Soups

Cold soups or hot soups, bean soups or fish soups, soups to start a meal or soups to make a whole meal in themselves. Whatever your pleasure, a dollop of olive oil as a finishing touch can make the difference between everyday and extra-special. In using olive oil to garnish, think about the aromas and flavors you want to emphasize—if you serve a sweet soup that is focused on a single, direct taste, such as a pureed carrot soup, for instance, you don’t want a super-assertive olive oil; on the other hand, if you’re serving a complex fish stew with many different flavors from garlic to fish to perhaps fennel or even coconut, a robust oil like a Koroneiki from the island of Crete can be just what’s called for.

Cold Soups

Anytime you make a cold soup—or a cold preparation of any type, for that matter—olive oil is ideal because it retains its texture and flavor at room temperature or even chilled. (Even if olive oil firms up when refrigerated, it takes a while for it to do that, and when it’s thoroughly amalgamated into the flavors of a soup, it doesn’t present a problem—unlike butter, which will become greasy, lumpy, and unpleasant in a chilled soup.)

Gazpacho and Salmorejo

These two cold soups are close cousins and beloved of cooks in Andalusia, the hot southern region of Spain. “We have a jug of gazpacho in the refrigerator all summer long,” one young Sevillana told me. “We just help ourselves to it whenever we need a pick-me-up.”

The difference between the two soups is slight. Salmorejo, claimed by the ancient city of Cordoba as its heritage, is thicker than gazpacho because more bread is added, and it’s often served accompanied by deep-fried eggplant sticks (see Eggplant Fries). The hot, crispy, salty eggplant dipped into the cold, sweet, soft puree of the soup is a delight. Another difference: Gazpacho is most often served in deep bowls or even in cups to sip from, while salmorejo is more likely to be served in a proper flat soup plate.

For making a very fine puree, a blender works better than a food processor, but an immersion blender also does a good job.

Gazpacho

Makes about 8 servings

  • 1 (2-inch-thick) slice stale rustic crusty bread
  • 3½ pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
  • 1 red or green sweet pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • ½ small red onion, chopped
  • 2 or 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cup olive oil, preferably Spanish Picual, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of ground red chile pepper, hot or mild, preferably Spanish pimentón de Murcia
  • Sea salt
  • Sugar, if needed
  • Garnishes: finely diced cucumber, green sweet pepper, spring onions or scallions, finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or mint

Tear the stale bread into small chunks and set in a bowl. Add about ½ cup of cold water. When the bread is soaked thoroughly, gently squeeze out the excess water and set the bread aside.

In a blender, combine the tomatoes, sweet pepper, cucumber, onion, and garlic. Pulse or whiz briefly to puree—it may be easier to do this in small batches. With the blender lid ajar, continue to process the vegetables while you pour in the oil and then the vinegar.

Still blending, add the softened bread, the cumin, and chile pepper and process until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt or even a small bit of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes. A little more vinegar may be to your taste as well. If the puree seems too thick, add ice-cold water until you get to the consistency you want. Some people like gazpacho thick enough to eat with a spoon, while others prefer it thin enough to sip from a cup.

In any case, the important thing is to chill it thoroughly before serving. It should be a light, smooth soup, quite creamy in consistency. Taste again after chilling: It may need more salt or sugar at that point.

Gazpacho is often garnished with chopped raw vegetables or minced green herbs, like those mentioned here. Or each of these garnishes is set out in little bowls on the table, along with diced toasted croutons. A dribble of olive oil over the top of the soup when served is de rigueur, and one Spanish friend always serves gazpacho in a cup with a stick of celery, just like a bloody Mary.

Tomato-Cucumber Soup with Avocado Cream

Tomato-Cucumber Soup with Avocado Cream

Tomato-Cucumber Soup with Avocado Cream

A refreshing treat on a hot summer day, this is very pretty if you swirl the green avocado cream into the pale red soup. Pack the tomato soup in a Thermos to take on an August picnic and bring the avocado cream in a container to add on-site.

