ones that appear to be filled with air and about to burst. Don’t pod them until you want to make this soup. Restaurant chefs like to fancy up this dish by using chicken broth for the ­liquid and bacon or prosciutto as a garnish. My recipe takes a different approach. It is all about peas—even the broth is from the pea pods—and results in an intense and utterly ­delicious soup. [ Makes 4 to 6 servings ]

2 pounds fresh English pea pods (about 2¹⁄₂ cups peas)

10 cups water

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried summer savory

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

1¹⁄₂ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or more to taste

4 to 6 fresh mint sprigs

Crème fraîche to garnish the toast points

4 to 6 toast points

1. String the pods, remove the peas from the pod, and set aside. You should have about 2¹⁄₂ cups of peas. Place the pods in a large pot and cover with the water. Discard the strings. Bring to a boil over high heat, salt lightly with about 2 teaspoons salt, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the pods are softened, about 1 hour. Drain and reserve 6 cups of broth. Discard the pods.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion, scallions, carrot, celery, parsley, and summer savory, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the peas and cover with the 6 cups of pea broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat, transfer the soup to a blender in batches, and purée until very smooth, about 1¹⁄₂ minutes of blending. Return the soup to the cleaned pot, season with 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper and heat over medium heat until just beginning to bubble on the edges. Season with the lemon juice and stir, then taste to see if you need more salt, pepper, or lemon juice. Serve immediately with a sprig of mint and a small dollop of crème fraîche smeared on top of a toast point.

Variation: You can turn this recipe into a chilled pea soup by refrigerating the soup until cold and serving it in small demitasse cups as an appetizer with a small dollop of crème fraîche and a mint leaf.

Hercules and Pea Soup

In The Frogs of Aristophanes (c. 448–c. 388 bc), Dionysius illustrates for Hercules, whose appetite was as prodigious as his strength, man’s desire for poetry and art by comparing it to a craving for pea soup.

Dionysius: Don’t mock me, brother: on my life I amIn a bad way: such fierce desire consumes me.

hercules: Aye, little brother? How?

Dionysius: I can’t describe it . . . only illustrate.Have you ever felt a sudden passion for pea soup?

hercules: Thousands of times!

Dionysius: Am I clear, or must I tell you in another way?

hercules: About pea soup? No, that I understand.

Dionysius: Such is the longing that devours my soulFor lost Euripides.

Dionysius’s longing is for a poet who can write, unlike the hacks of the day. This longing is like a longing for a pea soup.

velouté of fava beans

In the Perigord region of France one enters the land of duck, truffles, and foie gras, and in the spring delicious fava bean dishes like this velouté de fèves, a smooth soup with finely grated cooked turnip, carrot, and celery root (celeriac) as a garnish. You will need 2¹⁄₂ pounds of fava bean pods to yield 1 pound (3 cups) of single-peeled fava beans. You can peel them by plunging the beans in boiling water for four minutes, then draining and pinching off the skins. That makes them “double-peeled.” Once they are peeled they will weigh about ³⁄₄ pound, which is just right for this recipe. [ Makes 6 servings ]

2 tablespoons goose or duck fat (preferably) or unsalted butter

2 leeks, white part only, washed well and sliced into very thin rounds

1 large onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

³⁄₄ pound double-peeled fresh fava beans (from 2¹⁄₄ pounds of pods; see headnote)

¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme

1 small bay leaf

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon salt or more to taste

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

³⁄₄ cup crème fraîche

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely grated

1 large turnip, peeled and thinly grated

1 ounce celery root (celeriac), peeled and thinly grated

1. In a pot, melt 1 tablespoon fat over medium heat, then add the leeks, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring, until a bit softened, about 3 minutes. Add the fava beans, thyme, and bay leaf, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8 minutes, then turn the heat off and transfer to a blender, in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, then add the crème fraîche and whisk it in to blend well. Keep the pot over low heat until you finish the next step.

