The Soupmaker’s Kitchen

Mirepoix (diced onion, carrot, celery, and, in this case, garlic) cooked in butter or olive oil is the aromatic foundation of many soups, especially those from French and Italian traditions. Celeriac, or celery root, is often combined or substituted for branch (or Pascal) celery, and leek may be included for a sweeter onion flavor. Depending on the recipe, parsnips, garlic, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms, and bell peppers may form part of the mirepoix. Elsewhere, chiles and ginger flavor the soup foundation. In the Creole and Cajun cooking of Louisiana, onion, green pepper, and celery, along with thyme, form “the holy trinity” essential to gumbo and other typical soups and stews. Garlic, parsley, or shallots may be included.

Italian soffritto is a mixture of finely diced onion, garlic, celery, and sometimes garlic, shallots, and herbs slow cooked in olive oil. Portuguese refogado (onions, garlic, and tomato), Spanish sofrito (chopped onion, garlic, and tomato), and Catalan sofregit (tomatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic, and onions, and sometimes mushrooms and peppers) are all slow cooked in olive oil. In Germany and other Northern European cuisines, suppengrün (soup greens) are sold in bundles and usually include leek, carrot, celeriac, and perhaps parsnip. In the case of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, the soup greens will include dill and Hamburg parsley root.

CECI E TRIA
(Pugliese Chickpea and Semolina Noodle Soup)

Checking the Temperature of Frying Oil without Using a Thermometer

Although using a frying thermometer will give the most accurate results, here are two ways of checking the temperature without any special tools.

1. Hold your hand about 3 inches (7.5 cm) above the oil. If the air feels quite hot, the oil is ready. You can also see that the oil in the pot is forming wavy lines across the bottom, which happens as the oil temperature goes up.

2. Or, stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If lively bubbles form around the handle, the oil is hot enough.

CHARLESTON BLACK BEAN PURÉE WITH MADEIRA AND LEMON

BLACK BEANS have a notably fine grain when cooked, and when simmered with ham hocks, puréed, and strained, the resulting soup has a smooth, velvety texture that is easy to digest because the bean skins have been removed. This soup dates back to a nineteenth-century marketing campaign to make black beans more acceptable to white Americans who were scared off by their deep purple (not actually black) color and strong association with foods eaten by slaves. Renamed “turtle beans,” they were promoted as a way to make a low-cost mock turtle soup, an upper-class delicacy traditionally laced with Madeira, which is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese island of Madeira and imported into Charleston from precolonial times. The chopped egg mimosa garnish—named for its resemblance to yellow mimosa tree blossoms—the ground mace, and the lemon zest echo the traditional flavorings for turtle soup.

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

INGREDIENTS

4 smoked ham hocks, about 3 pounds (1.4 kg)

2 gallons (8 L) Chicken or Vegetable Stock (page 9 or 14)

2 pounds (4 cups, or 907 g) dried black turtle beans, soaked overnight in cold water

4 bay leaves

2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped

1/2 pound (225 g; about 3 to 4) carrots, peeled and chopped

3 to 4 ribs celery, sliced

2 tablespoons (20 g) chopped garlic

1/4 pound (1/2 cup, 1 stick, or 115 g) unsalted butter

1/4 cup (60 ml) cider or sherry vinegar

1 cup (235 ml) dry Madeira

Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons (2.2 g) ground mace or nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 lemons, for garnish

2 hard-cooked eggs, for garnish

2 tablespoons (6 g) thinly sliced chives, for garnish

1. Place the ham hocks, stock, and 3 quarts (3 L) cold water into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, skimming as necessary. Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours or until the hocks are starting to get tender.

Drain and rinse the soaked black turtle beans. Add them to the pot with the ham hocks along with the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and skim off any white foam impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours or until the beans are starting to break apart and are soft enough to be easily mashed with a fork against the side of the pot.

2. After the beans have cooked for about 1 hour, cook the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the butter over medium heat until softened but not browned. Transfer the mixture to the soup pot and continue simmering until the beans are quite soft and starting to break apart.

3. Remove and discard the bay leaves and ham hocks, making sure to remove all hard bits of bone that may have fallen off the hocks.

4. In a blender or food processor, purée the soup. Take care when puréeing hot soup. To avoid hot soup splattering out of the blender jar, do not fill the container much more than halfway, make sure the lid is on tight, and always start at slow speed and increase as you go.

5. Strain through a food mill or sieve as shown here to remove the bean skins.

6. Press down firmly onto the bean purée using the back of a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible.

7. Return the purée to the soup pot and stir in the vinegar, Madeira, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mace.

