FIRST CAME POTTAGE, a thick soup or stew made from vegetables, grains, and sometimes meat or fish boiled for several hours until the mixture was quite soft and well-cooked. The long cook time ensured that the food was safe for consumption and easy to eat by people who often lacked teeth. Pottage was a food of serfs and peasants in Great Britain from Neolithic times and a staple of the poor throughout most of Europe from medieval to late Renaissance times. The pot would be kept on the fire for days with more ingredients added as soup was ladled out. Pottage was served with bread for sopping. The French potage, a country-style simple vegetable-based soup, shares the same root.

This vegan Senegalese Peanut and Yam Soup has a fragrance of cinnamon and clove.

Purées are cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes that have been ground, pressed, blended, or sieved to a consistency somewhere between a thick liquid like heavy cream and a soft creamy paste like mashed potatoes. The word is of French origin and originally meant purified or refined. The Italian Chestnut Soup with Fennel and Marsala (page 64) is a purée thickened with sweet, nutty chestnuts and flavored with licoricelike fennel and nutty-tasting fortified Marsala wine. The Senegalese Peanut and Yam Soup with Ginger (page 60), a vegan soup, is a purée of yams and peanuts fragrant with sweet spices.

Bisque descended from pottage and was originally made from game meat and birds, especially pigeon and quail. In the classic French kitchen, bisque was a thick rich strained purée usually made from the pulverized and strained shells of crustaceans—at first crayfish, but also lobster and shrimp—as is the classic French Lobster Bisque with Cognac (page 69) in this chapter.

In the mid-seventeenth century, the French word bisque was imported into English and was originally spelled bisk. Though the origins of the word are murky, some tie it to the Spanish Atlantic province of Biscay, or Vizcaya in Spanish. Others believe it came from biscuit (bis cuit means “twice cooked”) because the crustaceans are first sautéed in their shells and then simmered in aromatic broth. Rich and creamy seafood bisque is traditionally served in a low two-handled cup on a saucer or in a mug.

Lobster bisque may have developed as a way to use culls, lobsters that have only a single claw, or a tiny second claw, and are therefore worth less money at the market. Another early name for bisque was a coulis, or cullis in English, which was a puréed and strained soup. Today, coulis usually refers to a strained fresh fruit or tomato sauce. The Tomato Bisque with Basil and Fennel (page 62) shares smooth texture, pink color, and velvety rice thickening with classic shellfish bisques.

In this chapter, we also make a vegan fresh Corn Cream Soup with Summer Vegetables (page 58) that gets its creaminess from ground and strained sweet corn. The Hungarian Woodlands Mushroom Soup (page 66) is a hearty mushroom lover’s soup infused by dried and reconstituted porcini mushrooms gathered in the wild through Western and Eastern Europe and dried for use throughout the winter.

CORN CREAM SOUP WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES

THIS VEGAN SOUP is as delicious as fresh corn munched off the cob and well worth the task of preparing the corn. The blended corn makes a sweet, creamy broth without any dairy products; the diced summer vegetables add color and crunch; and the generous sprinkling of fresh herbs makes for a fragrant soup. A similar soup is made in Japan: oumorokoshi no kurímusúpu (Corn Cream Soup), which is often garnished with sliced, fried lotus blossoms for crunch.

Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), serves 8 to 12

INGREDIENTS

8 ears young sweet corn

2 quarts (2 L) Corncob Stock (page 10), or Vegetable Stock (page 14)

1 jalapeño, seeded and cut up

2 bay leaves

4 cups, about 1 1/2 pounds (680 g), diced firm vegetables in small pieces: summer squash, zucchini, yellow and red bell peppers, tender green beans, carrots, or shelled baby limas or edamame (the last two can be used frozen but should be rinsed of any frost)

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, cored and diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 3 cups (90 g) picked tender herb leaves (including 1/2 cup (15 g) mixed chopped tender herbs: tarragon, thyme, chives, parsley, basil, mint, and/or marjoram), chopped (see Appendix, page 147 and 148)

Prepare the corn cream by cutting the kernels off the cobs. See Appendix, page 145.

1. Combine the corn kernels, corn “milk” stock, jalapeno, and bay leaves in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture has thickened.

2. Skim off and discard the white foam that rises to the top.

Purée the soup in a blender until smooth and velvety in texture. Transfer the liquid back into a large soup pot and bring to a boil.