3. In a skillet or flame-proof casserole, melt the remaining tablespoon of fat over low heat, then add the carrots, turnip, and celery root and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until softened and tender, 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the soup and stir. Let them heat for a minute or two, then serve hot.

tuscan white bean soup

This smooth soup or velouté is the height of simplicity, but count on diners to ask you for the recipe nevertheless, because its taste is so soothing and delicious. Tuscans favor a variety of small white navy beans, called cannellini, and also use these to make a thicker version, which is spread on crostini (toast points) and served as an antipasto. If you leave the carrot out, the soup will be whiter. [ Makes 4 servings ]

1 cup (¹⁄₂ pound) dried white beans

1 leafy sprig fresh sage

Salt to taste

¹⁄₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¹⁄₂ small onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

¹⁄₄ cup finely chopped fennel bulb (optional)

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

For the garnish (choose one)

Twelve 1-inch squares thinly sliced pancetta, cooked until crispy

1 cup croûtons, fried in olive oil until golden

¹⁄₂ cup cooked tiny shrimp

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Place the beans in a pot. Remove 2 leaves of sage from the sprig to use later, then add the sprig to the beans with water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, salt lightly, then cook at a boil until tender, about 1¹⁄₂ hours, replenishing the water when necessary.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel, if using, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes.

3. Drain the beans, saving 4 cups of the cooking liquid. Place the beans in a blender with the vegetables from the skillet and 4 cups of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean pot, add the 2 leaves of sage, and set over low heat. Cook until bubbling and hot, about 5 minutes. Serve hot with one of the ­garnishes.

chickpea purée with shrimp

This Sicilian soup called zuppa di ceci e gamberi is made with dried chickpeas that are cooked a long time with flavoring vegetables: tomatoes, onion, carrot, and celery. This preparation is puréed and then the flavors are adjusted with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. It’s quite easy to make and can be prepared long ahead of time and then finished at the last minute by sautéeing the rock shrimp briefly before adding them to the soup. Most people find the result unique and delicious. If you decide you don’t want to use dried chickpeas, remember that the canned ones still need to be flavored, so put them in a pot as in Step 1 and cook twenty-five minutes. The dried chickpeas, though, will provide a deeper, richer taste. [ Makes 8 first-course servings ]

1 pound (about 2¹⁄₂ cups) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water to cover, drained

1 large carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 large onion, halved

3 ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated against the largest holes of a standing grater down to the peel

3 quarts water

1 tablespoon salt or more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and more for drizzling

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 sprig fresh rosemary

¹⁄₂ pound shrimp, peeled

1. Place the chickpeas in a stockpot with the carrot, celery, onion, and tomatoes, cover with the water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, then reduce to low and simmer until tender, 2 to 2¹⁄₂ hours.

2. Transfer the mixture to a blender, in batches if necessary, and purée. Return to a clean pot and stir in enough additional water to make the chickpeas much creamier and looser than a hummus. Return to medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Season with the salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 5 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat, then add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer this mixture to the soup. The soup can be made up to this point and reserved to finish later, bringing it to a near boil before you serve.

4. In a skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook the shrimp until they turn white or orange-red (depending on the kind of shrimp) and are firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, transfer the shrimp to the soup bowls, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

najwa’s lentil soup

This lentil soup is one of my favorites, period. The recipe is from my former wife, Najwa al-Qattan, who makes it with such modesty. She always says, “It’s really nothing.” Well, she’s wrong: it’s really amazing. So much so, in fact, that after I published it in my book A Mediterranean Feast, it was discovered there and chosen for the book The 150 Best American Recipes: Indispensable Dishes from Legendary Chefs and Undiscovered Cooks, published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006. Shūrbat al- cadas, as the soup is called in Arabic, is very popular among ­Lebanese and Palestinians and has a long history in the Middle East, as we know from the biblical story of Esau, who renounced his birthright for a pottage of lentils (Genesis 25: 29–34). Although that lentil soup was made with red lentils, this one uses brown lentils and begs for a homemade chicken broth. The oil used for frying the flatbread can be any inexpensive olive or olive pomace oil. [ Makes 4 to 6 servings ]

2 cups (1 pound) brown lentils

8 cups chicken broth

1 large onion, grated

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups olive oil

1 large Arabic flatbread or pita bread, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch squares

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

1. Wash the lentils under cold running water, picking out any stones. Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot and add the lentils and onion. When the broth returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Do not stir.

