That’s because soup is, in itself, a perfect cooking medium. Hot broth helps cook food through and, while those ingredients simmer, they infuse the soup with their flavors.
Check out this recipe for chowder. After building a base of hearty vegetables, you add water (stock or broth would work too) and tomatoes. Then in go your additional ingredients. You add the potatoes first, because they take longer to turn tender. The fish and greens drop in at the end because they’ll finish more quickly. In all, the whole soup will take you less than an hour and you’ll have leftovers for days.
Plus, the recipe is accommodating. Want to add some lump crabmeat and/or shrimp? Go for it. Love beans? Pour in some kidney beans and cannellini beans when you add the chickpeas. Think the soup could use some hot sauce? By all means, go wild.
Chowder
Recipe by Andrew Gruel, chef and owner of Slapfish in Huntington Beach, CA
What you’ll need:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 small parsnip, peeled and chopped
½ small fennel bulb, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup white wine
1 gallon water
2 qt. diced tomato in juice
8 baby red potatoes, large diced
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 lb. choice of skinless fish, such as salmon, cod, halibut
3 cups baby spinach
2 cups chopped Swiss chard
Salt and pepper, to taste
How to make it:
1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the carrots, celery, parsnips, fennel, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 45 seconds. Add the white wine and reduce until the wine is almost evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add the water, tomatoes and juice, potatoes, chickpeas, and fish sauce. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Add the fish, spinach, and chard. Cook until the fish is flaky and cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
