Take a break with some simple soups

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The days before New Year’s Eve can be a respite from holiday excess. Not always, especially when families are frequently scattered and celebrations occur not on exact dates, but when it’s possible for everyone to assemble. This year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve and Day on New Year’s Eve and Day – very different for my crew, especially my mom and me.

Regardless of when or what you celebrate, it’s a good idea to intersperse lighter meals between big feasts. And those lighter meals don’t need to be less delicious.

 Here are three soups that fill that bill. Not only are they delicious, they’re simple and quickly prepared. And you don’t need to fuss with making or buying stock: I use plain water.
 
I concocted this soup a couple weeks ago with half a cauliflower and a couple leeks that were almost ready for the compost heap. I’d intended to doctor it up with other ingredients but the basic combination was so delicious I decided not to fuss with it. It was fast, too; total preparation time was under 15 minutes.

Roasted cauliflower and leek soup
• 4 – 6 c. cauliflower florets, broken or sliced into smallish bite-sized pieces
• 4 T. melted butter, divided
• Salt
• 2 large or 3 small leeks
• 6 c. water
• Freshly ground pepper

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Put the cauliflower florets – including small crumbs – on a baking sheet large enough to hold them in one layer. Drizzle half the butter over them, toss them to coat, then spread out and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the edges of the cauliflower are nicely browned and the cauliflower is cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Discard the root ends of the leeks then slice the white and pale green parts into circles about ¼-inch thick. Save the green leaves for another use, such as to make stock. Separate the rounds into concentric rings in a colander, then wash them under cold running water. Leeks often have sandy soil trapped inside them and need to be thoroughly rinsed.

Put the remaining butter into a medium-large pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and the water clinging to them, stir to combine with the butter, then cover the pot and let the leeks cook until meltingly tender, about 20 minutes.

Set aside some (approximately 3/4 cup) of the crispiest browned bits of the cauliflower. Add the rest to the pot with the leeks. Add the 6 cups water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Purée the soup with a food processor, blender or hand-held blender. It doesn’t need to be completely smooth but should be thickened.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot, garnished with the crispy cauliflower bits.

Serves 2-4.  
   
This is my most favorite tomato soup: sweet, tart, spicy; a soup that’s somehow both refreshing and cold-weather comfort food.

Tomato orange bisque
• 1 T. butter
• 1 c. chopped onion, preferably red
• 1 chopped red bell pepper, about 1 c.
• 1 chopped hot red pepper or cayenne, more or less to taste, optional
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in juice
• 2 c. orange juice
• 1 c. water
• Pinch of one or more of the following ground spices: ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Sour cream or plain yogurt, optional
• Thinly seedless orange slices for garnish, optional


Melt the butter in a large pot over high heat. Add the chopped onion and peppers, stir to combine, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the vegetables cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes. 



Uncover the pan and raise the heat to high. Add the tomatoes, orange juice, water and ground spices. Bring the mixture just to a boil, then reduce the heat until it barely simmers, then cover the pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 



Let the mixture stand for a few minutes then purée with a hand-held immersion blender or in small batches in a regular blender. Be careful if using a blender; hot liquids can “explode” as the heat expands. 


Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the orange slices if desired. Also, pass a bowl of sour cream or yoghurt at the table for each diner to stir a spoonful into the soup if desired.

Serves 4–6.

Most recipes call for beef stock for this French classic. But the recipe below, given to me 40 years ago by an outstanding French home cook, uses only water. Though I’ve tried other recipes using stock none have ever bested this. The secret is to cook the onions until they are really darkly caramelized and gooey

French onion soup
Soupe a L’oignon Gratinée
• 8 T. (1/2 c.) unsalted butter
• 6 lb. yellow onions not super-sweet, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 T. fresh or 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (not ground)
• 1-2 T. wine or sherry vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 c. dry white wine, preferred, or water
• 10 c. water
• Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Approximately 1/4 c. grated Gruyère (preferred) or other natural Swiss-type cheese per serving
• 1 slice French or Italian type bread per serving, approximately ¾-inch to 1-inch thick, trimmed to fit inside the soup bowls. Slightly stale is ok.

In a large skillet or two smaller skillets melt the butter over high heat. Add the onions, thyme, vinegar and bay leaves. Stir to coat the onions with the butter. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium high. Let the onions “sweat” for about 10 minutes, until they are softened and translucent.

Uncover the skillet, stir the onions to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom and reduce the heat to low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are dark, caramelized and gooey. This will take at least 45 minutes and may well take more than an hour.

Put the onions into a large pot and return the skillet to the stove. Increase the heat to high, add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom to deglaze the pan. Add some of the water if needed.

Pour the wine deglazing mixture into the pot with the onions, add the remaining water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for at least 30 minutes to combine the flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and a little more vinegar if you like). The soup may be prepared ahead of time up to this point – in fact, letting it stand awhile improves the flavor. Refrigerate the soup if you are holding for more than an hour or two.

Remove the bay leaves. Reheat the soup if necessary.

Heat the broiler.

To serve: Ladle the hot soup into deep ovenproof bowls, leaving about 1 ½-inch space. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup and push it carefully and gently a little bit into the liquid. The bread shouldn’t be completely submerged, just well-moistened on the bottom.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the bread. It’s ok if a bit of the cheese hangs over the sides.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet (to prevent tipping and spills) and place under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbly and just beginning to brown. Carefully remove the bowls from the broiler. Remember, the bowls are hot! Place each bowl on a plate and serve immediately.        

Serves 6-8 as a main course, 12 or more as an appetizer.

Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].