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3 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, or turkey broth (pages 126–27)

1½ pounds potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, curry, and fenugreek, if using, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are completely tender, about 30 minutes.

2 Stir the soup, smashing some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to mash them and thicken the soup. Stir in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Reheat until hot enough to serve; do not bring to a boil once the milk has been added.

Potato-Garlic Soup

Serves 4–6

There’s a whole head of garlic in the soup, but its bite is quite tamed by slow cooking. This can be made as a vegetarian soup with vegetable broth, but my preference is to use a high-quality chicken broth. Pimenton is a smoked paprika from Spain. Substituting plain paprika will give lovely color to the soup, but the flavor won’t be the same.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

4 cups chicken broth, turkey broth, or vegetable broth (pages 126–27)

2½ pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1 whole garlic head, cloves separated, peeled, and chopped

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Pimenton, for serving

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Discard the bay leaf.

2 Briefly purée the soup in a blender 1 cup at a time, about 20 seconds per batch (do not overprocess). Return the soup to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through.

3 Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with pimenton and serve.

Creamy Potato-Leek Soup

Serves 6

“Rich and satisfying” is the only way to describe this hearty soup. If you want to turn this soup into vichyssoise to serve cold, purée the entire batch of soup and thin with a little more broth or cream.

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large leeks, trimmed, split lengthwise, and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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

½ cup white wine

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup light cream, half-and-half, or whole milk

1 Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very tender but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool briefly.

2 Ladle about half the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Return the purée to the pot. Add the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then reheat until hot enough to serve.

Kitchen Note: Baking potatoes yield the best texture in this soup, but any potato can be used.

Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation.

— Clementine Paddleford

Scallop and Salsify Chowder

Serves 6–8

Selectthin salsify roots for this chowder and slice them to the size of the scallops. Each spoonful will contain some salsify and some scallops, and the two blend perfectly in flavor. This is a wonderful, rich New England–style chowder.

1 pound salsify

8 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped

2 onions, diced

1 celery root, peeled and diced

1½ teaspoons dried thyme

4 cups bottled clam juice

½ cup dry white wine

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup whipping cream

1½ pounds bay scallops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Peel the salsify and cut into ½-inch pieces. Drop into acidulated water (1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice added to 4