3. Add diced vegetables and bring back to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until crisp tender.

4. Add the diced tomatoes and bring back to a boil.

5. Stir to combine and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. If desired, transfer the soup to a tureen.

7. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs and stir to combine.

8. Serve the soup immediately.

Store refrigerated up to 4 days. This soup does not freeze well.

SOUPMAKER’S TIPS

If your zucchini and yellow squash are large, cut away the seedy core and save for stock. Dice the outer meaty portion of the squash and add to the soup. Large yellow crookneck squash especially will contain a tough, woody seed section that is best removed.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Tops and ends of summer squash and zucchini; seedy cores and stems of yellow and red bell peppers; tomato trimmings; corncobs; and tender herb stems but not mint, which is too strong for most stocks.

SENEGALESE PEANUT AND YAM SOUP WITH GINGER

PEANUT SOUP appears on the menu in many West African countries. In the early 1500s Europeans brought peanuts from South America to Africa, where they caught on quickly because of their similarity to the native African bambarra groundnut. Yams were first domesticated in Central America or South America about 5,000 years ago. This smooth, creamy soup made with vegetable stock and thickened with both peanuts and peanut butter gets its sweetness from yams. A warm reddish brown, the vegan soup is fragrant with sweet, earthy, and piquant spices. Many African Americans serve this soup to celebrate the seven days of Kwanzaa. The soup freezes perfectly. You may substitute Chicken Stock if desired.

Ingredients for vegan Senegalese Peanut and Yam Soup with Ginger—showing Northern white sweetpotatoes and Southern red yams.

Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), serves 8 to 12

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola or other vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic

2 tablespoons (12 g) chopped ginger root

2 teaspoons (5 g) ground cumin

2 teaspoons (4 g) ground coriander

1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon (1 g) cayenne pepper or other ground hot chile pepper

Pinch ground cloves

2 cups (360 g) diced fresh ripe tomatoes or canned chopped plum tomatoes

2 pounds (907 g, or about 2 large) yams, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 1/2 quarts (2.5 L) Vegetable Stock, (page 14) simmering

1 cup (145 g) roasted peanuts

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped, plus extra for garnish

1/2 cup (130 g) peanut butter (chunky or smooth) Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and cloves. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes to release the fragrance. Stir in the tomatoes and yams and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the hot stock. Add the peanuts, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until the yams are quite soft. Remove the soup from the heat.

3. Strain the soup through a sieve or wire basket, as shown here, reserving the solids and liquid separately.

Place the solids into a blender, adding enough liquid to cover by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Start the blender on low, gradually increasing the speed. Do not fill the blender jar more than two-thirds full. Purée the soup until smooth.

4. Return the soup to the pot. Whisk in the peanut butter and chopped cilantro, season to taste with salt and pepper, and heat through.

5. Top each serving with the chopped cilantro. Serve piping hot. Garnish with more chopped peanuts and diced tomato, if desired.

SOUPMAKER’S TIPS

Be sure to wash the cilantro thoroughly, as field-grown cilantro is often quite sandy. If you see a lot of sand in the bowl of cilantro after you wash it, wash again in another bowlful of cold water.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion trimmings, garlic skins and ends, tomato and yam trimmings, ginger trimmings (good for chicken stock)

SORTING OUT THE CONFUSION:

Yams, sweet potatoes, and sweetpotatoes: Sweet potatoes originated in the New World and traveled to the Old World well before the potato. The English word yam derives from the Senegalese nyami, a starchy African root with rough brown skin that can grow to 5 feet (1.5 m) in length and 150 pounds (68 kg) in weight. Botanists now prefer to use sweetpotato (one word) instead of sweet potato (two words) to distinguish this member of the Morning Glory family. In the 1930s Louisiana growers chose the name yam to set their vivid orange, soft-fleshed, sweet storage roots apart from the drier, paler white-to-gold-fleshed sweetpotato traditionally grown in the North. The boniato, a staple from Mexico to Vietnam, is a starchy white-skinned sweetpotato with yellow flesh, dry, fluffy texture, and delicately sweet chestnutlike flavor. The Okinawa, a Hawaiian sweetpotato called poni in Hawaii, turns lilac after cooking and has rich, sweet flesh. Asian sweetpotatoes are rose-skinned, ivory-fleshed cultivars, which fall between the drier boniatos and moist-flesh whites in taste and texture.

