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Cream of Garlic Soup

Serves 4–6

Slow cooking gently infuses this soup with the goodness of garlic. The soup is velvety in texture and deeply satisfying on a cold wintry night. It is a cure for whatever ails you.

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 whole garlic heads, cloves separated, peeled, and chopped

2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (pages 126–27)

¼ cup dry sherry or white wine

2 cups milk

1 medium russet (baking) potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt

1 Melt the butter in the oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Do not let the garlic color. Stir in the broth and sherry. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

2 Stir in the milk and potato and adjust the heat as needed so the soup continues to simmer until the potato is completely tender, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Purée the soup in a blender. If you are looking for an absolutely smooth, velvety texture, strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into the saucepan.

3 Add the cream and simmer until heated through. Season with salt. Serve at once or hold overnight in the refrigerator to allow the flavor to develop even more. Reheat gently before serving.

Kitchen Note: If you are using a vegetable broth, make sure it has good, well-rounded flavor. A broth that tastes strongly of tomato or carrot will not work well in this delicately flavored soup.

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 6

Minestra maritata, a “marriage” of greens and soup, is not a traditional dish to serving at weddings, but it is a marriage made in soup heaven, with tiny meatballs and pasta. This a deliciously healthful, filling bowl of comfort.

12 cups chicken broth or turkey broth (pages 126–27)

1 pound ground turkey, or ½ pound ground pork and ½ pound ground beef

2 eggs

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup acini de pepe, pastina, or orzo (or other small pasta shapes)

1½ pounds Lacinato kale, cut into ribbons (about 18 cups lightly packed; remove and discard tough stems)

1 Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan.

2 To make the meatballs, combine the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Process until well mixed. Alternatively, mix by hand in a large bowl. With wet hands (to prevent the meat from sticking), form the meat mixture into ½-inch balls (the size of marbles) and add to the simmering soup. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

3 Increase the heat slightly, add the pasta, and boil gently until cooked al dente, about 10 minutes. Add the greens and continue to boil gently until tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, remove from the heat, and serve.

Kitchen Note: The greens can be altered with the season, using curly kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole, chard, spinach, broccoli di rabe, chicory, and cabbage, so feel free to substitute.

Portuguese Kale Soup

Serves 4 as a main dish

Some combinations are so perfect that nothing can be done to improve them. Such is the case with caldo verde (“green soup”), considered one of the national dishes of Portugal.

8 ounces linguiça or Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced

8 cups chicken broth or turkey broth (pages 126–27)

3–4 thin-skinned potatoes (about 1 pound)

12 ounces kale, chopped (about 8 cups lightly packed; remove and discard tough stems)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Bring the sausage and broth to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the potatoes.

2 Peel and dice the potatoes. Cover with salted water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and briefly mash with a potato masher for an uneven, lumpy texture. Add the potatoes to the broth along with the kale.

3 Simmer until the kale