soups and stews
Small-Batch Caramelized Onions
Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices
Sicilian Chickpea and Escarole Soup
Turkish Tomato, Bulgur, and Red Pepper Soup
Ginger Beef and Ramen Noodle Soup
Greek Chicken and Rice Soup with Egg and Lemon (Avgolemono)
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Classic Homemade Chicken Broth
Serves 8 to 10; Total Time 2 hours
why this recipe works
Chicken noodle soup from a can tastes nothing like soup you make yourself. This version is simple but hearty, with a rich broth and flavorful pieces of meat. Using thighs instead of a whole chicken kept things easier. We first browned them to build up a flavorful fond, then removed the skin to cut down on greasiness before simmering the thighs for a deep, savory broth. Since most people prefer white meat in chicken soup, we also gently poached two boneless chicken breasts in the broth, ensuring tender, juicy meat. Onion, carrot, celery, egg noodles, and herbs rounded out this classic. To keep our soup rich but not greasy, we made sure to remove the fat from the broth before serving. The thighs are used to flavor the broth; once the broth is strained, shred the thigh meat and reserve it for a salad or sandwiches. If you prefer dark meat in your soup, omit the chicken breasts and add the shredded thigh meat to the soup instead.
BROTH
12 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
12 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
SOUP
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
6 ounces wide egg noodles
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1. FOR THE BROTH Pat thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of thighs skin side down until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Turn thighs and lightly brown second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to strainer set in a large bowl. Repeat with remaining thighs and transfer to strainer; discard fat in bowl. Pour off fat from pot, add onion, and cook over medium heat until just softened, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard skin from thighs. Add thighs, water, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt to pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken breasts and continue simmering until broth is rich and flavorful, about 15 minutes.
2. Strain broth into large container, let stand at least 10 minutes, then remove fat from surface (see “Defatting Soup”). Meanwhile, transfer chicken to cutting board to cool. Once cooled, remove thigh meat from bones, shred, and reserve for another use. (The thigh meat can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.) Shred breast meat and reserve for soup.
3. FOR THE SOUP Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until onion has softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme and defatted broth and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add noodles and shredded breast meat and simmer until noodles are just tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
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DEFATTING SOUP
Defatting a broth or soup is important if you don’t want your final dish to look and taste greasy. The simplest method is to let the liquid settle in the pot for 5 to 10 minutes, then skim away the fat with a wide, shallow spoon or ladle. The advantage of this method is that it’s very easy; however, some fat will remain in the broth. Straining the broth and pouring it into a tall, narrow container before defatting makes the process easier as it creates a deeper layer of fat that is easier to remove. If you have time, you can refrigerate broth overnight—the fat will collect and solidify on the top as it chills, at which point you can simply scrape the large solid pieces of fat right off the broth before reheating and using.
You can also use a fat separator. This technique works best with broths that don’t have much in the way of vegetables taking up space in the pot. There are two types: pitchers and bottom drainers. With both, you pour the liquid into the fat separator and wait a few minutes for the fat to rise to the top. Then you either pour out the broth from a spout set in the base, or you pull a lever set in the handle to release the broth from the bottom of the separator, leaving the fat behind.
Serves 4 to 6; Total Time 1 hour
why this recipe works
This soup highlights the delicate flavor of cauliflower and has all of the comforting depth of a creamy soup without the heaviness of actual cream. Instead it relies on the creaminess of the cauliflower itself; because of the vegetable’s low fiber content, it easily breaks down to create a velvety-smooth puree. To emphasize the cauliflower’s flavor, we cooked it in water instead of broth, skipped the spice rack entirely, and added the cauliflower to the simmering water in two stages so that we got both the grassy flavor of just-cooked cauliflower and the nuttier flavor of longer-cooked cauliflower. Finally, we browned additional florets in butter and used both the florets and the butter as flavorful and elegant garnishes. White wine vinegar may be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Be sure to thoroughly trim the cauliflower’s core of green leaves and leaf stems, which can be fibrous and contribute to a grainy texture in the soup.
1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
4½–5 cups water
½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1. Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem. Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; slice core thin and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of ½-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, onion, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring often, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.
3. Add 4½ cups water, sliced core, and half of sliced cauliflower. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower and simmer soup until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring often, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and has nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl. Toss florets with vinegar and season with salt to taste. Pour browned butter in skillet into separate bowl and reserve for garnishing.
5. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds per batch. Return pureed soup to clean pot, bring to brief simmer over medium heat, and adjust consistency with remaining water as needed (soup should have thick, velvety texture but should be thin enough to settle with flat surface after being stirred). Season with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with browned florets, drizzle of browned butter, chives, and pepper.
variation
Before adding water to saucepan, stir 1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon curry powder into vegetables and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Substitute lime juice for sherry vinegar and 2 scallions, sliced thin on bias, for chives. Stir ½ cup canned coconut milk and 1 tablespoon lime juice into pureed soup before serving.
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The texture of a pureed soup should be as smooth and creamy as possible. With this in mind, we tried pureeing several soups with a food processor, a handheld immersion blender, and a regular countertop blender. We found that the standard blender turned out the smoothest pureed soups. The blade on the blender does an excellent job with soups because it pulls ingredients down from the top of the container. No stray bits go untouched by the blade. And as long as plenty of headroom is left at the top of the blender, there is no leakage.
The immersion blender has appeal because it can be brought to the pot, eliminating the need to ladle hot ingredients from one vessel to another. However, we found that this kind of blender can leave unblended bits of food behind, which is fine if you’re aiming for a chunkier puree. The food processor does a decent job of pureeing, but some small bits of vegetables can get trapped under the blade and remain unchopped. Even more troubling is the tendency of a food processor to leak hot liquid. Fill the workbowl more than halfway and you are likely to see liquid running down the side of the food processor base.
Any time you’re blending hot soup, follow a couple of precautions: Carefully ladle the soup into the blender to avoid pouring hot liquid directly from a saucepan, and never fill the blender jar more than halfway; otherwise, the soup can explode out the top. Don’t expect the lid on a blender to stay in place. Hold the lid securely with a folded dish towel to keep it in place and to protect your hand from hot steam. Finally, pulse several times before blending continuously.
Serves 6; Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
why this recipe works
There is no denying the appeal of a great bowl of French onion soup, with its caramelized onions, rich broth, and nutty Gruyère-topped bread. To fully and evenly caramelize 4 whole pounds of onions, we started by cooking them for 2½ hours in the oven, which not only produced golden, soft, sweet onions but also built up plenty of fond on the bottom of the pot. This we deglazed with water—several times, to create additional fond—before adding chicken broth, beef broth, and more water. The soup’s crowning glory, the bread and cheese topping, is traditionally broiled directly atop the soup. If your soup bowls can’t go under the broiler, sprinkle the toasted bread slices with Gruyère and broil them on the baking sheet until the cheese melts, then float them on top of the soup. The pot of cooked onions in step 2 can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before continuing with step 3.
SOUP
4 pounds onions, halved and sliced through root end into ¼-inch-thick pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
Salt and pepper
2¾–3 cups water, plus extra as needed
½ cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
1 small baguette, cut into ½-inch slices
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1. FOR THE SOUP Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray inside of Dutch oven with vegetable oil spray. Add onions, butter, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook in oven until onions wilt slightly and look moist, about 1 hour.