8. Bring the soup back to a boil, skimming off any white foam that rises to the top.

9. Prepare the garnishes: Thinly slice 1 to 2 lemons. You’ll need one slice for each bowl of soup. Remove and discard any pits from the lemon slices.

10. Cut hard-cooked (but not fully cooked, as shown here) eggs into slices using a wire egg slicer.

11. Turn eggs ninety degrees, keeping the slices together, and slice again to make small strips of egg.

12. Thinly slice chives for garnish (see “Cutting Chives,” page 97).

13. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper, and then pour into individual bowls. Garnish each portion with a lemon slice, chopped egg, and chives and serve immediately.

SOUPMAKER’S TIPS

* Wrap the hocks in cheesecloth to make it easier to remove them once cooked, as they will start to come apart into pieces when cooked for a long time. The long cooking time for the hocks helps break down the collagen they contain, adding richness and smooth, slightly sticky mouthfeel to the soup.

* Substitute smoked turkey legs, wings, or neck bones if you don’t eat pork. If using legs, be extra careful to remove and discard the hard bony tendons that tend to come off the legs when cooked for a long time, or wrap in cheesecloth before cooking.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Ham hocks that are still intact (may be saved to use another time); trimmings of onions including skins, tops and bottoms; carrot tops and bottoms (no skins); celery trimmings; garlic skins; chive trimmings, especially tougher whitish bottom portions.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP
(Faki)

THIS DELICIOUS LENTIL SOUP, faki in Greek, is a popular dish during the Lenten season when meat is not eaten, so it is a traditionally vegan soup. Simple to make, with few ingredients—though each one is essential—it has full-bodied flavor and texture. Imported Greek oregano, or rigani, sold dried on the branch, is highly resinous with a powerful aroma and is preferred, but fresh oregano is also excellent.

Though not traditional, here we use firm French green lentils because they keep their shape and have a nutty flavor. In the European Union, the term Le Puy Green Lentil may only be used to designate lentils that come from the region of Le Puy in south-central France near the Loire River. Similar lentils are now also grown in the United States.

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

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (2 cups, or 455 g) French green lentils

1 gallon (4 L) Vegetable Stock (page 14)

2 bay leaves

1 pound (455 g; about 1 large or 2 medium) onions, diced

1/2 pound (225 g; about 3) carrots, diced

1/4 pound (115 g; about 3 ribs) celery, diced

1 pound (2 cups, or 455 g) chopped plum tomatoes, canned or fresh (if fresh, the tomatoes should be peeled and seeded)

3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon, or 10 g)

1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon (3 g) crumbled oregano (preferably Greek)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Hot sauce, optional

Place the lentils in a large soup pot with the Vegetable Stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil, skimming as necessary. Reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes or until the lentils are half cooked.

1. Add the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still whole and the soup is slightly thickened.

2. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice.

3. Transfer the soup to a tureen, as here, or divide among individual soup bowls. If desired, serve with hot sauce.

Store, refrigerated up to 5 days or freeze.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion, carrots, celery, and tomato trimmings. You may add one squeezed-out lemon shell to chicken or fish stock.

Cutting Chives

The most delicate member of the onion family, chives make a beautiful garnish with a slightly sharp, oniony flavor and complement many soups, especially light-colored smooth cream soups from the French tradition, such as Lobster Bisque with Cognac, the Corn Cream Soup with Summer Vegetables, or the Green Gazpacho with Garlic, Grapes, and Almonds (pages 58, 69, 140 respectively). If picked in dry hot weather, you may need to pick through the chives and remove any dried brownish stalks. If picked in wet hot weather, you may need to pick through and remove any slimy stalks.

1. Line up the chives with their ends all facing the same direction and grasp the lower portion of the bundle with your nondominant hand.

2. Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice off the top portion of the bundle and line it up next to the remaining chives to form a thicker bundle.

3. Again grasping the bundle with your nondominant hand and keeping it in a compact shape, slice the chives crosswise into thin slices.

4. Continue slicing, but keep the fingers of your nondominant hand curled so you don’t cut them with the knife.

5. Slice until only tougher, whitish ends remain. Either save for stock or discard the ends.

TURKISH RED LENTIL SOUP
(Mercimek Çorbasi)

MERCIMEK MEANS “RED LENTIL” In Turkish, and çorbasi means “soup.” Together they make one of Turkey’s most basic and simple soups, quick and inexpensive to make and easy to adapt to vegetarian or vegan diets or for kosher meat meals by using vegetable stock instead of milk. The soup is flavored with spearmint, which grows profusely throughout the Mediterranean region. Ground sumac imparts tang while maroon Urfa biber (pepper) adds fruity heat. A few drops of paprika-infused olive oil provide the finishing touch.