TOMATO BISQUE WITH BASIL AND FENNEL

SUMMERTIME IS HEAVEN for tomato lovers and this soup makes use of the best juicy, ripe tomatoes from the garden or the farmers’ market. A far cry from canned cream of tomato soup, this bisque gets its velvety texture from white rice and its scent from sweet basil and licorice-like fennel. You’ll be disappointed if you make this soup from tasteless, mealy, out-of-season tomatoes. But in season, it’s a great way to use up less-than perfect ultra-ripe tomatoes that may have bad spots that need to be trimmed away. The riper the tomato, the better the soup.

A celebration of summer tomatoes with fragrant sweet basil. Low-acid yellow tomatoes are sometimes available at farmers’ markets and supermarkets.

Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), serves 8 to 12

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons (59 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 large white onion, cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic

3 pounds (1.4 kg) ripe beefsteak-type red tomatoes, cored and cut up into large chunks

1/2 cup (97.5 g) white rice, uncooked (not instant)

3 sprigs basil on the branch

6 cups (1.4 L) Vegetable Stock (page 14)

1 head fennel, cut into small dice

1 pound (455 g) ripe beefsteak-type red and/or yellow tomatoes, cored and diced (see Appendix, page 150)

1/4 cup (10 g) basil chiffonade (see Appendix, page 150)

1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

Kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil, add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

1. Add the 3 pounds (1.4 kg) cut-up beefsteak tomatoes and stir to combine with the onions and garlic.

2. Pour in the rice and basil sprigs.

3. Add the Vegetable Stock. When pouring in this and any other stock, leave behind the last 1/2 inch (1 cm) or so of liquid because the solids settle to the bottom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the rice is creamy and quite soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

4. Transfer the mixture to a blender jar, filling the container only about halfway and working in two to three batches.

5. To prevent splattering of the hot liquid, start blending on low speed and hold on to the lid to keep it from popping off. Then increase speed and blend to a smooth purée.

6. Strain the purée, discarding any remaining solid bits, seeds, and skin, and reserving the strained purée.

7. Wash out the pot and add the fennel and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil. Sauté the fennel until tender but not browned about 10 minutes, stirring often.

8. Add diced tomatoes and basil chiffonade and cook until the tomatoes are softened but still hold their shape. Add the reserved strained tomato purée and bring to a boil.

9. Pour in the heavy cream, bring to a boil, and season with salt, cayenne, and black pepper.

10. Serve immediately garnished with basil chiffonade or a basil sprig.

Store soup refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze if desired.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion, tomato, fennel trimmings and basel stems.

ITALIAN CHESTNUT SOUP WITH FENNEL AND MARSALA

THIS FRAGRANT, RICH, DEEP-FLAVORED soup has a base of the salt-and-pepper cured pork belly called pancetta in Italian. Bacon makes the best substitute, though if it is fatty, some of the fat should be discarded. Sweetly nutty Marsala wine (the dry type is best here) from the island of Sicily adds flavor and a slight kick. Dry sherry, Madeira, or even Tuscan Vin Santo, a dessert wine made from raisin-grapes, will also work. Chestnuts and fennel is a natural pair; both are in season in autumn and in high demand in Italy, where most of the world’s chestnuts are grown. The sweet, starchy-nutty chestnuts are lightened and accented by the fennel bulb and its more intensely anise-flavored seeds. Prepared chestnuts are available frozen and vacuum sealed in bags or glass jars. The stalks of the fennel bulb are also used here; they have a much stronger anise flavor than the bulb.

Makes 3 quarts (3 L), serves 12

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

1/4 pound (115 g) pancetta, cut into small bits

1 large onion, chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped including the stalks

2 tablespoons (12 g) ground fennel seed

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 quarts (2 L) Chicken Stock (page 9)

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) peeled cooked chestnuts

1/2 cup (120 ml) dry Marsala

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thinly sliced chives and/or finely chopped fennel fronds, for garnish

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter, add the pancetta, and then cook over low to moderate heat until the fat has rendered out, stirring constantly.

2. Add the onion, fennel, ground fennel seed, bay leaves, and cloves, and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.

3. Add the Chicken Stock and chestnuts and bring back to a boil.

4. Simmer 45 minutes, skimming as necessary, or until the chestnuts are soft enough to break apart easily.

5. Blend the soup using an immersion blender as shown here, or transfer the soup, working in several batches, to the jar of a blender and blend.