2. Stir onions thoroughly, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Partially cover pot and continue to cook in oven until onions are soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1¾ hours longer, stirring onions thoroughly after 1 hour.
3. Carefully remove pot from oven (leave oven on) and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, continue to cook onions, stirring and scraping pot often, until liquid evaporates, onions brown, and bottom of pot is coated with dark crust, 20 to 25 minutes. (If onions begin to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Also, be sure to scrape any browned bits that collect on spoon back into onions.)
4. Stir in ¼ cup water, thoroughly scraping up browned crust. Continue to cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat deglazing 2 or 3 more times with additional ¼ water each time, until onions are very dark brown.
5. Stir in sherry and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, beef broth, 2 cups water, thyme bundle, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt, scraping up any remaining browned bits. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Discard thyme bundle and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; return to simmer before proceeding.)
6. FOR THE CROUTONS While soup simmers, lay baguette slices on rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry, crisp, and lightly golden, about 10 minutes, flipping slices halfway through baking.
7. Position oven rack so rims of crocks will be 4 to 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1½ cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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Our love for caramelized onions goes well beyond this soup: Their deep, earthy richness enhances almost anything. Try them in an omelet, frittata, or scrambled eggs. They taste fantastic on grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, or a potato or green salad. Baked or mashed potatoes? For sure. Or serve them with apples and a good cheese for dessert. To caramelize a relatively small amount of onions, we use a skillet. These onions can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days or frozen in a zipper-lock bag for up to 3 months (press out all the air in the bag before freezing).
Small-Batch Caramelized Onions
Makes 1 cup
Trim root end from 2 pounds onions, halve pole to pole, peel, and slice crosswise ¼ inch thick. Heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat; when foam subsides, stir in ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar. Add onions and stir to coat; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften and release some moisture, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and slightly sticky, about 40 minutes. (If onions sizzle or scorch, reduce heat. If onions are not browning after 15 minutes, increase heat.) Off heat, stir in 1 tablespoon water; season with pepper to taste.
Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices
Serves 4 to 6; Total Time 45 minutes
why this recipe works
Small red lentils break down into a creamy, thick puree—perfect for a satisfying soup—but their mild flavor requires a bit of embellishment (thus the longish ingredient list). To build a flavorful base, we sautéed onion in butter and then added fragrant North African spices to bloom in the warm mixture. Tomato paste and garlic completed the base. Then we added our lentils, along with a mix of chicken broth and water to give the soup a full, rounded character. After only 15 minutes of cooking, the lentils were soft enough to be pureed with a whisk. A generous dose of lemon juice brought the flavors into focus, but to really elevate the flavor, we created a quick spice-infused butter; drizzling this on top, along with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, completed the transformation of everyday ingredients into an exotic yet comforting soup.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
10½ ounces (1½ cups) red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra for seasoning
1½ teaspoons dried mint, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, and lentils and bring to simmer. Simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and about half are broken down, about 15 minutes.
2. Whisk soup vigorously until it is coarsely pureed, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and extra lemon juice to taste. Cover and keep warm. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Thin soup with water, if desired, when reheating.)
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small skillet. Remove from heat and stir in mint and paprika. Ladle soup into individual bowls, drizzle each portion with 1 teaspoon spiced butter, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
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GETTING TO KNOW LENTILS
If you’d like to cook more legumes, lentils are a good place to start. They’re quick to prepare, requiring no soaking on account of their thin skins. Rinse lentils before using them and pick through them to remove any pebbles, shriveled lentils, or other debris (a good practice with all dried beans). Lentils come in many sizes and colors, with considerable differences in flavor and texture. Here are the most commonly available types.
These larger lentils are what you’ll find in every supermarket. They are a uniform brown or green and have a mild, light, earthy flavor and creamy texture. Because they hold their shape well when cooked, they’re a good all-purpose option, great in soups and salads or simmered and then tossed with olive oil.
These dark green French lentils from the city of Le Puy are smaller than the more common brown and green varieties. They are a dark olive green and have a rich, earthy, complex flavor and a firm but tender texture. Use these if you are looking for lentils that will keep their shape and look beautiful on the plate when cooked; they’re perfect for salads and dishes where the lentils take center stage.
These Indian lentils are small and orange-red or golden yellow. They come split and skinless, so they completely disintegrate into a uniform consistency when cooked. If you are looking for lentils that will quickly break down into a thick puree, as in our soup recipe, this is the kind to use.
Serves 6 to 8; Time 1 hour 30 minutes (plus soaking time)
why this recipe works
This Italian classic squeezes every last ounce of flavor out of vegetables and features creamy dried beans and a surprisingly rich broth. Sautéing pancetta and cooking the vegetables in the rendered fat gave our soup layers of flavor, while a Parmesan rind (save a few in the freezer for recipes like this) added richness. V8 juice, though unconventional, added a wallop of vegetable flavor. Starch released from the beans thickened the soup. We prefer to use cannellini beans, but navy or great Northern beans can also be used. We prefer pancetta but bacon can be used. To make this soup vegetarian, substitute 2 teaspoons olive oil for the pancetta and vegetable broth for the chicken broth. The Parmesan rind can be replaced with a 2-inch chunk of the cheese. If you’re pressed for time, quick-soak the beans: In step 1, bring the salt, water, and beans to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe.
Salt and pepper
8 ounces (1¼ cups) dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 small onions, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ small head green cabbage, halved, cored, and chopped (2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅛–¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1 Parmesan cheese rind, plus grated Parmesan for serving
1 bay leaf
1½ cups V8 juice
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1. Dissolve 1½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Heat oil and pancetta in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 3 to 5 minutes. Add celery, onions, carrot, and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 9 minutes. Stir in cabbage, garlic, pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt and continue to cook until cabbage starts to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
3. Add drained beans, water, broth, Parmesan rind, and bay leaf to now-empty Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully tender and liquid begins to thicken, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Add reserved vegetables and V8 juice; cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and Parmesan rind, stir in basil, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Add basil just before serving.)
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SIX PRINCIPLES OF SOUP MAKING
Soup might seem easy enough to make—but it’s hard to hide the mistakes. To make sure every spoonful of soup is richly flavored, with juicy meat and tender vegetables, follow these test kitchen–tested tips.
1. Sauté the Aromatics
Sautéing onions, garlic, and other aromatics softens their texture (preventing unwanted crunch), tames harshness, and develops complexity.
2. Start with a Good Broth
Packaged broth is convenient and can be perfectly acceptable, but the differences among packaged broths are quite significant. Some are pretty flavorful, while others taste like salty dishwater. For our favorite brands, see this page.
3. Cut the Vegetables to the Right Size
Haphazardly cut vegetables will cook unevenly—some pieces will be underdone and crunchy while others may be mushy. Cutting to the size specified in the recipe ensures that the pieces will all be perfectly cooked.
4. Stagger the Addition of Vegetables
When soups contain a variety of vegetables, the additions must often be staggered to account for their varying cooking times. Hardier vegetables can withstand more cooking time than delicate ones.