Makes 6 servings

  • For the soup:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled and cubed (4 cups)
  • 4 long thin cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cubed (4 cups)
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the avocado cream:
  • 1 large ripe Hass avocado
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnish

To make the soup: Combine the oil and chopped onion in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft, but do not let them brown. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring. The tomatoes will melt and almost dissolve into the onions. Add the cucumbers. Stir in the broth, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer.

Cover the pan and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. When the soup is done, remove and process in a blender or food processor. You should have a very smooth mixture, but if it is a little grainy, pass it through a sieve to strain out the bits. Chill the soup until ready to serve.

To make the avocado cream: Combine in a blender or food processor the avocado, cream, oil, and lemon juice and process until you have a green cream. Add a little more oil and/or lemon juice if the cream is too thick. Taste and add a little salt if necessary. Spoon the chilled soup into bowls or mugs and swirl the avocado cream on top, then sprinkle with the chives. Serve immediately.

Salmorejo

This soup is a variation on traditional gazpacho, thickened with more bread—but still liquid enough to eat with a spoon—and traditionally garnished with sliced hard-boiled egg and strips of serrano ham. The bread used should be a rustic loaf, preferably whole grain; remove the crusts and simply tear the bread apart into pieces.

Makes 8 servings

  • 2 cups packed torn stale bread, crusts removed
  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • Sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of dried saffron threads
  • ½ cup olive oil, preferably Spanish Picual, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon aged sherry vinegar, or more to taste
  • 3½ pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
  • ½ cup finely minced onion
  • Garnishes: 1 peeled red sweet pepper, cut into thin slivers; 3 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped; 4 slices serrano ham, cut into thin strips
  • Eggplant Fries, for serving

Add 2 cups water to a bowl along with the bread. Let the bread soak for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the bread. You will have a couple of handfuls of big, damp, loose pieces of bread.

Pound the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt, then add the black pepper, cumin, and saffron, and work into a paste. Slowly add ¼ cup of the olive oil and the vinegar.

In a blender, puree the tomatoes and onion until smooth, then add the spicy oil and vinegar mix from the mortar and whiz once more to blend well. With the machine running, gradually blend in the bread and the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. If the soup is too thick, add ice-cold water, a little at a time, until it reaches the right consistency, but keep in mind that it should be much thicker than gazpacho. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or vinegar.

When all the ingredients have been incorporated and the seasoning is correct, transfer the soup to a large bowl. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Serve the soup garnished with pepper strips, chopped eggs, and/or ham strips, as well as a thread of olive oil. Deep-fried eggplant sticks are a traditional accompaniment.

Classic Tomato Soup

This is the soup I turn to on chilly days when the world looks bleak and gray and I feel a cold coming on. It’s a burst of sunshine in the middle of winter, although there’s nothing to stop you from making it with fresh, red, ripe tomatoes at the height of summer too. Use any of the suggested garnishes, along with the ritual dribble of olive oil—if I have it on hand, I like that to be a well-made Spanish Picual.

You can vary the seasoning of this soup in many interesting ways. Add ginger and cumin to give it more of an Asian flavor, for instance, or cilantro and lime juice to lend a hint of Latin America.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

  • 2 medium yellow onions or 2 fat leeks, coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes, preferably organic
  • 1 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried crumbled thyme
  • ½ bay leaf
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional garnishes: ¼ cup slivered fresh basil leaves; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; grated lemon or orange zest; pinch of ground or crushed red chile pepper (piment d’Espelette or Aleppo pepper); a handful of diced stale bread, gently toasted in garlic-flavored olive oil

Mix the onions and garlic with the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook gently, stirring, sweating the onions until they are soft and golden but not brown. Toss in the tomatoes, breaking them in your hands as you do so. Reserve their juices to add later if necessary. Add the sugar, thyme, and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, stir to mix well, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the tomatoes are disintegrating into a sauce-like consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Puree the soup using a food processor or blender—an immersion blender is fine for this. If the soup is too thick, return it to the heat and add some or all of the juices from the tomatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding plenty of black pepper.

Serve with a dollop of olive oil and one or more of the suggested garnishes.

