Russian Borscht Soup

Russian Borscht Soup with Toasted Bread

Russian Borscht Soup with Fresh Dill, Diced Hard-Boiled Egg, and Toasted Bread

Though it’s technically spring, it’s still quite cold here in Chicago and in much of the Northeast, which has kept me cooking all kinds of delicious soups. Last week, I made a Portuguese kale soup with chorizo, a creamy Thai coconut curry, and this robust Russian borscht soup.

Borscht is a very vegetable-heavy soup that features beets, cabbage, onion, carrot, and garlic. This combination results in a very earthy, sweet, and tangy soup. Some versions of borscht are completely vegetarian, while others incorporate beef, pork, or chicken. I like to add a little meat to borscht because I think it provides a nice textural contrast, but it’s great without it, so omit it if you prefer. read more

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

With the recent arctic blast and below-zero temperatures here in Chicago, I wanted a comforting, nutritious soup. Bon Appétit’s most recent cover recipe fit the bill: Rice Noodle Soup with Spicy Pork and Mustard Greens.

When I’m trying out a new recipe I tend to follow it almost exactly, so that I can properly decide what, if anything, needs to change. The first time around, I did reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes from 3/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon, as I had a friend over who doesn’t care for spicy foods. read more

Cream of Asparagus Soup (Crema di Asparagi)

Cream of Asparagus Soup, Asparagus, Cream, Soup, Cream Soup, First Course,

I followed the fried sage appetizer with an elegant cream of asparagus soup. If you’ve ever had a homemade cream soup before, you know the decadently rich quality they possess. The cream boosts the savory notes of vegetables, as does the smooth velvety texture. Canned varieties are a lackluster imitation of actual cream soups—their texture is subpar and they lack freshness. Don’t let a previous experience with canned cream soups dissuade you from making this satisfyingly smooth soup.

I settled on cream of asparagus soup because I wanted to use a vegetable that signified spring. Even though Chicago’s spring seems far off—it snowed a foot last week—I wanted a semblance of it. I associate asparagus with spring not only because it’s a spring crop, but also because I always have it on Easter. This excellent soup makes for a great lunch or first course for dinner. read more