5. Simmer, Don’t Boil
There is a fine line between the two but it can make a big difference in your soup. Simmering heats food more gently and evenly, while boiling can cause some vegetables to break apart and toughen meat. (We vigorously simmer the beans in our minestrone because we want them to release starch.)
6. Season Just Before Serving
In general, we add salt, pepper, and other seasonings—such as delicate herbs and lemon juice—after cooking, just before serving. The saltiness of the stock and other ingredients, such as canned tomatoes and beans, can vary greatly, so it’s always best to taste and adjust the seasoning just before ladling it into bowls for serving.
Sicilian Chickpea and Escarole Soup
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 2 hours (plus soaking time)
why this recipe works
Soup is one place where it’s worth using dried beans, since you’re already going to be simmering the dish and the beans add tons of flavor and body to the cooking liquid. This soup pairs mild, creamy chickpeas with bitter, leafy escarole. For an aromatic base, we used onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. We also included fennel; its mild anise bite complemented the nutty chickpeas. A strip of orange zest added a subtle citrusy note, while a Parmesan rind contributed a nutty richness. Serve with Garlic Toasts. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the orange. If you’re pressed for time, quick-soak the beans: In step 1, bring the salt, water, and beans to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe.
Salt and pepper
1 pound (2¾ cups) dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 fennel bulbs, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped medium
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
7 cups water
5 cups vegetable broth
1 Parmesan cheese rind plus 2 ounces Parmesan, grated (1 cup)
2 bay leaves
1 (3-inch) strip orange zest
1 head escarole (1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large tomato, cored and chopped medium
1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Add chickpeas and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add fennel, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in water, broth, drained chickpeas, Parmesan rind, bay leaves, and orange zest and bring to boil. Reduce to gentle simmer and cook until chickpeas are tender, 1¼ to 1¾ hours.
4. Stir in escarole and tomato and cook until escarole is wilted, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Off heat, discard bay leaves, orange zest, and Parmesan rind (scraping off any cheese that has melted and adding it back to pot). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions with grated Parmesan, drizzle with extra oil, and serve.
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Bread has long been a trusty sidekick to soup, whether it’s in the form of croutons or oyster crackers scattered over the top of chowder or a warm roll or piece of bread to go alongside it. Here’s a quick and easy garlic crouton you can make to accompany this soup or any other in this chapter. The garlic toasts also make a great base for bruschetta—try adding toppings such as a pesto (see this page) or a salsa (see this page) for a super simple appetizer. The trick to good garlic toast is to rub raw garlic over the bread after it has been toasted and is still warm. The rough texture of the toasted bread acts like sandpaper on the garlic to release its flavor, while the warmth boosts its fragrance. Be sure to use a high-quality crusty bread, such as a baguette; do not use sliced sandwich bread.
Garlic Toasts
Makes 8 slices
Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Spread eight 1-inch-thick slices rustic bread out evenly over rimmed baking sheet and broil, flipping as needed, until well toasted on both sides, about 4 minutes. Briefly rub 1 side of toasts with 1 peeled garlic clove, drizzle with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turkish Tomato, Bulgur, and Red Pepper Soup
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 1 hour
why this recipe works
This Mediterranean-inspired take on tomato soup brings complexity and heartiness to a dish that’s often boring and lifeless. We started by softening onion and red bell peppers before building a solid backbone with garlic, tomato paste, white wine, dried mint, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Canned fire-roasted tomatoes contributed even more smokiness and depth. We then added nutty bulgur; stirred into soup, this quick-cooking whole grain absorbs the surrounding flavors and gives off starch that creates a silky texture—no cream needed. We stirred in the bulgur toward the end, giving it just enough time to become tender. A sprinkle of fresh mint gave the soup a final punch of flavor. When shopping, don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which has a much longer cooking time and will not work in this recipe.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
¾ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, bell peppers, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, dried mint, paprika, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and begin to break apart, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, water, and bulgur and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with fresh mint.
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SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
You’ve probably had food cooked over a live fire, whether it was grilled, barbecued, spit-roasted, or cooked in a fancy wood-fired oven. So you know that there’s a complexity of flavor that you only get when food comes into contact with actual flames and the resulting smoke. That flavor can be hard to access in the average home kitchen; however, there are other ways to get flame-roasted flavor into your food. We have a set of shortcut ingredients that we like to use. These include the smoked paprika and canned fire-roasted tomatoes used in this soup. Both of these ingredients carry deep, smoky flavor from the way they’re prepared, and they impart that to any dish to which they’re added. Another secret ingredient we’ll deploy is liquid smoke, as in our Indoor Barbecued Spare Ribs. While it may sound like a chemical additive, liquid smoke is made by channeling smoke from smoldering wood chips through a condenser, which quickly cools the vapors, causing them to liquefy (just like the drops that form when you breathe on cold glass). The water-soluble flavor compounds in the smoke are trapped within this liquid, while the insoluble tars and resins are removed by a series of filters, resulting in a clean, smoke-flavored liquid. A good version should contain nothing but smoke and water and will lend pure smoky flavor to any dish.
Serves 8 to 10; Total Time 25 minutes (plus chilling time)
why this recipe works
Cold soup! By all rights, it should be a travesty, and yet good gazpacho is ideal warm weather fare that perfectly showcases the brightness of fresh vegetables. We started by chopping the vegetables by hand instead of in a food processor, which ensured they retained their color and firm texture. Letting them sit briefly in a sherry vinegar marinade seasoned them both inside and out, while a combination of tomato juice and ice cubes (which helped chill the soup) provided the right amount of liquid. Chilling for at least 4 hours was critical to allow the flavors to develop and meld. Use a Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla (i.e., sweet) onion here. This recipe makes a large quantity because the leftovers are so good, but it can be halved if you prefer. Traditionally, gazpacho is garnished with more of the same diced vegetables that are in the soup, so cut some extra. You can also serve the soup with Homemade Croutons, chopped pitted black olives, and finely diced avocados. Serve in chilled bowls.
1½ pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 small cucumbers: 1 cucumber peeled, both sliced lengthwise, seeded (see this page), and cut into ¼-inch pieces
½ small sweet onion, chopped fine, or 2 large shallots, minced
⅓ cup sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
5 cups tomato juice
8 ice cubes
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1. Combine tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onion, vinegar, garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt in large (at least 4-quart) bowl and season with pepper to taste. Let stand until vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato juice, ice cubes, and hot sauce, if using. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
3. Discard any unmelted ice cubes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, drizzling individual bowls with oil.
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COLD FOOD NEEDS MORE SALT: HOW TEMPERATURE AFFECTS TASTE
Have you ever noticed that food that tasted great right out of the oven can taste incredibly bland when you go back to eat the refrigerated leftovers the next day? It turns out that temperature affects both your ability to taste and the way flavor interacts with your senses.
Our ability to taste is heightened by microscopic receptors on our tastebuds that are extremely sensitive to temperature. These receptors perform better at temperatures close to the temperature inside our mouths than at cooler ones. In fact, studies have shown that when food cooled to 59 degrees or below is consumed, the channels barely open, minimizing flavor perception. However, when food is heated to 98.5 degrees, the channels open up and your flavor sensitivity can be up to 100 times greater. Higher temperatures can also dull flavor perception.