Note: For a variation, my friend John Lyons, an accomplished cook and gardener who frequently posts recipes on his Facebook page, adds fennel to the tomato soup, a flavor pairing so right that when you taste it you think: Hey, how come I didn’t think of that? To the basic soup, he adds, along with the tomatoes, 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced to make 2 cups, along with a spoonful of chopped celery or lovage leaves and either bruised fennel seeds or, even better, wild fennel pollen, available from Zingerman’s, Market Hall Foods, and other online purveyors (see the Appendix).

Pureed Vegetable Soup: Chunky, Creamy, or Silken, your choice (a basic recipe with variations)

This is a basic recipe that can be varied almost infinitely, depending on what is in season. Don’t feel bound by any of these ingredients. You could also combine two or three vegetables to make a more interesting soup. You start with what Italian cooks call a soffritto, a chopped vegetable combination that sets the flavor of the soup. It almost always includes a member of the Allium genus (onions, leeks, shallots, scallions), sometimes several in combination. To this is added garlic, carrot, chopped parsley, and often chopped celery as well. These are gently sautéed or sweated in olive oil, then the principal vegetable is added, also to sweat in oil, before adding water or stock, along with the seasoning. A potato, peeled and diced, can add heft to the soup, but not all soups will require it, especially if your aim is a light, delicate soup for a summer lunch. Blending in heavy cream, sour cream, mascarpone, or yogurt is a nice touch at the end, but if yogurt is added, do not let the soup come back to a boil lest it separate.

Be discreet with the seasoning. You can always add more, but you can seldom take away or correct the situation if you’ve gone too far overboard. If in your enthusiasm you’ve dumped a ¼ cup of curry powder into a cauliflower soup (when a slight touch of curry would make an intriguing difference), you’ll have to pretend that you’re serving an Indian dish—either that or start all over again with more cauliflower.

And do use olive oil to garnish the soup as you serve it. If you’ve used basil, for instance, in the soup itself, mixing a little minced basil into the olive oil garnish is a nice way to boost the flavor.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

  • For the soffritto:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, or 1 leek, or 2 scallions, or a combination, coarsely chopped to make about ⅓ cup
  • 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • For the main vegetable:
  • 1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets; 2 pounds fresh peas, shelled; 1 pound carrots, chopped; 1 pound peeled and cubed butternut or other firm squash;
  • 1 pound beets, peeled and cubed; 1 pound onions, coarsely chopped; 2 pounds fresh tomatoes or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with their juices; 1½ pounds celeriac (celery root), trimmed; or 1 to 2 pounds other fresh vegetable, trimmed as needed; or a combination
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the seasoning, any one or two (but no more) of the following:
  • 1½ teaspoons curry powder; ½ teaspoon crushed red chile pepper; 2 bay leaves; any of the following, minced or slivered: 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh lovage, 1 tablespoon fresh dill, 2 tablespoons fresh basil
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed (optional)
  • 5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or plain water, or mixed stock and water
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice, plus ½ teaspoon grated zest; or a few drops of white wine vinegar (optional)
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, sour cream, mascarpone, or yogurt (optional)
  • Olive oil, or minced fresh herbs (use any of the herbs you used for seasoning) mixed with ¼ cup or more olive oil, for garnish

To make the soffritto: In a medium soup pot, combine the oil with the onion, garlic, carrot, and parsley over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.

Add the main vegetable (or two or three—cauliflower plus carrots, or peas and onions, for example), along with salt and pepper. Stir to mix it well, and let the vegetables cook with the soffritto to absorb some of the flavors, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the seasoning—one or two of the recommendations, but by no means all of them.

If you want a thicker soup, stir in the potato cubes.

Add the stock, stir to mix it all together, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and cook gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are fork-tender. Taste the soup when done and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or pepper. A touch of lemon or orange juice and zest or a few drops of white wine vinegar can also help to boost flavors.

Remove the pan from the heat. For a chunky soup, put the contents through the coarse disk of a vegetable mill; for a creamy texture, puree in batches in a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in the soup pot; for a silken texture, like the kind of soup you’re often served in fancy French restaurants, put the puree through a chinois, pounding to extract all the flavors. Add the cream, if you wish, and return to the heat. If you add yogurt, do not let the soup return to a boil.

