How to make Mango and Snapper Broth

A complete meal in a bowl. Green mangos add bite to a citrussy, fiery soup. 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
juice of 2 limes, or to taste
1lb 2oz (500g) red snapper fillets, pinboned,
skinned, and cut into 1in (2.5cm) cubes
2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 red bird’s eye chiles, finely sliced
4 scallions, finely sliced
2in (5cm) fresh ginger, finely shredded
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 small green (under-ripe) mongos, peeled
and finely chopped
2 tsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
41⁄4 cups fish stock
8 lime leaves, torn
31⁄2oz (100g) egg noodles
31⁄2oz (100g) green beans, halved
salt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbsp shredded mint leaves

Here's how:

• Combine the soy sauce, half the fish sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sugar, and juice of 1 lime, and spoon over the fish. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Pound the lemongrass to a paste with a dash of water, using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large pan and fry the chiles, scallions, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds over high heat. Add the mongos and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the sugar until it begins to caramelize. Add the vinegar, lemongrass, stock, lime leaves, and remaining fish sauce. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in the noodles, beans, and fish pieces (not the marinating liquid). Simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the noodles are cooked and the fish flakes easily. Season with salt, sharpen with lime juice, and add the herbs.

New England Clam Chowder Recipe

Clams must be cooked on the day of purchase, so when you find great clams, make sure you also have all the ingredients in your kitchen for this fabulous soup.

Ingredients:
13⁄4 (800g) clams, thoroughly washed
1 tbsp oil
4oz (115g) thick-cut bacon strips, diced
2 floury potatoes, such as Russet Burbank, peeled
and cut into chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup half-and-half
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method:

• Discard any open clams, then shell the rest, reserving the juices (see page 279). Add enough water to the juices to make 2 cups. Chop the clams. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan, and fry the bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Remove.
• Add the potatoes and onion and fry gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour for 2 minutes, then add the clam juice and milk, and season. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
• Add the clams and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and reheat without boiling. Serve sprinkled with bacon and parsley, and provide saltines or oyster crackers on the side.

Variation
Manhattan cod and mussel chowder
Replace the clams with 21⁄4lb (1kg) mussels, adding 1 cup of dry white wine to the juices before topping up with water. When adding the potatoes, add 2 x 14oz (400g) cans tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and 1–2 tbsp tomato purée. Use only half the flour and replace the milk with fish stock. Add 21⁄4lb (1kg) cod fillets, cut into chunks, at the start of step 3. Omit the half-and-half. Sprinkle with thyme and serve with whole wheat bread.

Almond Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

225g/8oz blanched almonds,
minced
3 egg yolks, hard-boiled
1.2 litres/2pt chicken stock
25g/1oz butter, softened
25g/1oz plain flour
125ml/4fl oz single cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper


Directions:

• Using a mortar and pestle, reduce the almonds to a paste with the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of the stock. Set aside.
• Make a beurre manié by working the butter and flour together into a smooth paste using a fork. Bring the remaining stock to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Add the beurre manié in small knobs, whisking vigorously after each addition until completely dissolved. Whisk in the almond paste until smooth, then cook gently for 30 minutes.
• Strain the soup through a sieve into a clean pan. Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently and serve. (Serves 4)

How to make Roasted Garlic Soup

Here’s a garlicky version of French onion soup, all the onions are replaced by garlic and shallots. Double or triple the recipe for larger meals or servings. Makes 4 servings

What you'll need:
4 garlic heads
8 medium shallots, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups (1 quart) beef broth
1⁄4 cup brandy or Cognac
2 teaspoons stemmed thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces Gruyère or Emmentaler


Here's how:
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F .

Slice 1⁄2 inch or so off the top of the garlic heads so that all the cloves are exposed. Place them on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil, and seal the packet closed. Roast in the oven until the cloves are as soft as room temperature butter, about 40 minutes.

At the same time, place the shallots in a small, shallow baking dish; drizzle with the remaining 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil; and roast until browned, caramelized, and softened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Remove both the garlic and shallots from the oven; cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Squeeze the soft pulp out of the garlic heads and into a large saucepan. Roughly chop the shallots and add them to the pan. Stir in the broth, brandy or Cognac, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set the pan over the heat and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to blend and soften the flavors. T o serve, grate about an ounce of cheese into each of the bowls. Ladle the soup over the cheese.

Making a easy Spring or Fall Vegetable Soup

Here’s a basic vegetable soup in two versions. Choose either the spring or autumn vegetables in the recipe list. The parsley should be cooked slowly at fi  rst to infuse the oil. Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, fi  nely chopped
1⁄4 cup chopped parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large beefsteak tomato, cored and finely chopped
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
1 bay leaf

Spring Vegetables
2 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
2 medium yellow summer squash, roughly chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and roughly chopped
1⁄2 pound green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1⁄2 pound asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1⁄2 pound sugar snap peas, stems and fi  brous veins removed, roughly chopped

Winter Vegetables
4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and roughly chopped
3⁄4 pound yellow-fl  eshed potatoes, such as Yukon golds, peeled and diced
1⁄2 pound Brussels sprouts, quartered
1⁄2 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Swirl in the olive oil, then add the onion and parsley. Cook slowly, stirring often, until the onion is golden, about 7 minutes.

Add the garlic, cook for 15 seconds, then add the tomato. Stir well, raise the heat to medium-high, and pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits on the pan’s bottom as the broth comes to a simmer.

Stir in the bay leaf and all the spring vegetables (the zucchini, yellow squash, fennel, green beans, asparagus, and sugar snaps) or winter vegetables (the carrots, acorn squash, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms).

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes for the spring vegetables, 45 minutes for the winter ones. Remove the bay leaf; stir in the salt and pepper before serving.

Variations: Stir in 2 cups cooked and drained shaped pasta (ziti, rigatoni, farfalle) during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
For a brighter taste, stir in 2 teaspoons cider or white wine vinegar with the salt.