As an experiment, we made a batch of chicken broth, omitting the salt. Then we divided the broth into five batches and seasoned each, using no salt and 1, 2, 3, and 4 teaspoons of salt, respectively. Tasters sampled each broth at three different temperatures—180 degrees, 90 degrees, and 45 degrees. At first, tasters preferred the hot broth seasoned with 3 teaspoons of salt. But as the broth cooled, their preference changed. At 90 degrees, they preferred the broth with 2 teaspoons of salt, and at refrigerator temperature, they preferred the broth with 4 teaspoons salt.
So, dishes meant to be served hot should be reheated before eating, and dishes meant to be served chilled, like this gazpacho, must be aggressively seasoned to make up for the flavor-dulling effects of their cold temperatures. But the next time you make a dish to serve cold, don’t jump the gun by oversalting while the food is still hot. Instead, season as you would normally, then, once the food is chilled, taste and add more salt and other seasonings as needed. See this page for more information about how to properly adjust seasonings during and after cooking.
Ginger Beef and Ramen Noodle Soup
Serves 4; Total Time 45 minutes
why this recipe works
Ramen noodles: They’re not just for completely broke college students anymore. In fact, it’s really too bad they ever got that reputation in the first place. In Japan, ramen noodle soup is serious business, with whole restaurants specializing in the dish and countless variations. Although this rich, satisfying soup has been having a moment in the United States, it still feels like restaurant food. But you can make a pretty good approximation at home. Our simplified take uses lime zest and ginger simmered in chicken broth to build a deeply flavored base and then adds thin slices of quick-cooking flank steak on top for a protein boost. Smash the ginger using the flat side of a chef’s knife. The familiar supermarket ramen noodles work well here; just discard the dusty flavoring packets. Use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest from the lime.
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 cups chicken broth
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, halved lengthwise and smashed
3 (2½-inch) strips lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
4 (3-ounce) packages instant ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded
5 scallions, sliced thin
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1. Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak and cook until well browned and thermometer inserted into center registers 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak in half lengthwise, then slice thin against grain.
2. Meanwhile, bring broth, ginger, and lime zest to boil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove ginger and lime zest from broth with slotted spoon. Add noodles and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions, soy sauce, and lime juice. Ladle noodles and broth into 4 serving bowls and divide steak and cilantro evenly among bowls. Serve.
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GINGER RULES
We love the pungency of fresh ginger in all kinds of recipes, from soups to stir-fries, but it does come with a few annoyances. First, most recipes that call for fresh ginger require very small amounts, so it’s nearly impossible to use up a whole knob at once. Luckily, you can store leftover ginger in the fridge for up to two weeks (just toss it into the refrigerator unwrapped, as wrapping cut ginger in plastic or foil encourages mold). Another issue is that fresh ginger has that thin, papery brown skin that has to be removed before grating it (although it’s fine to leave the skin on in this recipe, since the ginger goes into the broth in big pieces that are discarded later). A knife or regular vegetable peeler will remove lots of ginger along with the skin, and these tools are hard to maneuver around the knobs and bumps on the root. Because of this, our favorite way to peel ginger is to use the rounded edge of a small spoon to scrape off the skin (see photo on this page).
Finally, ginger can be kind of a pain to grate. We like to use a rasp-style grater to do this, and to make it even easier, we sometimes freeze the ginger. The frozen ginger is easier to grate—it doesn’t shred or break down like fresh ginger sometimes can with vigorous grating. The tiny teeth of the rasp-style grater are also much easier to clean after grating frozen ginger because the fibers neatly shear crosswise and don’t leave frayed bits stuck in the grater. However, frozen ginger does grate up fluffier than unfrozen, so to get accurate volume measurement, you either have to let it thaw after grating or pack it gently into the measuring spoon.
Serves 4 to 6; Total Time 1 hour
why this recipe works
This simple Korean soup offers a double dose of hearty protein from beef and tofu along with tons of tangy flavor from kimchi, the spicy Korean pickled vegetable condiment. We balanced the kimchi with sweetness from mirin, a Japanese cooking wine that mellows out during cooking. However, this is still a soup with a bit of a bite. Don’t discard the kimchi pickling liquid when you measure out the vegetables as it is quite flavorful. We added a cup to our broth for extra zing. You can find kimchi in the refrigerated section of Asian markets and many well-stocked supermarkets. Kimchi varies in heat intensity, flavor, and pungency. If possible, avoid brands with a strong fish or shrimp flavor, which can overpower the beef. For our recipe’s supple, tender bites of tofu, we chose firm tofu. Sirloin steak tips, also known as flap meat, are sold as whole steaks, cubes, and strips. To ensure uniform pieces that cook evenly, we prefer to purchase whole steak tips and cut them ourselves.
3 cups kimchi, in brine
1 pound sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
½ cup mirin
3 cups water
2 cups beef broth
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1. Measure out and reserve 1 cup kimchi brine. Drain kimchi and chop coarse. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beef and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir ginger into pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in mirin, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in kimchi, reserved kimchi liquid, water, and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Off heat, stir tofu, scallions, soy sauce, and sesame oil into soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
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Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean pickle usually made with napa cabbage (but it can also be made with radish, cucumber, or even watermelon rind). The vegetables are chopped and then salted (to pull out moisture) or packed in a liquid brine and left to ferment. Fermentation is a process in which bacteria and/or yeasts consume the carbohydrates and proteins naturally present in foods, producing alcohols, lactic acid, and/or carbon dioxide as byproducts. Water and salt create a fermentation-friendly environment by preventing bad microbes from forming, giving the good bacteria that cause fermentation a chance to develop. Fermentation’s byproducts further inhibit the growth of bacteria and enzymatic activity that create spoilage, so fermentation helps preserve food. It also alters food’s flavor, texture, and aroma. Fermented foods are easier to digest, and their bacteria are thought to offer health benefits—which helps explain what makes them so popular.
Foods like pickles (including kimchi), vinegar, and yogurt have the tang that we associate with fermentation. And of course beer and wine are fermented. But everyday foods like chocolate, coffee, olives, bread, vanilla, hot sauce, and cheese also get deep flavor from fermentation. You’ve probably been enjoying fermented foods your whole life without even realizing it!
Greek Chicken and Rice Soup with Egg and Lemon (Avgolemono)
Serve 4 to 6; Total Time 50 minutes
why this recipe works
Like our Creamy Cauliflower Soup, this recipe is creamy and rich without containing any cream. Instead, this thick, tangy Greek chicken and rice soup gets its texture and flavor from an egg-lemon mixture. For more savory depth and to enhance the lemon flavor, we added an herb and spice bundle (peppercorns, citrusy coriander, lemon zest, garlic, and dill) neatly tied in cheesecloth. Processing eggs, yolks, and a portion of the cooked rice in a blender and then stirring this puree into the hot broth gave our avgolemono a velvety consistency (and helped us avoid scrambled-egg soup). If you have homemade chicken broth (see this page), we recommend using it in this recipe, as it gives the soup the best flavor and body. Use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest from the lemons.
