HOT SOUP: This is not an everyday popular soup that one is in a hurry to try out, but it is still worth the effort to put it together at least once.

TOMATO & SCALLOP SOUP WITH PESTO:

½ lb. scallops cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup each, onion & potatoes, diced

1 cup each carrots & celery, diagonally sliced                        

pinch of dried basil

1 bay leaf                                                       

salt and pepper

1 tsp. each lemon zest  & lemon juice

½ cup dry white wine  + 4 cups fish stock                  

½ cup whipping cream

3 tbsp. pesto, see recipe                                              

1 tbsp. cooking oil

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot, add onion and cook until pale golden. Add potatoes, carrots and celery, continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Add basil, lemon zest and juice.

Deglaze pan with white wine and cook until liquid has been reduced by half. Add 1 cup tomatoes and bay leaf and cook until mixture resembles tomato sauce; then add fish stock. Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add scallop and the remaining tomatoes.

Simmer for 5 minutes, or until scallops are opaque and just cooked, but do not overcook scallop. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through then serve immediately, garnish with a dollop of pesto.

PESTO SAUCE:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed                                

½ cup extra virgin olive oil                             

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese                    

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic, minced                                                           

salt and pepper to taste

Combine basil and pine nut in the work bowl of a food processor with steel blade attached. Process with on/off pulses a few times. Add garlic and process on/off a few times more.

With motor running, add olive oil through the feed tube in a steady stream, stopping machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice, until well blended. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste and pulse once or twice to mix.

HOT SOUP: The soup mix, available at oriental market, makes it easy to reproduce this famous soup in the Thai cuisine at home.

TOM YAM GUNG---THAI STYLE HOT AND SOUP SHRIMP SOUP:

16 raw shrimp, shells on****                         

½ cup button mushrooms, quartered

1 lemon grass, sliced thinly crosswise 

8 thin slices fresh ginger

1 50-gm pkg. Tom Yam Gung soup mix         

2 red hot chillies, seeded and cut in half

2 lime leaves, or 4 strips lime peel + 2 to 3 limes

                  

1 large tomato, cut into small wedges

2 tbsp. fish sauce                                            

salt and pepper

small bunches of coriander                             

Place shrimp in a saucepan with 6 cups water. Add lemon grass, ginger and the soup mix. Bring to a boil and simmer 1-2 minute. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon. Cool, remove shells, returning shrimp shells to the soup, and de-vein shrimp. Add chillies and lime leaves (or lime peel) to soup and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Strain soup into a clean saucepan. Retrieve chillies and lime leaves and return them to the soup, while discarding lemon grass and lime peel, if using.

Add tomato wedges and mushrooms and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season soup with fish sauce, salt and pepper. Add coriander and squeeze in the juice of 2 limes. Taste and adjust seasoning, aiming for a hot and sour taste with a distinct citrus flavour, adding more lime juice or a pinch of salt if necessary. Return the shrimp to the soup to heat through. Serve at once.   

****A combination of seafood, such as squid, mussels, cubed fish filets, or chicken may be used instead of shrimp.****

HOT SOUP: This is another easy to make soup that is full of goodness.

THICK PEA SOUP:

½ cup split peas, rinsed and picked over                    

6 cups chicken stock

1 small ham hock                                                       

1 each onion & carrot, sliced

bouquet garni---tied in several layers of cheesecloth:

    2 sprigs parsley                                           

    stalk celery, quartered

    ½ bay leaf                                                   

    ½ tsp. thyme

freshly ground pepper                                                

croutons to garnish

In a large saucepan, bring split peas and chicken stock to a boil, skimming any froth that rises to the surface. Add ham hock, vegetables and bouquet garni. Simmer the mixture for 1 hour, or until the peas are very soft.

Remove and discard bouquet garni. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor, or by using a hand blender. Bring back to a gentle simmer reheat it. Add pepper to taste, adding salt only if necessary.

Ladle soup into heated bowls, and garnish each serving with crouton.

HOT SOUP: This is an easy soup that can be prepared in no time at all.