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

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (2 cups, or 455 g) split red lentils

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons (12.5 g) kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground black pepper

3 tablespoons (17 g) chopped fresh mint, or 1 tablespoon (1.6 g) dried mint, preferably spearmint

3 tablespoons (48 g) tomato paste

1 tablespoon (3.6 g) Turkish Urfa pepper (substitute Aleppo pepper or other hot pepper flakes)

1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil, divided

6 tablespoons (47 g) all-purpose flour

2 cups (475 ml) milk (or Vegetable Stock, page 14)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) paprika

Chopped fresh mint, preferably spearmint or dried mint (see “Cutting Herb Leaves into Chiffonade,” page 100), for garnish

Ground sumac (see “Soupmaker’s Tips” on page 99), for garnish

1 lemon, cut in thick half-moon wedges, for garnish

1. Rinse and drain the red lentils. They will absorb a little of the water and expand.

2. In a large pot, mix red lentils, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, mint, tomato paste, and Urfa pepper.

3. Add 3 quarts (3 L) of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer half an hour or until the lentils have disintegrated, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, in a small pot, combine 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil and flour to make a smooth paste. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, to cook out the raw flour. Add the milk (or Vegetable Stock) while whisking or stirring vigorously and bring to a boil, stirring until smooth.

5. Scrape the mixture into the soup and bring back to boil. Taste soup for seasoning and reserve.

6. Make the paprika oil garnish: Heat the remaining oil in a small skillet and then add the paprika, stirring and cooking 5 to 10 seconds.

7. Divide the soup among individual soup bowls. Drizzle some paprika oil onto each bowl and sprinkle mint and sumac just before serving.

8. Add a wedge of lemon to each bowl and serve.

SOUPMAKER’S TIPS

* Buy inexpensive red lentils at an Indian grocery and store refrigerated or frozen, especially in hot weather months. Keep a bag on hand to make this 30-minute soup.

* This soup will thicken a lot as it stands. When reheating, pour a thin layer of water onto the bottom of the pot and then add the soup so it doesn’t stick. Stir often when reheating.

* Like most bean soups, this soup freezes perfectly, so double the recipe and freeze half in quart-size freezer containers or sturdy deli containers. (Look for deli containers that are reinforced at the rim—they are sturdier and you’ll be able to reuse them several times.)

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Onion trimmings, garlic trimmings

SUMAC:

Sumac spice comes from the dark burgundy-red fruits of Rhus coriaria and is unrelated to poison sumac. The small fruits are dried and ground to a coarse, moist texture. It has a fruity, tangy aroma and lemony-tart, resinous flavor with a salty aftertaste from the salt included as a preservative. Sumac bushes grow wild in the Mediterranean and are found in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey.

URFA PEPPER:

Urfa pepper (biber in Turkish) is a special maroon chile grown in the Urfa region of Eastern Turkey then dried and ground in a complex method. It has a distinctive smoky, dried fruit flavor, and mild but lasting heat. Look for Urfa pepper in Middle Eastern markets or from specialty spice stores. The closest substitute is dried ancho chiles from Mexico.

Cutting Herb Leaves into Chiffonade

To cut into chiffonade is to slice green leaves into narrow strips. You may use this technique to cut large herb leaves such as mint, basil, cilantro, or parsley, but not thyme, tarragon, or rosemary, which have narrow, needlelike leaves.

1. Wash and drain the spearmint, the preferred culinary variety in North Africa, Turkey, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Note that some hothouse-grown mint will lack flavor and aroma. Dried spearmint, purchased in whole leaf form as nana from a Middle Eastern market, or the contents of mint tea bags may be substituted.

2. Gather the mint into a compact bundle, then, using a sharp chef’s knife, slice across to make narrow strips, or chiffonade, of mint. The sharper the knife, the cleaner the cut, and the longer the mint (or other herb) will keep its appealing green color. A dull knife will yield oxidized (brownish) strips.

To store washed and drained or cut herb leaves, roll them into paper towels and place them into a plastic ziplock bag. If the leaves are totally dry, dampen the paper towels first. Once cut, the strips will quickly deteriorate, so use them within 1 day.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

THIS PEASANT SOUP IS BASED ON inexpensive, hearty, substantial beans in broth thickened with pasta and is found throughout Italy. The texture of this soup ranges from thin and smooth if puréed to thick and hearty, almost stewlike, depending on region and taste. In this recipe, we use pancetta (pork belly that has been salt and air-cured like prosciutto) for its potent savory flavor and rich fat, but you may substitute more olive oil. Pasta e Fagioli is often made with tender-skinned cannellini (white kidney) beans or meaty borlotti (or Romano) beans. Better yet is to use fresh shelled beans such as cranberry beans (found in season at farmers’ markets and Asian groceries), which don’t need any soaking. You will need to start the soup one day ahead to soak the beans. This soup freezes well without the pasta. Add the pasta after reheating the soup.

