Good morning! Today we have for you:
Soup season is upon usA nor’easter just did a tour of the East Coast, bringing the sort of sideways rain that always blows under my umbrella no matter how I wield it. The sidewalks are slick, the sky is pewter and right on cue comes soup season to take the edge off the blustery howl. Not that soup needs a season. There’s a soup for every weather, like gazpacho and chilled cucumber and buttermilk when it’s sweltering. But there are few things more soothing than a simmering pot when the weather turns foul. Soup is hygge you can sip. The only question is: Where to begin? Andy Baraghani’s golden potato and greens soup glows warmly with turmeric, and is further brightened with garlic, leeks and dill. The key to its silky texture isn’t dairy but the starch from the potatoes, which, when mashed, thicken the broth. Leafy greens like Swiss chard or kale add additional color and substance. Make a pot. Be restored. Featured Recipe Golden Potato and Greens SoupMore food for thought:Chicken noodle soup: Ali Slagle knows all the right hacks for streamlining a classic recipe without sacrificing flavor. In this chicken soup, she starts with good store-bought broth (instead of boiling down a whole bird), and then simmers it with carrots, celery and herbs to boost the flavor. Noodles and shredded rotisserie chicken are stirred in right at the end. It’s the kind of soup that deserves a medical license. French onion white bean soup: Hetty Lui McKinnon’s vegetarian take on this bistro staple is especially satisfying thanks to white beans and relatively speedy thanks to her trick of caramelizing the onions with the pot lid on. Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar bring sweetness and depth, and the Gruyère-crowned croutons? Indispensable. Sausage and barley soup with greens: Yossy Arefi builds her hearty soup with fresh sausage, which has a better texture and flavor than precooked. Pearl barley adds body and bite, but you could substitute green lentils to make this gluten-free. Tomato introduces sweetness, and apple cider vinegar balances the flavors with a mild tang. Red lentil soup: I can’t write about soup without mentioning what might be my favorite soup of all time — this humble, ruddy-hued pot of red lentils, based on Turkish mercimek corbasi. Cumin-scented and lemony, it’s utterly satisfying in its elemental simplicity. Cornbread muffins: You know what makes soups of all kinds even better? Warm cornbread muffins, slathered with butter. Alexander Smalls uses fine cornmeal to give his version a delicate crumb, and then whisks in ground coriander and brown sugar, along with corn kernels for chew. The recipe makes six muffins, perfect for dinner with leftovers for breakfast. Or double it. Cornbread muffins freeze beautifully, and as temperatures drop you’ll be glad to have an emergency stash on hand. That’s all for now. If you need any technical help, the folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there just to help you out. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. I’ll see you on Monday. For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.
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