Soup is a welcome winter comfort food

It’s the time of year, at least in the Northeast, where a piping hot bowl of soup, gumbo, broth, chowder or consommé is a welcome comfort food on a cold and blustery, winter day. And don’t forget a slice of hearty crusty bread to go along with it. Perhaps that’s why January is National Soup Month.

Soup is a versatile dish and can be prepared using ingredients that are probably already in the fridge and pantry. Gluten-free, vegetarian, low-salt, dairy-free or vegan recipes can be adjusted to accommodate almost any diet. Soup is an economical meal, using leftovers and inexpensive ingredients. And it is easy to prepare, using just one pot, making cleanup a cinch.

No matter what country, region or culture you choose, there is a quintessential soup to experience. For example: pho is a popular Vietnamese soup, gumbo a traditional Creole dish, borscht from Eastern Europe, bouillabaisse from Marseille, a favorite of mine from Greece, Avgolemono, and of course, in the U.S., New England Clam Chowder.

Whatever soup you enjoy, here are interesting tidbits about one of our favorite dishes: in the U.S., we savor over 10 billion bowls of soup each year; women order a bowl twice as likely as men in a restaurant; soup has been around since 6,000 BC (very surprising ingredient, check it out), and believe it or not (I didn’t believe it at first) bar owners in Nebraska can’t sell beer unless they have a pot of soup on the stove.

Homemade soup is a favorite of mine, especially this time of year. Always looking to add to my repertoire; “101 Greatest Soups on the Planet: Every Savory Soup, Stew, Chili and Chowder You Could Ever Crave” by Erin Renouf Mylroie (2022, Page Street Publishing, $25.99) was added to my collection.

The photography is superb; I could almost smell the aroma of the steaming soup. The creative recipes such as Chicken Parmesan Soup With Mozzarella Croutons; Smoky BLT Tomato Soup With Homemade Croutons; Four Cheese Ravioli Soup; and Pennsylvania Leftover Roast Beef Stew caught my attention.

The author also shares recipes of her twist on more familiar soups: Italian Wedding Soup, French Onion Soup, Minestrone and Chicken Noodle Soup.

It was a delight to chat with the author who grew up in a large Italian family. She remembers as a very young child crawling to the counter to watch mom cook. When she was about 8, mom even let her assist in preparing a few recipes.

When asked what inspired her to write a cookbook (this is her third), she mentioned that she used to write family cookbooks for relatives for the holidays. Mylroie went on to talking about the many recipe contests she entered (National Beef Cook-Off, and the infamous Pillsbury Bake-Off, among many others).

Her appearances on Guy Fieri’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” on the Food Network and the “Rachael Ray Show” also inspired her to write cookbooks. The ultimate decision was when during one of Mylroie ‘s monthly cooking segments on Studio 5 Salt Lake, another guest doing a segment asked if she was interested in writing a cookbook. That guest put her in touch with a publisher….the rest is history.

There are many soup cookbooks in the market, so I asked what separates hers from the rest.

“Variety, there’s something for everyone; upscale, ease of prep, budget friendly,” she said.

Mylroie also includes vegetarian and vegan options plus slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions for each recipe. She shares these options only if it works.

Her answer to how she would describe her cooking in three words: “Intuitive, adventurous, celebratory.”

She enjoys engaging with her readers and seeing the photos they send of her recipes that they prepared at home. One even made all 101 recipes from the book. Now that speaks for itself!

Here are a few to get you started. For the recipe for Smoky BLT Tomato Soup With Croutons, go to https://bit.ly/495fLMX.

Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger Soup

The headnote says: “Hand this steaming, beefy bowl to anyone who tries to tell you that soup isn’t substantial enough for dinner. With tender potatoes, smoky bacon, juicy ground beef, spicy pickled jalapeños with a drizzle of their puckery juices and melted Cheddar cheese, this soup is filling enough to turn anyone from hungry to happy.”

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

Salt and pepper, as desired

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 1 tablespoons dried, plus more for serving

1 tsp dried oregano

5 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed

1 cup half-and-half

½ cup sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons brine from a jar of pickled jalapeños

Pickled jalapeño rings, for serving

½ pound crumbled cooked bacon, for serving

Directions:

In a large pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is almost browned, add the butter, onion, garlic, jalapeño and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the veggies begin to soften. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, or until the flour is no longer white and powdery. Add the potatoes, parsley, oregano and broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the half-and-half and sour cream.

Bring the soup back to a low simmer and stir in the cheddar and brine. Remove from the heat when the cheese is just melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a little more broth if the soup seems too thick. To serve, ladle the soup into six bowls. Top with cheese, pickled jalapeño rings, bacon and a little parsley.

Slow cooker instructions: Follow the recipe as instructed through adding the broth. Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Instant Pot instructions: Set the Instant Pot to the simmer mode. Follow the recipe as instructed, using the Instant Pot, through adding the broth. Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Use the natural release method. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Four Cheese Ravioli Soup

The headnote says: “You can make your own cheese ravioli for this gentle, comforting soup, or you can do what I most often do — purchase a package of fresh ravioli in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. If you can’t find fresh ravioli, you can use tortellini or even just plain pasta, but add plenty of mozzarella and Parmesan when serving.”

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

5 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed

1 (10-ounce package of fresh four cheese ravioli or any flavor

2 cups coarsely chopped spinach or escarole

2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, or until it is no longer white and powdery. Stir in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes and broth.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the ravioli and simmer using the cook times on the package directions as your guide. Add more broth if the soup seems too thick. Just before serving, add the spinach and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into four bowls and serve.

Vegetarian option: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

Pennsylvania Leftover Roast Beef Stew

The headnote says: “I don’t know if this soup is really Pennsylvania-esque, per se, but the recipe comes from my best college friend, Kimmarie, who is from Pennsylvania. We’ve been trading recipes ever since we moved out of the dorms, too long ago to even mention how many years. Everyone should have a friend like Kimmarie, the kind who can swap stories and laughs as easily as she swaps the best recipes. If you have any leftover pot roast on hand after a big family dinner, make this soup a few days later. Although not part of the original recipe, I add a little shredded provolone on top, almost like a Philly cheese steak—another way this soup earns its inclusion of Pennsylvania in the recipe title.”

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green bell peppers, chopped

8 ounces button mushrooms, chopped

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or use equal parts dried basil and oregano)

2 cups leftover beef pot roast

1 (14 ½ -ounce can stewed tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes, undrained

4 cups beef broth, plus more if needed

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella

Basil leaves, for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the veggies begin to soften. Add the Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the leftover pot roast, tomatoes and broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until everything is tender, adding more broth if the soup seems too thick. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle the soup into four bowls, top with the cheese and basil and serve. The recipes is freezer friendly.

Slow cooker instructions: Place the onion, garlic, bell peppers and mushrooms in the bottom of a slow cooker. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Add the pot roast, tomatoes and broth. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper and serve as directed.

Instant Pot instructions: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Follow the recipe as directed, using the Instant Pot, through adding the broth. Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Use the natural release method. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Credit: Recipes reprinted with permission from “101 Greatest Soups on the Planet” by Erin Mylroie, Page Street Publishing Co., 2022.

Stephen Fries is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 16 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.