2. Pass the lentils and broth through a food mill. Add the cumin and season with salt and pepper. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir. Taste to check the seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice and heat until the soup starts to bubble slightly. Taste again to check the seasoning and add whatever it needs.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil for frying to 375ºF in a medium-size pot or skillet. Fry the pieces of bread until golden, about 1 minute. Serve the soup with the fried croûtons of Arabic bread and extra-virgin olive oil passed at the table.

rasam

Rasam, a Tamil word, names a spicy soup from South India known also as chaaru in Telugu and saaru in Kannada, two more of the many languages of India. There are tens of different kinds of rasam, although there aren’t really a wide variety of soups in Indian cuisine. Maybe that’s because of the popularity of curries and dals, which are thick, stewlike dishes that can be thought of as very thick soups. The tamarind water can be replaced with 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. The tamarind paste, black mustard seeds, fenugreek, curry leaves, and asafetida can be purchased online at www.adrianascaravan.com. [ Makes 6 servings ]

3 garlic cloves

1-inch cube fresh ginger, peeled

2 teaspoons salt and more as desired

1 cup (¹⁄₂ pound) red lentils

¹⁄₂ teaspoon turmeric powder

6 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¹⁄₂ teaspoon black mustard or brown mustard seeds

1¹⁄₄ teaspoons cumin seeds

1 cup tomato purée, canned or fresh

¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground chile powder

¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground fenugreek

¹⁄₄ teaspoon asafetida (optional)

¹⁄₂ cup tamarind water (see Note)

3 tablespoons chopped or crumbled curry leaves or mint leaves

1. In a mortar, mash the garlic, ginger, and salt with a pestle until it forms a paste. Set aside.

2. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the turmeric and cover with 3¹⁄₂ cups of the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Set aside without draining.

3. In a pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until popping, about 1 minute. Add the tomato purée, chile powder, pepper, fenugreek, asafetida, if using, and reserved ginger and garlic paste and cook, stirring constantly, until dense, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the tamarind water and 2 tablespoons of the curry leaves to the pot. Stir well, increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

5. Place the lentils and their remaining liquid in a blender and blend until puréed. Transfer the lentils to the pot. Pour the remaining 2¹⁄₂ cups of water in the blender to collect the remaining purée, shaking a bit, then transfer to the pot with the soup and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and serve hot, garnished with the remaining 1 tablespoon of curry leaves.

Note: To make tamarind water, place a 1-inch cube of tamarind paste or the cut-up beans from 2 tamarind pods in ¹⁄₂ cup of hot water. Let steep for 1 hour, then drain.

pigeon pea and chile soup

From the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, this soup is a kind of rasam, a type popular in south India. It’s called nimmkaiya charu and utilizes the pigeon pea, a legume probably native to Africa that migrated to India in prehistoric times. The Portuguese took it to the New World. It is a familiar pulse in the tropics and has always been associated with poor people. This soup is certainly not poor, though, as it is spicy hot and very satisfying in winter. Pigeon peas are most likely to be found in whole food markets, and certainly in Indian markets, or they can be ordered through www.indianfoodsco.com. In the United States, pigeon peas are grown only as a forage crop for animals. In their place you can use split green peas. The curry leaves, black mustard seeds, and asafetida can only be found at Indian markets, or via the Internet at www.adrianascaravan.com. [ Makes 6 servings ]