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
12 (3-inch) strips lemon zest plus 6 tablespoons juice and extra juice for seasoning (3 lemons)
2 sprigs fresh dill, plus 2 teaspoons chopped
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain rice
2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Toss with 1¾ teaspoons salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Cut 8-inch square of triple-thickness cheesecloth. Place lemon zest, dill sprigs, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and garlic in center of cheesecloth and tie into bundle with kitchen twine.
2. Bring broth, rice, and spice bundle to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add chicken, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to large plate and discard spice bundle. Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Using ladle, transfer 1 cup cooked rice to blender (leave any liquid in pot). Add lemon juice and eggs and yolks to blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Return soup to simmer over high heat. Remove pot from heat and stir in egg mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in chopped dill and season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Serve.
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Most of us know that getting as much juice as possible out of a lemon—let alone what is asked for in a recipe—can be a mind- and hand-numbing experience (of course, if you have any tiny cuts on your hand, it is the opposite of numbing—and still not fun). How do you get the most juice from a lemon with the least amount of effort?
First of all, choose your lemons wisely. We’ve squeezed a lot of lemons in the test kitchen, and still we’re amazed at how one lemon can yield two or three times more juice than a seemingly identical one. Wondering if there was a way to tell which lemons contained the most juice, we bought lemons in all shapes and sizes and had a squeezing extravaganza.
We found that certain shapes and sizes can give a hint as to the amount of juice inside. Round lemons were slightly juicier than elliptical ones, and unsurprisingly, bigger lemons yielded more juice than smaller ones. But the best way to find the lemons with the most juice is to squeeze while you shop. Without fail, whole lemons that yielded under pressure contained more juice, even when the lemons were nearly identical in size, shape, and weight.
Cutting into two lemons showed us the reason. The harder lemons had thicker pith (that spongy, bitter white membrane that separates the pulp from the peel), meaning there was less space for juice inside.
As for getting all that juice out, we’ve tried countless methods and gizmos for juicing lemons and have dismissed most of them. However, we do endorse rolling the lemon vigorously on a hard surface before slicing it open to be juiced. Rolling bruises, breaks up, and softens the rind’s tissues while it tears the membranes of the juice vesicles (tear-shaped juice sacs), filling the inside of the lemon with juice even before it is squeezed. Once it’s rolled, we recommend using either a wooden reamer, which effectively digs into and tears the lemon to extract as much juice as possible, or a citrus squeezer, which we find is especially easy and fast and equally as effective (see this page).
Serves 6; Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
why this recipe works
This New England classic is best when it’s packed full of sweet, briny clams and tender potatoes in a rich, creamy broth. For an approachable recipe that didn’t skimp on flavor, we started with medium clams that we steamed open instead of laboriously shucking. Mixing 2 cups of the clam steaming liquid with 3 cups of bottled clam juice gave lots of clam taste without being too salty. Yukon Gold potatoes blended seamlessly into our creamy chowder. Thickening the chowder with flour helped to stabilize it; otherwise it can easily separate and curdle. Cream is essential; using a relatively modest amount provided richness without overpowering the flavor of the clams. Finally, we used bacon rather than salt pork, a traditional component of chowder, to enrich the flavor with a subtle smokiness. Serve with oyster crackers.
3 cups water
6 pounds medium hard-shell clams, such as cherrystones
2 slices bacon, chopped fine
2 onions, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1. Bring water to boil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Scrub clams, add to pot, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir clams thoroughly and continue to cook, covered, until they begin to open, 2 to 7 minutes. Transfer clams to large bowl as they open; let cool slightly. Discard any clams that refuse to open.
2. Measure out and reserve 2 cups of clam steaming liquid, avoiding any gritty sediment that has settled on bottom of pot. Remove clam meat from shells and chop coarse.
3. Clean now-empty Dutch oven, add bacon, and cook over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in onions and celery and cook until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in bottled clam juice and reserved clam steaming liquid, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in potatoes and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to gentle simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Chopped clams and soup can be refrigerated in separate containers for up to 24 hours; return broth to simmer before proceeding.)
5. Stir in cream and return to brief simmer. Off heat, discard bay leaf, stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped clams, cover, and let warm through, about 1 minute. Serve.
If you’re not used to cooking with clams or other shellfish, they can be a little intimidating, but they’re much easier to handle than you might expect. Even though clams are usually sold by the piece at the fish market, we find it more accurate to buy them by weight than by quantity. Just ask your fishmonger to weigh the clams as they count them. For the best flavor and texture, clams should be as fresh as possible. They should smell clean, not sour or sulfurous. The shells should look moist. Look for tightly closed clams—avoid any that are cracked, broken, or sitting in a puddle of water. Some shells may gape slightly, but they should close when they are tapped. Discard any clams that won’t close; they may be dead and should not be eaten.
Most clams today are farmed and virtually free of grit. (Soft-shell clams, if you can find them, almost always contain a lot of sand and should be submerged in a large bowl of cold water and drained several times to wash away the sand before cooking.) Clams need to be scrubbed and rinsed; use a brush to remove any sand trapped in the outer shell. The best way to store clams is in the refrigerator in a colander of ice set over a bowl; discard any water that accumulates so that the shellfish are never submerged.
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 3 hours
why this recipe works
Just because your chili doesn’t have meat doesn’t mean it can’t be satisfying. For this vegetarian chili, we used dried beans for their superior texture. However, we didn’t bother soaking the beans beforehand; we liked the fact that when we used unsoaked beans, some of them burst during cooking, thickening the chili. White mushrooms, pulsed in a food processor and sautéed with onions, gave the chili meaty texture and flavor. Whole cumin seeds and minced chipotle chile added depth and smokiness, and toasted mustard seeds added complexity. Served with a spritz of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro, this rich chili is so hearty that you won’t miss the meat. We prefer the texture and flavor of toasted cumin and mustard seeds here; however, you can substitute ½ teaspoon ground cumin and/or ½ teaspoon dry mustard; add with the chili powder in step 3. Serve with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, chopped tomatoes, and/or minced onion.
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and broken into rough pieces
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
9 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
2½ cups vegetable broth
2½ cups water, plus extra as needed
1 pound (2½ cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
2 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses.
2. Toast mustard seeds and cumin seeds in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in oil, onion, and processed mushrooms, cover, and cook until vegetables have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until vegetables are browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, sugar, baking soda, and bay leaves and bring to simmer, skimming as needed. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 hour.
4. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bell peppers and continue to cook in oven, covered, until beans are fully tender, about 1 hour longer. (If chili begins to stick to bottom of pot or is too thick, add water as needed.)
5. Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (Chili can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; add water as needed when reheating to adjust consistency.)
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You’re probably familiar with baking soda as a baking staple. In that context it provides leavening and encourages browning in muffins, cakes, and more, but there are other ways you can put this ingredient to work. In this recipe, baking soda’s alkaline nature helps break down the cell structure of the beans, resulting in tender beans in less time. This is similar to how it’s helping in our Creamy Parmesan Polenta. It also helps set the color of the black beans. In other recipes, like our Best Ground Beef Chili, we treat meat with baking soda to help it retain moisture. The increased browning seen in baked goods also applies when we add baking soda to meat: By changing the pH, the meat browns more quickly.