THAI SOUP:

28 oz. canned coconut milk                                        

3 cups chicken stock

3 lime leaves                                                               

8 slices fresh ginger, peeled                                                                

4 stalks lemon grass, white part, sliced                       

1 lb. chicken breasts, in thin strips

2 green onions, thinly sliced                                       

4 tbsp. fish sauce + ¼ cup lime juice                                                  

1 tsp. sambal oelek (chilli sauce)

1 tbsp. chopped coriander                                          

salt and pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside for 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan, whisk coconut milk until smooth, and simmer together with chicken stock, lime leaves, lemon grass and ginger for 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken strips and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime juice, chilli sauce and green onions and simmer together for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve in heated bowls garnished with coriander.

HOT SOUP: This is a hearty soup that is full of goodness and nutrition. Enjoy.

SQUASH SOUP:

2 large butternut squash                                  

2 tbsp. coriander seeds

2 dried chillies                                                

olive oil

10 slices pancetta, diced                                 

bunch of fresh sage

11 oz. canned chestnuts                                  

1 onion, finely chopped

6-8 cups hot chicken stock                             

2-3 tbsp. sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut squash in half and remove the seeds, reserving them for later use. Grind chilli and coriander seeds in the food processor, or a spice grinder  until very fine. Sprinkle this over the squash and drizzle with olive oil. Bake squash for 30 minutes or until soft.

In a saucepan, heat oil until hot over medium heat and fry pancetta with half the sage. Add chestnuts and the onion and cook for 15 minutes.

Spoon flesh out of squash and add into chestnut and pancetta mixture in the saucepan. Pour in hot stock and bring mixture to the boil. Remove half of soup mixture; blend it in a blender until smooth; then return blended soup to saucepan. Keep soup simmering for 5-10 minutes more until thickened and very hot.

Meanwhile, fry squash seeds with the rest of sage in a small skillet until crisp.

To serve:  ladle soup into heated serving bowls. Add a little sour cream and sprinkled with a little of the crisp sage and seeds as garnish to serve.        

HOT SOUP: This is a favourite in my family, even though only among the adults who enjoy the spiciness of the chilli peppers. For children, chilli peppers can be omitted to still give a nice soup combining the goodness of shrimp, vegetables and corn.

SPICY SHRIMP AND CORN CHOWDER:

10 cups or more basic chicken stock

                                          

1 lb. medium or large shrimp

2 shallots, chopped                                         

1 leek, white part only, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 each carrot, medium potato & red pepper, diced                             

2-3 hot chilli pepper (or to taste) halved                                 

4 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed

1 x 14oz canned whole corn kernels

2 tbsp. oil                                

½ cup 10% cream                                           

¼ cup dry white wine--optional

chopped cilantro to garnish                             

seasoning for shrimp:

    3/4 tsp each salt, sugar & tapioca starch                    

    dash of white pepper & light soy sauce

    1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry

                       

Rinse, remove shells & de-vein shrimp. Wrap with paper towels and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut shrimp into halves or quarters, depending on size, and season with seasoning for 30 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. oil into a large pan, preferably a non-stick saucepan, & heat it until hot. Add shrimp & cook for 2-3 minutes until they turn pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Into the same pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat until hot and add shallots and leeks. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft and golden. Add garlic and toss for half a minutes.  Add chilli peppers, red pepper, carrots, potato and thyme. Toss well to combine. Add white wine, if using, to deglaze pan; then add the stock. Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and flavour has developed. Taste for spiciness after 5-10 minutes of cooking, removing or adding more chilli peppers according to taste.  

Use a hand blender to puree the soup until smooth. Add corn and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add cream & shrimp and cook for 5 minutes more. Adjust seasoning before serving. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

HOT SOUP: Scotch broth used to be one of the most popular soups in the UK during my times there. It is a nice soup though that can be enjoyed anywhere in the world

SCOTCH BROTH:

2 lbs. lamb shoulder, bones in, cut into 2-inch pieces 

3-4 tbsp. pearl barley                                                     

1 tsp. salt + ¼ tsp. black pepper                                                          

veggie mix:

    ¾ cup leeks, chopped

    ½ cup each celery & carrots, onion & turnips finely chopped                                                        

8 cups water                                                               

salt and pepper to taste

minced parsley for garnish

In a large saucepan, bring lamb pieces and the water to a boil over high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low, skimming the froth as it rises to the surface, and add barley. Simmer mixture for 1 hour. Add chopped vegetables and simmer for another hour.

