Volume 9, Issue 95 - November 11, 2005

Hello Recipe Club Member,

I would like thank the fine folks at the Culinary Institute of America for their great soup recipes this week. I whole heartedly recommend this book to any soup lover in your circle of family and friends. It would make an awesome Christmas or birthday present.

Next week, we begin the Thanksgiving holiday recipe countdown. I will have all kinds of side dishes, appetizers, a soup or two and of course some fool proof turkey recipes. And for those of you who do not get our Sunday Culinary Times email (click here if you don't) I would like to point you to our Thanksgiving Recipe Guide. There you will find a wonderful collection of holiday recipes and tips for a most successful Thanksgiving.

Have a great weekend, you deserve it.

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Pumpkin Bisque

Buy a variety of pumpkin meant specifically for eating when you make this bisque. Pumpkins meant for carving are very fibrous and will not make a good soup. For added richness, garnish each portion of the bisque with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream. For a playful presentation, serve the bisque in hollowed-out mini pumpkins.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 leek, white part only, diced (about 1 cup)
1 pound pumpkin flesh, diced (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 quarts chicken broth
2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Preparation:

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, onion and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the wine in a small saucepan to a simmer. Immediately remove from the heat, add the ginger and cover. Steep for 10 minutes, then strain the wine and discard the ginger.

Strain the solids from the soup, reserving the liquid. Purée the solids and add enough of the liquid to achieve a slightly thick soup consistency.

Add the wine to the soup and season to taste with the salt and nutmeg (if using). Serve in heated bowls.

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Hlelem
(Tunisian Vegetable and Bean Soup)

Packed with beans and greens, this slightly spicy vegetable soup is both tasty and good for you. Harissa is a Tunisian hot sauce or paste usually made with hot chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and olive oil. It's available in cans, jars, or tubes from Middle Eastern markets and specialty stores. Or, make your own (see "Leblebi" recipe in Wednesday's Recipe Club ).

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 ounces dried lima or butter beans (about 1/2 cup)
3 ounces dried chickpeas (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 celery stalk, large outer veins trimmed, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 onion, minced (about 3/4 cup)
1 quart chicken broth
1/3 cup tomato paste (about 3 ounces)
4 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces, leaves shredded (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into bite-sized pieces (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons harissa
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:

Soak the dried lima beans and chickpeas separately overnight in three times their volume of water. Drain and cook them separately in two times their volume of fresh water until they are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and reserve the cooking water from both the lima beans and chickpeas. Combine the lima beans and chickpeas, set aside. Combine the cooking waters and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the broth, reserved bean cooking liquid and the tomato paste. Mix together until well blended and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add the cooked beans and chick peas, the Swiss chard and the pasta. Simmer until the pasta and chard stems are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the harissa and stir until blended. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve in heated bowls, garnished with the chopped parsley.

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Cioppino

A savory tomato broth full of seafood and vegetables, cioppino is an American original created in San Francisco by Italian immigrants. It is a meal in and of itself. Although not traditional, you can substitute 1 cup of lump crab meat for the crabs. If you purchase fennel with the tops still attached, save some of the nicest looking sprigs for a garnish. Serve the cioppino with large garlic toasts or crusty sourdough bread.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches scallions, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 green peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
1 onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 1/4 cups diced fennel bulb (about 5 ounces)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 quart fish broth
8 cups drained canned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tomato purée
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper
20 littleneck clams, scrubbed well
3 steamed hardshell crabs, fresh cooked or frozen thawed
20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 pounds swordfish or halibut steaks, diced
3 tablespoons shredded basil

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the scallions, peppers, onion and fennel.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the white wine, bring to a boil and cook until the volume of wine is reduced by about half, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the fish broth, tomatoes, tomato purée and bay leaves. Cover the pot and simmer the mixture slowly for about 45 minutes. Add a small amount of water, if necessary. Cioppino should be more a broth than a stew.

Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Add the clams and simmer for about 10 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

Separate the claws from the crabs and cut the bodies in half. Add the crab pieces, shrimp and swordfish to the soup. Simmer until the fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Add the basil and adjust the seasoning to taste, if necessary. Serve in heated bowls or soup plates.

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Tortilla Soup

This soup, fragrant with the aromas of cilantro, chili powder and cumin, is both flavored and thickened with corn tortillas. Toasting the tortillas before grinding them helps develop the fullest flavor. Garnished with avocado, cheese, chicken and toasted tortilla strips, this soup can be the center of a light meal, rounded out with a green salad.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup finely grated or puréed onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 cup tomato purée
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons mild chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (from about 1/2 breast)
1/2 cup diced avocado (see note below)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cut the tortillas into matchsticks. Place them in an even layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes. Or, toast the strips by sautéing them in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the strips for a garnish. Crush the remainder in a food processor or blender.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until they have a sweet aroma, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the tomato purée and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Add the cilantro, chili powder and cumin and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the broth, crushed tortillas and bay leaf. Stir well, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes. Strain the soup through a sieve.

Serve the soup in heated bowls, garnished with the shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, reserved tortilla strips and diced avocado.

Note: Avocado will turn brown if it is cut very far in advance. Avoid cutting the avocado more than 1 hour before you will need it. Once you cut it, sprinkle the diced flesh with a little lemon or lime juice and toss gently to coat all the pieces. Cover the avocado and keep refrigerated. If avocados are not in season or unavailable, substitute peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes or cucumbers.

Alternate garnish idea: Instead of making tortilla strips for a garnish, cut one of the tortillas into wedges and toast them in the oven. Mash the avocado with a little lime juice and some diced tomato to make guacamole. When ready to serve, place a dollop of the guacamole on the tortilla wedges and float these "croutons" on top of the soup. Scatter grated cheese over all. Omit the shredded chicken if desired.