6. Strain through a sieve or a food mill to achieve a smooth, velvety consistency.

7. Transfer soup to a clean pot and add the Marsala and the cream. Bring back to a boil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Pour the soup into individual serving bowls and garnish with chives. Serve the soup immediately.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion and fennel trimmings, any extra pancetta fat (excellent cooked with beans)

HUNGARIAN WOODLANDS MUSHROOM SOUP: GOMBALEVES

THIS IS A VEGETARIAN SOUP for mushroom lovers! Its base, cremini mushrooms, also known as baby bellas or brown mushrooms, are the same variety as the common white button mushroom but with darker skin and a closed cap, earthy flavor, and dense, meaty texture. We combine these hearty cultivated mushrooms with reconstituted dried wild woodland porcini (Boletus edulis). Hungarian paprika (dried powdered sweet paprika peppers) and sour cream are characteristic Hungarian flavorings. This soup freezes very well.

Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), Serves 8 to 12

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic

6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter

2 pounds (907 g) cremini mushrooms, diced (see “Slicing and Dicing Cremini Mushrooms,” page 68)

1 ounce (28 g; about 1 cup) dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped (see “Using Dried Porcini Mushrooms,” page 68)

2 tablespoons (14 g) sweet Hungarian paprika

6 tablespoons (47 g) all-purpose flour

3 quarts (3 L) Mushroom Stock (page 13), simmering, divided

1/2 cup (30 g) chopped Italian parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (230 g) sour cream (optional), for garnish

1. In a large, heavy soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are softened but not browned.

2. Add the chopped cremini and chopped porcini.

3. Cook until the mushrooms give off their liquid and the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the paprika.

5. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook together about 5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

6. Pour in about half the stock, here Mushroom Stock made from cremini and shiitake stems and porcini mushroom liquor. Bring to a boil while stirring, until thick and smooth.

7. Pour in the remaining stock, bring back to a boil, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls—here we serve it in mini-French “lion’s head” bowls as part of a tasting menu or hors d’oeuvres party. Top each portion with a dollop of sour cream and serve.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion trimmings, garlic peels and ends, extra cremini stems, extra porcini liquor

Using Dried Porcini Mushrooms

Known as cêpes in France, steinpilz or “stone mushroom” in Germany, and porcino (singular), which means “piglet,” in Italy (pigs are fond of eating them), this prized “king of mushrooms” forms a symbiotic association with living trees in deciduous and coniferous forests. The best porcini (plural) will include large slices of light-colored mushroom caps. Dark, broken porcini may be full of dirt, so soak well, and then strain the soaking liquid carefully. Instead of gills, long, thin tubes fill the undersides of the caps of members of the Bolete family.

1. Place the porcini in a bowl and add water to cover; use boiling water if you’re pressed for time, cold water if not. Soak the porcini to until they are plump and soft, about 20 minutes in boiling water or about 1 hour in cold water.

2. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the porcini from their soaking liquid, which should be deep brown in color after soaking. Place the reconstituted porcini in a bowl and reserve.

3. Strain most of the porcini liquor through a dampened paper towel placed in a sieve over a bowl or other container. Reserve the delicious juices, or freeze it for later use.

4. Leave behind and discard the last portion of soaking liquid, which will often contain a lot of dirt.

5. Chop the mushrooms into small bits.

Slicing and Dicing Cremini Mushrooms

Use this same technique to slice and/or dice common white button mushrooms or other firm, fresh mushrooms. If the mushrooms are little tired and soft, you must slice them one at a time in order to cut through the tougher skin.

If the mushrooms have long stems, cut them away flush with the bottom of the cap or pull off the stems and reserve for Mushroom Stock, freezing if desired.

1. Line up the mushroom caps with the stem side down. Push the mushrooms one at a time toward the knife while taking care to keep your fingers away from the edge. Slice by pivoting from the point of the knife and cutting downward.

2. Lay the sliced mushrooms down flat on a work surface and cut into rough bits, working from one side of the pile to the other. Once you’ve cut the mushrooms into rough bits, begin chopping the mushrooms, continuing until they are chopped into small bits 1/4 to 1/2-inch (6 mm to 1 cm) across.