Baby arugula is prewashed and easy to use in this soup but larger field-grown arugula works as well. Just be sure to wash it thoroughly, changing the water if necessary. Slice larger leaves of arugula crosswise into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sections before adding to the soup.

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

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound (225 g) pancetta, chilled until firm (see “Soupmaker’s Tips,” page 51)

1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for serving

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 fennel bulb, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely diced

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic

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

6 cups (600 g) cooked cannellini beans (see “Cooking Dried Beans,” pafge 103)

2 quarts (2 L) Chicken or Vegetable Stock (page 9 or 14)

1/2 pound (225 g) ditalini or small dried pasta shells

2 cups (40 g) whole baby arugula or large arugula leaves shredded (if field-grown, wash the arugula thoroughly)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces (55 g) each grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses

1. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice all around the outside as a cutting guide. Following the guide, slice off a piece of pancetta about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick, which will weigh about 1/2 pound (225 g).

2. Cut the pancetta into small cubes by first slicing into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices. Then cut the slices into thick sticks.

3. Turn the sticks around so the ends are facing the knife. Cut the sticks into cubes.

4. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, lightly brown the pancetta in the olive oil over moderate heat.

5. Add the red onion, fennel, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.

6. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

7. Add the cooked beans, any bean cooking liquid, and the Chicken Stock and bring back to a boil.

8. Reduce the heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are quite tender.

9. Remove about one-fourth of the bean mixture from the pot and blend to a creamy purée. Return to the pot.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until firm to the bite (about 8 minutes). Drain, reserving 1 cup (235 ml) of the pasta cooking water.

Add the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water (which helps bind the soup due to the starch it contains) to the soup and stir to combine (see “Soupmaker’s Tips”).

10. Just before serving, stir in the arugula, the salt and pepper to taste, and then let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

11. Ladle into soup bowls or a tureen and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

12. Drizzle each portion with extra virgin olive oil.

13. Serve the soup.

SOUPMAKER’S TIPS

* If you’re planning to serve the soup more than once, add only enough of the cooked pasta for each portion. As the pasta sits in the broth it will continue to absorb liquid and will become soft and mushy. To avoid this, run cold water onto the cooked pasta, drain well, and then toss with a little olive oil. Reserve chilled until you’re ready to serve the soup.

SAVE FOR STOCK:

Fennel stalks and outer leaves, celery trimmings, garlic skins and trimmings, tomato trimmings if using fresh tomatoes (don’t use red onion trimmings, which will darken stock)

Cooking Dried Beans

When cooking dried beans, it’s important to cook them as slowly as possible so they keep their shape. Soaking the beans overnight and discarding the soaking water allows them to cook more evenly because they’ve already been hydrated. In addition, soaking and discarding the water also helps with digestion. You may take one further step (especially if you suspect the beans are old): After soaking and draining the beans, cover them with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain, discarding the water, and then continue with the first step.

Makes about 6 cups (600 g) cooked beans

1 pound (455 g) dried beans

1 whole onion, peeled and stuck with 4 whole cloves (see Appendix, page 148)

1/2 head garlic, excess outer skin rubbed off, 1/2 inch (1 cm) sliced off the top to expose the cloves

2 bay leaves

1 whole dried red chile pepper (optional), substitute 1 teaspoon (1.2 g) hot red pepper flakes

Place the beans in a bowl, cover with 1 quart (1 L) cold water and soak overnight or until plump and fully hydrated. Drain and rinse the beans.

1. Transfer beans to a medium-sized pot. Add 1 1/2 quarts (1.5 L) cold water, bring to a boil, skimming off and discarding the white foam protein impurities that rise to the top. Simmer 2 hours or until the beans are almost completely tender, shaking the pot occasionally so the beans don’t stick to the bottom.

2. Add the whole onion, garlic, bay leaves, and (optional) hot pepper and bring back to a boil.

3. Remove from the heat, remove and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and chile pepper, and reserve. Cool without stirring, to avoid breaking up the beans, and then drain.

Once cooled, you may freeze cooked beans to add later to soups such as Acquacotta Maremmana, page 83.

CHARLESTON BLACK BEAN PURÉE WITH MADEIRA AND LEMON

GREEK LENTIL SOUP
(Faki)

Cutting Chives

TURKISH RED LENTIL SOUP
(Mercimek Çorbasi)

Cutting Herb Leaves into Chiffonade

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Cooking Dried Beans

Soupmaker’s Note

CECI E TRIA
(Pugliese Chickpea and Semolina Noodle Soup)

TRIA PASTA

Checking the Temperature of Frying Oil without Using a Thermometer