Impromptu Soups

Often listen to music when I cook. Lately, my choice has been “The Complete Million Dollar Quartet,” an impromptu jam session that took place at Sun Records in Memphis on December 4, 1956, with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. That was the first and only time the four of them played together. What an amazing lineup and what a remarkable collection of improvisation, starts and stops, fragments of songs and banter, with music spanning gospel, blues, bluegrass, rock and country.

This is inspiring listening that encourages improvisation at the stove, which is the most satisfying cooking of all. And if you like to experiment when you cook, making soup is a great choice. You can emphasize a single flavor or blend it with other flavors to produce a distinct taste. Flavors can be simple or complex, robust and aggressive or delicate and muted; ingredients and seasonings can be combined in novel and imaginative ways. Indeed, making soup may offer cooks the greatest opportunity for improvisation of any culinary endeavor.

When you’re making soup, you can cook without strict adherence to the measuring cup or the scale. Substitute another ingredient for one called for in a recipe, add something based on a fleeting inspiration, change the seasoning. This is the kind of cooking that both satisfies and sharpens your senses. Unless consistency is your goal, you have the option of never making the same soup twice.

I love to make soup, especially this time of year. I love the process of combining a variety of ingredients in a single pot, letting them simmer while their flavors meld, tasting, seasoning, tasting and seasoning again while the kitchen fills with a comforting aroma that helps dispel the bleakness of this cold season. At the end of the day, a thick, hearty soup with good bread and wine makes a perfect January dinner, a welcome antidote to all the excesses of the holidays.

Having endorsed the virtues of improvisation, I’m offering up five soup recipes this month and encourage you to use your imagination to improvise, alter and make them your own.

Saffron Seafood Soup

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dried shrimp
2 cups diced tomatoes in juice
5 cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon saffron, crumbled
1 bay leaf
1 large strip orange peel
1 pound firm white fish cut into small chunks
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley

In a medium pot, combine olive oil, onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, grind dried shrimp to a coarse powder. Add ground shrimp, tomatoes and juice, chicken broth, wine, saffron, bay leaf and orange peel to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add fish, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with peppers. (Dried shrimp are salty, so additional salt is unnecessary.) Serve garnished with chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Vegetable Soup

8 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 medium onions
1 pound carrots
1 pound parsnips
1 pound turnips
1 pound winter squash
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley

Combine stock and tomato paste in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Chop onions and add to pot. Peel carrots, cut into chunks and add to pot. Peel parsnips, slice and add to pot. Peel turnips, cut into chunks and add to pot. Peel winter squash, cut into chunks and add to pot. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne. When serving, add some of your best olive oil to each bowl of soup and garnish with chopped parsley. Makes about 6 large servings.

Leek and Potato Soup

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Croutons (optional)

In a heavy pot, simmer leeks and onion in butter until softened, but not browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and potatoes and simmer until potatoes are softened. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and add nutmeg. Serve with optional croutons, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Lentil and Spinach Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
5 cups chicken stock
½ pound brown or green lentils
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups baby spinach, packed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Four lemon wedges

Combine olive oil, onion, garlic, celery and carrot in a heavy pot and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sort and rinse lentils.

Add chicken stock, lentils, bay leaf and thyme to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in spinach, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with olive oil and lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.