Remove lamb pieces with a slotted spoon. Cool until able to handle; then remove the meat from bones and cut it into small dice. Return meat to soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer the soup for 5-10 minutes more. Ladle soup into heated bowls to serve, garnished with parsley.  

HOT SOUP: This is a rich soup that gives the nice taste of salmon without having to use the fish.

SALMON BISQUE:

2 salmon heads and tails

1 tbsp. butter                                                   

¼ cup each green onion & celery, finely chopped

1/3 cup dry white wine

4 cups cold water

1 cup tomato juice                                          

¼ cup flour

1 cup each hot milk & 10% cream

         

1 tbsp. chopped parsley                                  

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan. Sauté green onion and celery over medium-low heat, do not brown.  Add white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.  Cool slightly, puree in a food processor until smooth.

Place heads and tails of salmon in the cold water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove salmon pieces and reserve water. When salmon is cool enough to handle, pick all the meat out of the heads and tails, discharging the bones. Process salmon  meat in a food processor until smooth; then return it into the poaching water.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, add pureed vegetable mixture, fish and poaching liquid, tomato juice and the flour, whisking continuously until well incorporated. Cook  for 2-3 minutes; then add in parsley and the hot milk, whisking constantly to mix well without lumps. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add cream and continue cooking to heat through without re-boiling.  Serve immediately.

HOT SOUP: Various versions of the garlic soup are popular in European countries. This is a nice version of it that can be easily reproduced at home.

ROASTED GARLIC AND APPLE SOUP:

2 heads garlic                                                              

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup finely-diced celery                                           

1 bay leaf

4 small Granny Smith apples                                      

1 cup finely-diced onion

2 cups peeled and dice potatoes                                 

pinch dried thyme

¼ cup white wine or apple juice + 6 cups hot chicken stock                                                   

salt and pepper + 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg                                            

1-1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese                              

1 cup whipping cream, optional****

6 baguette slices brushed with olive oil                       

fresh chives, diagonally sliced

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Cut tops off garlic bulbs and brush them with 1 tbsp. olive oil.  Sprinkle with pinch of thyme and black pepper. Wrap garlic and the whole apples with a double thickness of foil and transfer to baking pan. Bake for 1 hour or until garlic and apples are soft. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Squeeze garlic and mash to a paste. Remove skin and core from apples and chop. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook onion in rest of olive oil until soft. Add celery, potatoes, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook mixture for 10 minutes. Add wine/apple juice and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add bay leaf and hot stock and bring mixture to a gentle simmer. Add garlic and apples to soup. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add nutmeg and cream, if using, to the soup and reduce heat to low to heat through.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Toast baguettes and serve soup in heated bowls topped with toasted bread, cheese and chives.

**** If a lighter soup is desired. Omit the cream. Puree a portion of the soup and return the pureed amount to the pot and simmer 5 minutes until the soup thickens. ****

HOT SOUP: This is another example of Italian soups that are very thick with little liquid in them, making them more stews than soups.

TUSCAN VEGETABLE AND BREAD SOUP:

1 lb. yellow squash                                                     

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 large garlic gloves, thinly sliced                               

1 ½ tsp tomato paste

1 ½ lb. tomatoes; cored and finely chopped               

½ lb each Swiss chard  &  green beans or yellow waxed beans                      

½ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp fennel seeds, coarsely chopped                         

1 cup water

salt and freshly ground pepper                                   

¼ cup + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

toasted Italian bread

Half the squash lengthwise and slice into ½-inch thick slices. Cut beans into 1-inch pieces. Discard stems from the Swiss chard and coarsely chop the leaves.

In a medium cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add squash, onion and garlic and cook together for 5 minutes to brown. Add tomato paste, water, chopped tomatoes, beans and salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 10-12 minutes. Add Swiss chard and cook for 5 minutes more or until the chard is completely wilted. Ladle vegetables into shallow serving bowls

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the 2 tbsp. olive oil until hot and add in paprika and fennel seeds. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Drizzle oil and seed mixture over the vegetables to serve, accompanied by hot toasted bread.