3 Simple Autumn Soups
Carrot and Ginger Bisque, Ligurian Mesciua and Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
“Have a bowl of soup – it will make you feel better.”
That works for me…and some studies suggest there’s a lot of truth in that lofty soup claim[1].
In addition to its well-earned reputation for being healthy and packed with immune-boosting nutrients, soup also appears to be the classic comfort food. In fact, soup is often associated with being cared for, conjuring up feelings of extreme comfort and a sense that all is well in the world.
And that’s not all…
Soup is generally simple to prepare. Apart from the slicing and dicing of vegetables…maybe pre-cooking some beans…or making a vegetable broth…soups are essentially made by sweating aromatic vegetables, adding additional flavorings and the main ingredient, adding liquid and incorporating a thickening strategy, then finishing the soup. Once the ingredients are prepared, soups typically take less than an hour to complete…and that’s a lot less time-consuming than most people realize.
Soups are also highly flexible. They can be served as an appetizer or as the main event. They can be built upon during the week, adding a bit of this or a bit of that, and morph into something completely different yet equally satisfying. Leftovers can be frozen and enjoyed during the week when a quick meal is necessary. They can be eaten in the morning to keep hunger away for hours…or at sunset to break a fast.
And as food writer Mark Bittman suggests, making soup is a great way to learn how to cook and practice several different skills. Bittman writes in his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, “Make a mistake – short of burning the pan – and the results are almost always delicious anyway, since the whole idea is to capture every bit of flavor from a collection of ingredients.”
These are compelling reasons to get in the kitchen and start making some soup. So, pull out that pot, sharpen your knives, get the vegetables prepared and get a pot of comforting soup on the stove.
This week, I’m featuring three simple and seasonal soups that can be made in about an hour…and last all week! Carrot and Ginger Bisque is an elegantly-simple soup that takes less than an hour to make. Ligurian Mesciua is all about beans and simplicity that will fill you with warmth and satisfaction all week. Red Lentils and Pumpkin completely satisfies those cravings for warmth, comfort, simplicity and flavor…and a bit of holiday goodness.