LOBSTER BISQUE WITH COGNAC

IN FRENCH CUISINE, a bisque is a velvety-smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup that is classically made from crustaceans, especially lobster and crayfish, but also crab and shrimp. By extension, other smooth, creamy soups, especially if thickened with white rice, may also be termed bisque (see Tomato Bisque with Basil and Fennel, page 62). In making this lobster bisque, you’ll be extracting every bit of flavor from the lobsters including their shells and their delicious roe, if you can find mature female lobsters. Although this is a rather complex soup to make—that is, preparing live lobsters and then chopping or grinding their shells, which contain a surprising amount of flavor—the results are superb and fit for the most elegant of dinners. The bisque also freezes surprisingly well.

Makes about 3 quarts (3 L), serves 12

INGREDIENTS

2 live lobsters (or crayfish) (1 1/2 pounds, or 680 g, each), preferably female for their beautiful and delicious roe

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

6 tablespoons (89 ml) Cognac

1/2 cup (120 ml) Madeira or dry sherry

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 ribs celery, trimmed and sliced

1 medium onion, cut into rough chunks

2 ripe red tomatoes, quartered

4 cloves garlic, halved

Bouquet garni (see Appendix, page 149): 3 sprigs tarragon, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley, and 1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste

3 quarts (3 L) Shrimp or Chicken Stock (page 9)

3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (235 ml) white wine

2 cups (475 ml) heavy cream

Salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper

Thinly sliced chives and/or cooked lobster roe (see Appendix, page 151), for garnish

1. Place one live lobster on a work surface with its head facing your nondominant hand.

2. Grip the lobster on the back of its thorax, or main body shell (the lobster’s claws will have been secured by rubber bands). Look for the place where two sections of shell meet. Plunge the point of a sharp chef’s knife between the shell sections. This will kill the lobster instantly although it will often keep moving.

3. Split one of the lobsters lengthwise from head to tail. Separate the two halves. Remove and discard the two halves of the “sand sac” (the small bag) from inside both sides of the head, which is the lobster’s stomach, and the long fingerlike spongy gills from underneath the main body portion. Repeat the process for the second lobster.

4. Remove the dark green roe sacs and reserve. (The more mature the female lobster, the darker and more abundant the roe will be.) Cook the roe, crumble it, and reserve (see Appendix, page 151).

5. Cut or twist off the claws from both lobsters. Break up the claw shells by hitting with a meat pounder or a hammer.

6. Cut off and reserve the lobster tail sections (two halves from each lobster). Separately, cook the tail pieces in oil until the meat is opaque and the shells curl up. Cool and reserve.

7. In a large sauté pan or rondeau (as shown here), heat the olive oil till it’s just beginning to smoke. Cook all the lobster pieces except the reserved tail sections, at high heat till they turn bright red. Add the Cognac and Madeira and flambé, taking care to keep your face averted when lighting.

8. Add the carrot, celery, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and bouquet garni to the pot. Cook together 5 minutes.

If using a skillet, scrape the lobster-vegetable mix to a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add tomato paste and Chicken Stock and bring to a boil. (If using a rondeau, add the liquid directly to the contents of the pot.) Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Strain out solids, reserving both solids and broth separately and reserve pot—it is not necessary to wash it. Chop the solids into smaller pieces using a heavy chef’s knife or cleaver. The smaller the pieces, the more flavor you’ll be able to extract from the shells.

9. Mix the lobster pieces and broth together in a large soup pot.

10. Make a beurre manié (a soft paste of the butter and flour).

11. If available, add the lobster roe to the paste, reserving some for garnish, if desired.

12. Mash the roe together with the butter and flour to make a creamy paste.

13. Whisk the beurre manié into the broth to thicken it. Add the white wine and bring back to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until the lobster shells have given off their flavor, skimming as necessary and stirring occasionally.

Skim off any foamy impurities that rise to the surface and discard.

14. Meanwhile, cut the cooked tail meat into thin crosswise slices and reserve for garnish.

15. Strain the mixture first through a colander, sieve, or china cap, pressing down firmly with the back of a ladle to extract all the good flavors. Discard the solids. Strain a second time through a fine sieve or china cap for smooth texture and to make sure no shell pieces remain.

16. Transfer the strained liquid to a large pot. To finish the bisque, stir in the cream, bring back to a boil, and season with salt, white pepper, and cayenne to taste. It should be fluid and creamy, thick enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon.

17. Ladle bisque into hot soup plates and sprinkle with reserved sliced lobster meat, chives, and any reserved cooked roe. Serve immediately.

Store refrigerated up to 3 days. This soup may be frozen.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Carrot, celery, onion and tomato trimmings, garlic skins, herb stems