1 cup dried pigeon peas or split green peas

¹⁄₂ teaspoon turmeric powder

3 dried red chiles

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon yellow split peas or red lentils

¹⁄₂ teaspoon black peppercorns

¹⁄₂ teaspoon cumin seeds

Pinch of asafetida (optional)

1 teaspoon black mustard or brown mustard seeds

2 ripe tomatoes (about ³⁄₄ pound), cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated against the largest holes of a grater down to the peel

3 fresh green finger-type chiles or 4 fresh green jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Juice from ¹⁄₂ lemon

4 curry leaves (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pigeon peas with ⅛ teaspoon of the turmeric, and cook, stirring frequently, until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, saving ³⁄₄ cup of the water, and set aside.

3. Lay the dried red chiles, coriander seeds, yellow split peas, peppercorns, cumin seeds, and asafetida, if using, on a baking tray, then roast in the oven until crispy, about 3 minutes. Grind coarsely in a spice mill or mortar and set this spice mix aside. Place the mustard seeds in the pan and roast them too until a few begin to crackle and pop, about 4 minutes. Set them aside separately from the spice mix.

4. In a pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add the remaining turmeric, the toma­toes, and the green chiles. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Add the spice mix and salt, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the reserved pigeon peas and water, plus another ¹⁄₄ cup of water, and leave it to simmer gently until very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Serve very hot garnished with fresh curry leaves, if using, and the roasted mustard seeds.

five dal soup

Dal is the Hindi word for “dried pulse,” as well as for a curried legume porridge. Pulses are the dried edible seeds of leguminous plants. A legume is more or less the same thing as a pulse; more technically, it’s a plant whose seeds form in a pod that splits in two—a dehiscent seedpod. Peas and lentils are examples of legumes. Gram, used in this recipe, is a legume from the Vigna genus. Grown in India for its seeds, “Gram” was originally the Portuguese grão, meaning “grain,” later picked up by the British colonial rulers of India. India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, and they have been eaten there since ancient times. All the legumes used in these dals belong to the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family. In this recipe I use black gram (Vigna mungo), mung beans (Vigna radiata), lentils (Lens culinaris), pigeon peas, also called red gram (Cajanus cajan), and yellow and green split peas (Pisum sativum). Indian dal soups, sometimes known by the generic rasam, are earthy, soul-satisfying dishes that everyone loves.

This recipe is adapted from Yamuna Devi’s The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. The ­legumes’ Indian names are in parentheses below, and it is in Indian markets that you will find them, along with any unfamiliar spices. Large whole/natural food markets such as Whole Foods may have these peas, too. In any case, I find the convenience of buying these ingredients on the Internet at sites such as www.indianfoodsco.com and, for the spices, www.adrianascaravan.com, too easy to pass up. Garam masala can be bought from www.penzeys.com. [ Makes 6 servings ]

3 tablespoons dried red lentil (masoor dal) or mung beans

3 tablespoons dried pigeon peas (toor dal)

3 tablespoons dried yellow split peas (chana dal) or split green peas

3 tablespoons dried split green peas or green gram (moong dal)

3 tablespoons dried black gram (urad dal) or brown lentils

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

¹⁄₄ pound fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon mustard oil or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

¹⁄₄ teaspoon black mustard or brown mustard seeds

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

¹⁄₂ teaspoon garam masala

¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¹⁄₈ teaspoon asafetida (optional)

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)

1. Soak the dried pulses in a bowl covered with hot water for 1 hour.

2. Drain the pulses and place in a large pot with the broth, coriander, ginger, and turmeric and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 1¹⁄₂ hours.

3. Add the salt and whisk the soup vigorously with a wire whisk until quite smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the coarsely chopped spinach and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. In a small nonstick pan, heat the oil over high heat, then add the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, and chile and cook for 20 seconds. Add the garam masala, cayenne, asafetida, if using, and the bay leaf, stir a few times, then add 3 tablespoons water and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into the soup and stir well. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.