You may have heard that baking soda can also absorb or neutralize odors from the refrigerator or freezer, but our tests putting an open box of baking soda into stinky environments were inconclusive. While it does neutralize acids, the likelihood of gaseous molecules from, say, acidic sour milk coming in contact with the baking soda is slight. However, when this alkaline powder comes into direct contact with smells, it can make a difference. We tested different approaches to removing garlic and onion smells from a cutting board and found scrubbing with a paste of 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon water to be the most effective.
Serves 8 to 10; Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
why this recipe works
Ground beef chili is way more convenient than chili made with whole chunks of meat, but a truly great version requires a few tricks. To keep the meat moist and tender, we treated it with salt and baking soda (see “Unusual Uses for Baking Soda”). Both ingredients helped the meat hold on to moisture, so it stayed juicy and didn’t shed liquid during cooking, which would water down the chili. We also simmered the meat for 90 minutes to fully tenderize it. We made a simple but deeply flavored homemade chili powder, bolstered that with canned chipotles, and cooked both in the fat rendered by the beef to bloom the flavors of the fat-soluble spices throughout the dish. This chili is intensely flavored and should be served with tortilla chips and/or white rice and your favorite chili garnishes, such as lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and minced onion. Diced avocado, sour cream, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese are also good options for garnishing.
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water
Salt and pepper
¾ teaspoon baking soda
6 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (¼ cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1–2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Toss beef with 2 tablespoons water, 1½ teaspoons salt, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast anchos in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, reducing heat if anchos begin to smoke. Transfer to food processor and let cool.
3. Add tortilla chips, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, thyme, and 2 teaspoons pepper to food processor with anchos and process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. Process tomatoes and their juice in now-empty workbowl until smooth, about 30 seconds.
4. Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, stirring to break meat up into ¼-inch pieces, until beef is browned and fond begins to form on pot bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Add ancho mixture and chipotle; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add tomato puree, remaining 2 cups water, beans and their liquid, and sugar. Bring to boil, scraping bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is tender and chili is slightly thickened, 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Remove chili from oven and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in any fat that has risen to top of chili, then add vinegar and season with salt to taste. Serve. (Chili can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; add water as needed when reheating to adjust consistency.)
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DRIED CHILES
Dried chiles offer more than just heat; their flavors vary from earthy and fruity to bright and acidic. While store-bought chili powder (a blend of dried chiles and other spices) and various ground dried chiles work well in many instances, we believe it is worth toasting and grinding or rehydrating dried chiles for superior flavor. Toast chiles in a dry pan over medium-high heat until dry and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. (Remove stems and seeds before toasting.) Then either grind in a spice grinder or food processor or soak in warm water until softened but not mushy, about 20 minutes; drain well and use. The commonly available chiles fall into broad flavor categories.
These chiles have a mildly hot flavor backed by a subtle natural smokiness.
Deep, rich flavors that bring to mind chocolate, coffee, raisins, and licorice characterize these chiles.
These chiles have charred wood, tobacco, and barbecue flavors balanced by subtle sweetness.
This chile has a fresh, sweet flavor reminiscent of roasted red peppers and tomatoes.
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 3 hours
why this recipe works
Beef stew is among the all-time best comfort foods. A great version should be rich and satisfying, with tender vegetables and meat draped in gravy. Sadly, many recipes result in dry, tough meat and a watery, bland sauce. To create a foolproof take on this classic, we started with flavorful chuck-eye roast and cut it into pieces ourselves rather than buying chunks of precut “stew beef.” Instead of searing the beef before adding it to the stew, we simply cooked the stew uncovered in the oven. This browned the exposed meat and also let some of the sauce evaporate, concentrating its flavor. Along with traditional components like onions, garlic, red wine, and chicken broth, we added tomato paste, which contributed extra savory flavor. Potatoes, carrots, and peas rounded out our classic stew. Use a good-quality, medium-bodied wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, for this stew. Try to find beef that is well marbled with white veins of fat. Meat that is too lean will come out slightly dry.
1 (3½- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
¾ cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, wine, thyme, and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in beef and bring to simmer. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 1½ hours, stirring halfway through cooking.
3. Stir in potatoes and carrots and continue to cook in oven, uncovered, until beef and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour, stirring halfway through cooking.
4. Remove pot from oven. Discard bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in parsley and peas and let peas warm through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (Stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; add water as needed when reheating to adjust consistency.)
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Prepackaged beef stew meat is convenient but not very good. In most markets, the pieces are much too small and are unevenly butchered, so small pieces overcook by the time larger ones are done. Even more problematic is the meat itself. Sometimes it comes from the desired chuck, but often it contains scraps from all over the cow, many of which are not very flavorful. Instead, we recommend buying a single cut and cutting it up yourself. For a beef stew, start with a chuck-eye roast.
To turn the whole roast into stew meat, use your hands to pull apart the roast at its major seams (see how on this page), which are delineated by lines of fat. Cut away all exposed fat. Then cut the meat into large chunks, usually 1½ to 2 inches. (We think bigger chunks make better stew. They also are less likely to overcook.) Trim any hard knobs of white fat as you work. Don’t bother trimming soft, thin lines of fat—they will melt during the stewing process and lubricate the meat.
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
why this recipe works
Beef stew is great, and it’s a classic. But don’t limit yourself! Chicken stew can be just as meaty, rich, and satisfying. For ours, we started with two different chicken parts: We seared collagen-rich wings to create a base of rich chicken flavor and plenty of thickening gelatin, then we gently simmered halved boneless chicken thighs so we’d have tender bites throughout the stew. To boost the meatiness of the whole dish, we used an umami-packed combination of bacon, soy sauce, and anchovy paste (for more on umami, see this page). Finally, we took full advantage of the concentrating effect of reduction by cooking down wine, broth, and aromatics at the start and simmering the stew uncovered during its stay in the oven. Mashed anchovy fillets (rinsed and dried before mashing) can be used instead of anchovy paste. Use small red potatoes measuring 1½ inches in diameter.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved crosswise and trimmed
Kosher salt and pepper
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound chicken wings, cut at joints
1 onion, chopped fine
1 celery rib, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange chicken thighs on baking sheet and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat renders and bacon browns, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to medium bowl. Add chicken wings to pot, increase heat to medium, and cook until well browned on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes; transfer wings to bowl with bacon.
3. Add onion, celery, garlic, anchovy paste, and thyme to fat in pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until dark fond forms on pan bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to high; stir in 1 cup broth, wine, and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits; and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and vegetables begin to sizzle again, 12 to 15 minutes. Add butter and stir to melt; sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to combine. Gradually whisk in remaining 4 cups broth until smooth. Stir in wings and bacon, potatoes, and carrots; bring to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
4. Remove pot from oven. Use wooden spoon to draw gravy up sides of pot and scrape browned fond into stew. Place over high heat, add thighs, and bring to simmer. Return pot to oven, uncovered, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with fork and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes longer. (Stew can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; add water as needed when reheating to adjust consistency.)