Spoon the hot soup into a tureen or individual soup plates and garnish with a thread of oil, or with fresh herbs mixed into olive oil. Serve immediately.

Note: Because these soups are made with olive oil instead of butter, they can also be chilled without fear that the fat will congeal. For a hot summer day, a chilled beet soup, mixed with fresh dill and yogurt, for instance, is a wonderful treat.

Roasted Squash Soup with Cumin

Another simple and delicious pureed soup, but in this case the flavors are boosted by roasting the squash or pumpkin and onions in the oven before transforming them into a soup. For the squash, I like to use a rouge vif d’Étampes (actually, I believe, classified as a pumpkin), which I find in farmer’s markets, but you could also try any one of the hard winter squashes, from butternut to Hubbard, or a pumpkin—as long as it’s not a pie pumpkin bred for sweetness. A little sweetness is fine, but too much turns this into a dessert soup, which is not what we are looking for.

Makes about 4 servings

  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 to 2 pounds peeled squash (see suggestions above), cut into chunks
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder (more or less, to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of ground or crushed red chile pepper (optional)
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • Honey (optional)
  • 1 cup light cream

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, combine the oil with the squash, onion, and garlic. Add a good sprinkle of salt and several turns of pepper and toss to mix well. Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a baking sheet that has slightly raised sides (so the oil doesn’t drip off) and transfer to the hot oven. Roast for about 45 minutes or until the squash pieces are very tender.

When the squash is tender, transfer all the vegetables to a soup pot or saucepan, including the oil and any browned bits from the baking sheet. Set over medium heat and stir in the curry powder, cumin, and chile pepper, if using, along with the wine. Let the wine bubble up and evaporate slightly, enough to get rid of some of the alcohol, then add the stock.

Bring to a simmer and taste, adding salt and pepper if necessary. If you think it needs a boost of sweetness, stir in a tablespoon or two of honey. Simmer the soup very gently, covered, until the squash pieces are falling apart in the stock, 15 to 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly before pureeing—an immersion blender is ideal, or transfer the soup to a blender or food processor.

Add the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer before serving.

When you serve the hot soup, garnish each serving with a dribble of fine olive oil.

Note: Croutons made from bread cubes browned in a little olive oil are also a nice garnish.

Savory Bean Soup with Spicy Greens

For a bright garnish at the end, add some strips of sweet red pepper, either sliced from peppers you’ve roasted yourself (see note) or from a jar of high-quality roasted red peppers.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

  • 1½ cups dried cannellini or borlotti beans, soaked overnight
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 6 ripe plum tomatoes, or 6 canned whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 1 or 2 bay leaves
  • 1 celery rib, including the leaves, diced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of ground or crushed red chile pepper (optional)
  • 1½ to 2 pounds greens, such as mustard greens, chard, or kale (if necessary, remove and discard tough center ribs), chopped into bite-size pieces
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 2 medium fennel bulbs, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and flat-leaf parsley
  • Roasted red pepper strips, for garnish (optional)

Drain the soaked beans and place in a pan with 2 quarts fresh water. Bring slowly to a simmer, then cover and cook gently until the beans are tender but not falling apart, 40 to 45 minutes. Check the beans from time to time and add boiling water if necessary to keep them always covered with water to a depth of at least ½ inch.

Meanwhile, combine the stock with the tomatoes, bay leaves, celery, onion, and wine. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with a pinch of chile pepper if you wish. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for about 40 minutes. Strain the stock, pressing the solids in the colander to extract the flavor. Discard the remaining solids and return the stock to the pan over medium-low heat. Taste the stock and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Bring back to a simmer.

Add the greens to the simmering stock, cooking the greens just until they are wilted—5 to 10 minutes, or more, depending on how coarse the greens are. (Delicate mustard greens will cook quickly, while kale may take as long as 10 to 15 minutes.)

Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the fennel and cook, stirring, until it just starts to brown. Add the garlic and mixed herbs, along with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and ½ cup of the bean cooking liquid, and cook gently until the garlic is soft. Scrape the contents of the sauté pan into the stock with the greens, then use a slotted spoon to extract the beans from their cooking liquid and add them to the soup. If the soup is very thick, add more of the bean cooking liquid.

