Best cookbook for soups?

[foodfiend]

I gotta get more soups into my diet, preferably on a daily basis (according to my TCM). It can't be cold soups but warm soups, preferably without cream. I don't like this change but it gives me a good excuse to buy a new cookbook Recommends?

[Goin' Coastal]

Who needs a cookbook when there are so many great recipes on the soup threads of this BB!!

[foodfiend]

it gives me a good excuse to buy a new cookbook

Emphasis on "buy." Ahem

[Canice]

My #1 recommendation is "Love Soup" by Anna Thomas (she of Vegetarian Epicure fame). I really like the way they're organized, and they're tasty, healthful recipes.
My second choice is "Moosewood Daily Special" though that includes a lot of salad recipes as well.

[SusanL]

OT but what is TCM? I think I saw some great soup book, I will need to search for them, I had them in my "to buy" list, somewhere.~

[SusanL]

I had this recipe on the boards and thought you might be interested, it is cream free...
Spring Vegetable Medley Soup by D Madison

Wow, a great spring soup that even DH enjoyed; he drank the broth, then ate the veggies. A very light and comforting soup, I now have three books to purchase, Vegetable Soups being one of them.(Didn't think the turnips and radishes would work, but they were quite delicate in flavor.)


Try this light soup after a trip to the farmers' market.

This little vegetable soup celebrates the market not only in spring but again in the fall. I have made this vegetarian recipe from my farmers' market produce both in early June and in September—minus the asparagus. The high-altitude coolness of northern New Mexico is kind to turnips, peas, and sorrel. Leek trimmings, asparagus stems, and pea pods are great stock ingredients, so you might as well make a little stock while you cut your vegetables.

Makes about 5 cups

INGREDIENTS
Handful of snow peas or edible-pod peas
Stock vegetables: 1 celery rib, 1 large carrot, 1 garlic clove, handful of parsley, handful of leek greens, asparagus stalks, all chopped, optional
Sea salt
9 or 10 small fresh turnips (about 3⁄4 pound or 2 cups)
12 radishes
1 tablespoon butter
1 bay leaf
2 bushy thyme sprigs or 1⁄4 teaspoon dried
1 cup leeks, sliced in 1⁄4-inch rounds and rinsed (about 4 small leeks)
4 green garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 asparagus spears, peeled and the top 3 inches sliced off
1⁄ 2 pound fresh peas, shelled, or 1⁄ 2 cup frozen
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon or chervil

PREPARATION
1 If you want to make a stock, bring 5 cups water to a boil. Add the pea pods to the water as it's heating along with the other stock vegetables. Add a few pinches of salt, bring to a boil, then simmer while you peel and cut the vegetables for the soup. Neatly peel the turnips with 5 or 6 even strokes of a paring knife. Halve them and cut each half into thirds. Cut the radishes into halves or quarters, depending on their size.
2 Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat with the bay leaf and thyme. Add the leek and garlic, cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the turnips and radishes. Season with 3⁄4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 4 minutes while you strain the stock. You should have about 1 quart.
3 Add the stock to the turnips, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the asparagus during the last 5 minutes, the peas during the last minute. Divide the broth and vegetables among four bowls and sprinkle over the parsley and tarragon.

[Canice]

OT but what is TCM? I think I saw some great soup book, I will need to search for them, I had them in my "to buy" list, somewhere.~

Around here it refers to traditional Chinese medicine, but I don't know if that's what ff is referring to.

[foodfiend]

Around here it refers to traditional Chinese medicine, but I don't know if that's what ff is referring to.

You got it, babe

Thanks for the recommends. I was looking at Nina Simond's cookbooks. They are not strictly soups but do include many soup recipes that follow the same principles as my TCM. It is interesting that she includes Chinese medicine in her recipes. Silly me, I had always thought A Spoonful of Ginger was a cookbook about ginger

[karen w]

I second Canice's recommendation for Love Soup by Anna Thomas. Her recipes can sometimes be fussy in terms of prep but can easily be simplified and they are usually very tasty and healthy. Other soup books that I enjoy include CI Book of Soups,Stews, and Chili's, Ken Haedrich's book, Soup Makes The Meal, Enlightened Soups by Camila Salisbury, The Big Book of Soups, New England Soup Factory Cookbook, and the Moosewood soup cookbook. That should give you a good start. Happy slurping.

Karen

[Canice]

Hee, I believe I bought Soup Love on your recommendation, Karen!

I wonder if all these Western style soups can fulfill the recommendations, though?

[foodfiend]

Western soups are fine so long as the broth is drinkable, and they don't contain dairy. It's the warming element of the soup that's supposed to be good for me.

[Canice]

I would think that if you could find the time to make a big batch of chicken stock, that would help. I don't make it nearly often enough, and when I do I always save it for light, brothy soups where its flavor really shines through. I was at the farmers' market yesterday looking at all the slim asparagus and English peas and baby spinach, thinking what a nice, lemony I could make with that. Of course, I'd go and throw a Parmesan rind in, I'm sure

[heavy hedonist]

The soups I make from recipes are never in "soup" books. They're generally from my favorite, most-used cookbooks, like MooseWood Cooks at Home, Laurel's Kitchen, The Silver Palate, and The Herbal Kitchen.

[mamakjoy]

My favorite soup cookbook is A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell. Every recipes I've made has been wonderful.

[Canice]

The soups I make from recipes are never in "soup" books. They're generally from my favorite, most-used cookbooks, like MooseWood Cooks at Home, Laurel's Kitchen, The Silver Palate, and The Herbal Kitchen.

I know, I've never been a fan of soup books myself. The two I named are good ones, but my favorite is my white binder filled with soup recipes I've collected or created. Only the successes make it in, of course

[cookieee]

"In the April edition of Amazon Delivers, we are happy to share new cookbooks featuring international cuisine, including Zuppe: Soups from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome by Mona Talbott, available in hardcover."

[zephyr1]

bobmark on here pointed out the big book of soups by maryann volstedt i got it from the library renewed it as many times as i could and finally had to break down and buy it almost all the recipes have been winners.

[Alleycat]

Enlightened Soups and Big Book of Soups & Stews are 2 of my favorites. I also really like Crescent Dragonwagon's Soup and Bread Cookbook.

I recently received but have not yet used Twelve Months of Monastery Soups. The soups look very simple, arranged by season to highlight in-season produce.

[Canice]

OK, I know you said "buy book" but I just posted this link on the vegetarian soup thread and thought I'd cross-post it here because so many of these look great. The source is the organization that puts on our local farmers' market and all the recipes come from chefs and cookbook authors who do the cooking demo's there, as well as producers and staff.
Really inspiring for spring!
http://www.cuesa.org/recipes/type/soups

[vbak]

Thanks for the link, Canice. I book marked it.

[charley]

Just came across a food blogger's soup from Love Soup.
I think I'm going to try it this week.

http://savoringtimeinthekitchen.blog...earth-day.html

[Canice]

Hey, FF, I thought of you tonight over dinner: exDBF and I had been in a bookshop, and he bought me a copy of Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen - you'll recognize the cover from SusanL's post. I spent a little time with it over dinner and there seem to be a lot that have really lovely light, bright broths. The recipe that jumped out at me was Green Coriander and Ginger Broth. It includes fresh ginger, 2 bunches of green onions, Chinese celery, cilantro, silken tofu and half a dozen dried shiitake mushrooms - doesn't that sound warming and good for the chi?

[AngelaM]

Not from a "soup" book, but I recommend Ellie Krieger's Lemon Chicken Soup (I probably have the name wrong). Its got chicken, orzo, lemon and its thickened with egg. I don't recall any dairy in it.