5. Discard wings and season stew with up to 2 tablespoons extra wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
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In this recipe, as in many of our soups and stews, we use one of our favorite kitchen workhorses, an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Thicker and heavier than a traditional stockpot and deeper than a skillet, a Dutch oven (also called a round oven, French oven, or casserole) is pretty high on our list of kitchen essentials. Their thickness and heaviness make them the best choice for braises, pot roasts, and stews, since they can go from the stovetop to the oven. Their tall sides also make them useful for deep frying. If you don’t have a large stockpot, Dutch ovens are also very useful for jobs like boiling water for pasta. We even bake bread in it—see our Almost No-Knead Bread, which uses the steamy environment in a covered Dutch oven to create a homemade loaf with a dramatic open-crumbed structure and shatteringly crisp crust. All in all, while a good Dutch oven probably won’t be the cheapest piece of equipment you buy for your kitchen (nor will it be the lightest), we think it’s one of the most useful tools you can invest in. (See our shopping guide on this page.)
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Serves 6; Total Time 1 hour
why this recipe works
Sweet potatoes are a highly nutritious vegetable unjustly relegated to side dish status in most American meals. In other parts of the world, however, they are used more widely. This nourishing Senegalese-inspired stew featuring sweet potatoes has an appealing blend of savory and sweet flavors. Dry-roasted peanuts contribute rich, roasted flavor that perfectly complements the earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Pureeing some of the stew gives the broth body while the rest of the dish retains a chunky texture. To make this recipe vegetarian, just substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Although the recipe was developed with standard sweet potatoes (called Beauregards), Jewel and Red Garnet sweet potatoes also work well. But do stick to the orange-fleshed varieties; white- or purple-fleshed sweet potatoes will not work here.
1¼ cups dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1. Coarsely chop peanuts. Place peanuts in dry 10-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl to cool.
2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, coriander, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in sweet potatoes, broth, and 1 cup chopped peanuts and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Measure out 2 cups solids and 1 cup liquid from soup and transfer to blender. Process in blender until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Return to pot with remaining soup and stir to combine.
5. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with remaining ¼ cup chopped peanuts.
think like a cook
Many soups and stews make a generous number of servings. We recommend stocking your freezer with the leftovers so you can reheat them whenever you like. In general, we recommend freezing broths and soups for no longer than one month. Here’s the information you need to properly store and thaw your soups so they are just as flavorful as freshly made.
We like to freeze soup in airtight plastic storage containers; remember to leave a little room at the top of the container(s) to prevent the lid(s) from popping off. Note: Creamy soups and soups that have a pasta component don’t freeze very well. The dairy curdles as it freezes and the pasta turns bloated and mushy. Instead, make and freeze the soup without the dairy or pasta component included. After you have thawed the soup and it has been heated through, stir in the uncooked pasta and simmer until just tender, or stir in the dairy and continue to heat gently until hot (do not let it boil).
For safety reasons, we recommend thawing frozen soups and stews in the refrigerator, never at room temperature, for 24 to 48 hours. (That said, if you’ve forgotten to plan ahead, you can heat frozen soups directly on the stovetop or in the microwave, but the texture of meat and vegetables will suffer a bit.) We prefer to reheat large amounts of soup in a heavy-bottomed pot on the stovetop. Bring the soup to a rolling boil and make sure to stir often to ensure the entire pot reaches the boiling point. If you use the microwave, avoid reheating in the same container used to refrigerate or freeze the soup. Instead, transfer the food to a dish that’s somewhat larger than the storage container, and be sure to cover the dish to prevent a mess. Make sure to stop and stir several times to ensure that the soup reheats evenly.
Here’s an easy way to freeze convenient single servings of soup: Set out a number of 10- or 12-ounce paper cups for hot beverages and fill each with a portion of cooled soup (but not all the way to the top). Label, wrap well in plastic wrap, and freeze each cup. To reheat one serving, pop the soup into a bowl or mug, cover, and microwave until hot and ready to serve.
Serves 6 to 8; Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
why this recipe works
A trademark dish of Louisiana cooking, gumbo is a thick, hearty stew featuring a host of meats, seafood, and vegetables. Its defining ingredient is a dark roux, a slow-cooked combination of fat and flour that adds flavor and thickens the dish. Many recipes say to stir the roux over low heat for up to an hour, watching it carefully the whole time. We make the technique more hands-off by toasting the flour on the stovetop, adding the oil, and finishing the roux in the gentle heat of the oven. Convenient chicken broth fortified with fish sauce was an easy substitute for traditional shrimp stock. Gumbos can include seafood, poultry, small game, and sausage. We liked a mix of andouille sausage (a garlicky sausage typical of Cajun cooking), chicken, and shrimp. The chicken broth must be at room temperature to prevent lumps from forming.
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
3¾ cups chicken broth, room temperature
¼ cup fish sauce
4 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skin and excess fat removed
Salt and pepper
8 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 cups frozen okra, thawed (optional)
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined (see this page)
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toast ¾ cup flour in Dutch oven on stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in oil until smooth. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until mixture is deep brown and fragrant, about 45 minutes. (Roux can be refrigerated in airtight container for 1 week. To use, heat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until just smoking, and continue with step 2.)
2. Transfer Dutch oven to stovetop and whisk cooked roux to combine. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour, garlic, thyme, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until dry, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and fish sauce until smooth. Season chicken with pepper. Add chicken and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Skim fat and transfer chicken to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces and return to pot; discard bones.
4. Stir in sausage and okra, if using, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Gumbo can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
think like a cook
ROUX BASICS
Roux has been used as a go-to thickener in many cuisines for centuries. Even if they didn’t know what was happening on the molecular level, cooks understood that adding a cooked mixture of flour and fat to sauces and stews caused key textural and flavor changes in the dish. But there is some pretty interesting chemistry behind these clearly observable reactions. Notably, the flavoring and thickening properties of a roux are interrelated.
Roux are always cooked to a specific shade, which can range from white to blond to peanut butter—and even darker. The darker the color, the more pronounced the roux’s flavor. But as a roux darkens, its thickening power lessens. This is because the intense heat from frying the flour in fat causes its starch chains to break down, and the smaller starch chains are less efficient thickeners. So the longer a roux is cooked, the less effective at thickening it will be. Thus it’s important to cook a roux to the right color. If you shortchange the cooking time for the roux in a stew recipe like this gumbo, you could end up with a gloppy, overly thickened dish.
In this recipe, we take an unconventional approach to roux that achieves the same results with little need for fussy stirring and a much lower risk of either burning the roux or burning yourself. We achieved this by toasting the flour by itself first before adding the oil, then moving the pot to the oven where the even heat and closed lid provided the perfect no-stir environment for it to brown and thicken. It still takes 45 minutes, but since it’s completely hands-off after the pot goes into the oven, you can do all the other ingredient prep while it cooks, which is a definite improvement on the task of centuries past.
Classic Homemade Chicken Broth
Makes about 8 cups; Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
why this recipe works
Store-bought cans can’t compete: Good homemade chicken broth is liquid gold. It will improve anything you cook—not only soup but rice, beans, sauces, and more. Though it takes some time, this broth delivers rich flavor and full body with almost no hands-on work. We chose chicken backs and wings for convenience and because they release plenty of gelatin, which gives the broth a luscious consistency. (If you want a recipe that yields both broth and meat, make Chicken Noodle Soup.) Minimal additions ensure the broth tastes as chicken-y as possible. Chicken backs are available at supermarket butcher counters. For information on how to defat broth, see this page. If you have a large pot (at least 12 quarts), you can easily double this recipe.