Taste the soup again and adjust the seasoning.

Serve with an extra dollop of olive oil on top of each serving. Garnish each, if you wish, with a strip of roasted red pepper.

Note: If you have more bean cooking liquid than you need, don’t discard it. Freeze it, if necessary, until you’re ready to use it as a great flavor boost for other soups and minestrones.

Pistou

Pistou

Pistou

This classic basil-fragrant spring soup from the South of France is one of the two most famous Provençal soups. Think of it as bouillabaisse for vegetables and you’ll understand that the two soups are very much alike. Everything fresh and seasonal from great local markets, such as the magnificent Cours Saleya in Nice, is added to this, and then the whole delicious freshness is exalted when a big dollop of basil-rich, garlic-rich, oil-rich sauce is stirred in, with more being served at the table.

To be super-authentic, use a fine Provençal oil, such as Castelas, a controlled appellation (AOC) from the Vallée des Baux. Or try it with a Taggiasca from neighboring Liguria or a Catalan Arbequina oil.

Don’t feel restricted by the vegetables listed here. If fresh peas, fava beans, or other greens are available, by all means dice or sliver or chop or shuck, and add them in too. Omit the carrots and tomatoes and you will have a very pretty green and white soup that simply sings of spring.

Makes 6 main-course servings

  • For the “pesto”:
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  • ⅓ cup olive oil, preferably Provençal or Ligurian
  • For the soup:
  • ½ cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans, soaked overnight
  • 1 or 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable broth, or plain water
  • ¼ cup finely minced pancetta (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup chopped white or yellow onion
  • ¼ cup olive oil, preferably Provençal or Ligurian
  • 2 leeks, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
  • ½ pound fresh green beans, sliced about 1 inch long
  • ½ pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 6 canned whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup pasta, either small shapes or vermicelli broken into 1-inch lengths; or ½ cup long-grain rice
  • ¼ small green or savoy cabbage, slivered
  • 3 or 4 large leaves chard (red or green), slivered

To make the “pesto”: (Note that this is a little different from the Genovese pesto that is made on the other side of the nonexistent border between Provence and Liguria.) Pound in a mortar the garlic, basil leaves, and a pinch of salt. When the mixture is a paste, stir in the grated cheese and the oil. Or combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended. Set aside until the soup is done.

To make the soup: Drain the soaked beans and add them to a saucepan with the bay leaves and 2 cups of the stock. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the beans are tender but not falling apart, 40 minutes to 1 hour. When done, set aside in their liquid. (If fresh cranberry or other shucking beans are available, use them instead of dried beans—they will require only 15 to 20 minutes of cooking.)

In the bottom of a heavy stockpot, combine the pancetta, garlic, parsley, and onion with the oil. (If you are not using pancetta, you may wish to add another tablespoon or two of oil to the mixture.) Set over medium-low heat and cook gently, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, but do not let them brown.

Once the vegetables in the kettle are soft, add the leeks, carrots, zucchini, potato, green beans, and tomatoes. Stir in the remaining 4 cups stock and bring to a simmer. Cook gently, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Stir in the beans with their cooking liquid, and add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes, then stir in the pasta or rice and continue cooking just until the pasta is al dente or the rice is tender. Add the slivered cabbage and chard, mix well, and remove from the heat. The greens will cook in the residual heat of the soup.

Stir in a big spoonful of the basil sauce right before serving, tasting once more and adjusting the seasoning. Serve more of the sauce and more grated cheese at the table.

Note: Leave out the pancetta, adding another spoonful or so of oil to take its place, and use vegetable stock or water to make this vegetarian. Omitting the cheese as well will turn it into a delicious vegan dish.

Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Chile-Mint Garnish

A traditional soup from Turkey, this adds the delightful touch of aromatic oil, flavored with dried mint and red chile pepper, for a garnish.

Makes 6 servings

  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
  • Big pinch of Turkish or Aleppo crushed red chile pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup dried split red lentils (also called masoor dal), rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon sumac (optional)
  • ½ cup coarse bulgur
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves, crumbled
  • ½ teaspoon crushed Aleppo
 pepper, or to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the cumin, chile pepper, garlic, and onion and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, but do not let them brown.

Raise the heat to high and stir in the tomato paste. Continue to cook for just a few minutes, until the red color of the paste darkens. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the juice the tomatoes give off starts to reduce, then add the broth and the lentils. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the lentils start to soften.

Have the boiling water ready, and when the lentils start to soften, add the boiling water together with the sumac, if using, and the bulgur. Once the soup is simmering again, cover once more and continue cooking until the grains of bulgur are soft, another 15 to 20 minutes.

When the soup is thick and the lentils and bulgur are tender, taste and add salt and pepper. You may also, if you wish, use an immersion blender at this point to partially blend the lentils and bulgur, but don’t try for a smooth puree—the soup is better, and looks nicer, with some texture from the grains and legumes.

Prepare the mint and chile garnish: Combine the dried mint and Aleppo pepper in a small skillet with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Warm just to a brief sizzle and remove from the heat. The oil should be very aromatic.

Transfer the soup to a serving dish or individual bowls and garnish the top with a driblet of the flavored oil.

Chickpea Soup

In one version or another, you can find this chickpea soup all over the Mediterranean. Here I combine memories of similar soups in Italy and Spain. If you want a more Provençal touch, add more garlic and use fresh basil in place of the rosemary; if you want a North African style of soup, add a little crushed chile pepper (or a spoonful of harissa) to the mix, along with a teaspoon or so of ground cumin.

This is not exactly a quick soup, since it can take as long as 3 hours to cook. But the advantage is that the cook doesn’t spend much time at all, unless you enjoy watching a simmering pan. And it can be prepared ahead and saved until the next day. Like most beany soups, it may be even better the day after it’s made. But don’t garnish the soup until you’re ready to serve it.

Makes 4 servings

  • ¼ to ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ¼ pound pancetta, prosciutto, or guanciale, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, including the leaves, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for several hours or overnight
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup slivered chard, beet greens, spinach, or other greens
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 slices country style bread, about ½ inch thick
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
  • Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or aged pecorino toscano cheese (optional)
  • Chopped fresh rosemary leaves, for garnish

Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil and the diced pancetta in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the fat starts to soften and melt. It’s okay if it starts to brown along the edges, but don’t let it turn crisp. Add the celery, onion, carrot, and garlic. Stir the vegetables in the hot fat until the onion turns translucent and the celery and carrot start to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and add to the pot, along with the wine. Raise the heat briefly to cook off some of the alcohol in the wine, then add water to cover by about 1 inch. Stir in the tomatoes, rosemary, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low so that the liquid is barely simmering and cover the pot. Cook thoroughly, checking occasionally to make sure there’s enough liquid left in the pot. If you must add a little more water from time to time, make sure it is boiling so as not to cool the soup down. When the chickpeas are very tender—when you can pinch them slightly and they squish between your fingers—remove the pot from the heat. (This can take as long as 3 hours, depending on the age of the chickpeas.)

Use a slotted spoon to remove and set aside about 1½ cups of chickpeas. Remove and discard the bay leaf and any twigs of rosemary. Puree the rest with an immersion blender or put it through the coarse disk of a vegetable mill. If you must use a food processor, just pulse it several times to blend. The soup should not have a very fine texture. This is a rustic soup and you should be able to see bits of carrot, rosemary, and celery along with the beans.

Add the reserved whole chickpeas to the soup and return to the stovetop over low heat. As soon as the soup begins to simmer, add the slivered greens and continue cooking just until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and a little pepper.

When the soup is done, toast the bread slices and dribble a little oil on each slice. Alternatively, dribble a little oil over the slices and bake in the oven at 325°F until they are golden. Put a slice in the bottom of each serving bowl.

Ladle the soup into the serving bowls. Top each serving with a sprinkle of hard-boiled eggs and some grated cheese, if you wish. Add more pepper and chopped rosemary, dribble more oil over the top, and serve immediately.

Note for vegetarians: You can leave out the pancetta, but I’d add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to compensate for the loss of richness. Or, if you don’t mind eating fish, substitute 2 or 3 anchovy fillets, chopped, and melt them into the oil before adding the onion.