4 pounds chicken backs and wings
3½ quarts water
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1. Combine chicken and water in large stockpot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until boiling, periodically skimming off any scum that comes to the surface with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 3 hours.
2. Add onion, bay leaves, and salt and continue to simmer for another 2 hours.
3. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Let broth settle for about 5 minutes, then skim off fat. Cooled broth can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
variation
Doctoring store-bought broth with ground chicken, gelatin, and seasonings gives it a flavor and consistency that approaches homemade and comes together much faster.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1 pound ground chicken and 1 chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water, 4 cups chicken broth, 8 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, 2 bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Let broth settle for about 5 minutes, then skim off fat.
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WHEN HOMEMADE BROTH IS WORTH IT
There are few—maybe not any—cases where we’d advise against making soup just because you don’t have homemade broth. (An exception would be Chicken Noodle Soup, but that recipe makes its own broth.) That said, soup is going to taste like what you put into it. Especially with brothy and minimally seasoned soups, homemade broth is a good idea. Even sauces and risottos will be noticeably improved by the flavor and body of homemade broth. (If you like to make soups, we suggest getting into the habit of making and freezing broths.) With boldly flavored soups, such as Kimchi Beef and Tofu Soup, the difference between homemade and packaged will be less perceptible—just use a light hand with the salt if you opt for store-bought broth. With many vegetable soups, water is preferable to broth as it allows the vegetable flavor to shine through. The same is true of many bean soups.
Our favorite packaged chicken broth is Swanson Chicken Stock. We’ve had little luck finding a packaged beef broth with true beef flavor, and some taste metallic. Our favorite option, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base, is at least ultrasavory if not very beefy. To boost the flavor of beef broth, we often mix it with chicken broth. Our favorite vegetarian broth is also a powder, Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Flavored Broth Base and Seasoning, which offers plenty of savory depth without the off-flavors (sour, cloyingly sweet, or bitter) that plague many packaged vegetable broths. Better still, make Vegetable Broth Base and store it in your freezer to use as needed.
Makes about 1¾ cups base, enough for 7 quarts broth; Total Time 20 minutes
why this recipe works
Vegetable broth is a necessary staple, but commercial offerings don’t taste anything like vegetables. Homemade concentrated vegetable broth base is a convenient and economical alternative: Simply mix a small amount of the base with boiling water for instant broth. Our recipe starts with a twist on the classic mirepoix of onion, carrots, and celery, with celery root and leeks swapped in for similar but milder flavors. For depth and complexity, we added dried minced onion, tomato paste, and soy sauce. Two tablespoons of kosher salt kept the base from freezing solid, so we could store it in the freezer for months and easily remove a tablespoon at a time. Using kosher salt aids in grinding the vegetables.
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped and washed thoroughly (2½ cups or 5 ounces)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (⅔ cup or 3 ounces)
½ small celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (¾ cup or 3 ounces)
½ cup (½ ounce) parsley leaves and thin stems
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1. FOR THE BASE Process leeks, carrots, celery root, parsley, minced onion, and salt in food processor, scraping down sides of bowl frequently, until paste is as fine as possible, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and process for 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl every 20 seconds. Add soy sauce and continue to process 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to airtight container and tap firmly on counter to remove air bubbles. Press small piece of parchment paper flush against surface of mixture and cover. Freeze for up to 6 months.
2. TO MAKE BROTH For 1 cup of broth, stir 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen broth base into 1 cup boiling water. For particle-free broth, let the broth steep for 5 minutes and then strain it through fine-mesh strainer.
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THE POWER OF THREE
At the heart of cuisines around the world, you’ll find a set of fundamental aromatic ingredients used to build deep flavor. In French cooking, those ingredients are onions, carrots, and celery. Together, they are known as mirepoix and they provide the flavor base for all kinds of soups, stews, braises, sauces, stuffings, and more. Between the sweetness from the carrot, the vegetal freshness from the celery, and the savory depth from the onion, these three ingredients contain a balanced foundation upon which to build all kinds of dishes. We use a variation on mirepoix in this recipe with our leek, celery root, and carrot combination.
Depending on the kind of cuisine you’re cooking, the three underpinning ingredients will change. In Cuban cooking, a combination of onion, green bell pepper, and garlic called sofrito is a key component of many dishes. For Cajun and Creole dishes, cooks rely on what’s called the “holy trinity”: onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Since Cajun and Creole cuisines reflect a blend of French and Spanish influences, among many others, it is perhaps not surprising that the trinity shares elements with both mirepoix and sofrito.
Makes about 8 cups; Total Time 24 hours 45 minutes
why this recipe works
Store-bought beef broths are often tinny and flavorless; homemade can make a world of difference. Our deeply flavorful beef broth can be used in recipes or enjoyed as a drinking broth. We built our broth using convenient, economical oxtails, which are all-in-one bundles of meat, fat, bone marrow, and collagen-rich connective tissue. To extract the most flavor, we browned them before simmering the broth for 24 hours. (See “Cooking with Bones” to learn why this stock is worth the time investment.) A few simple additions enhanced the broth’s savory flavor. Oxtails can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store; look for ones that are approximately 2 inches thick and 2 to 4 inches in diameter. (Be sure to thaw completely before using.) For more information on defatting broth, see this page. For how to store and freeze broth, see this page.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 pounds oxtails
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 cups water
3 bay leaves
Kosher salt and pepper
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat oxtails dry with paper towels. Sauté half of oxtails until browned all over, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining oxtails; transfer to bowl.
2. Add onion and mushrooms to fat left in pot and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups water, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits.
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Stir remaining 8 cups water into pot, then return browned oxtails and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer. Fit large piece of aluminum foil over pot, pressing to seal, then cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until broth is rich and flavorful, about 24 hours.
4. Remove oxtails, then strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large container; discard solids. Let broth settle for 5 to 10 minutes, then defat using wide, shallow spoon or fat separator. Cooled broth can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
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You probably think of bones mostly as the hard, white sticks, but they actually contain a lot of connective tissue and fat in addition to the calcium phosphate that makes them white and rigid. In fact, collagen, which is a protein found in connective tissue, makes up about 40 percent of bone, and when you cook collagen for a long time (say, in a long-simmered broth), that collagen converts into gelatin, which is what makes really good broth so luscious. The fat- and flavor-rich marrow in the bones also leaches into the broth, but this process happens fairly slowly, so the longer the bones are cooked, the more of that flavor you get. We’re taking advantage of all of this when we cook the oxtails for 24 whole hours in our Beef Bone Broth.
We also love using bone-in cuts of meat for other preparations. Bone is very porous and thus a relatively poor conductor of heat. This means that the meat located next to the bone doesn’t cook as quickly as the rest of the meat—a phenomenon that helps to prevent overcooking and moisture loss and contributes to a noticeably juicier end product. This is why whenever you cut into any bone-in cut of meat, you’ll notice that the rarest part is right next to the bone. Bones are also lined with fat, a crucial source of flavor. This is one reason that barbecuing is a popular cooking method for many bone-in cuts. A good number of flavor compounds found in smoke vapor are fat-soluble, and since there is extra fat in the roast or the ribs—courtesy of the bones—the meat is likely to absorb and retain more flavor from the smoke.
