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Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, whisking once in a while, for 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat even further, add the cheese, and whisk until smooth. Whatever you do, do not let the soup return to a boil or the fat of the cheese will fall out of suspension. To be very cautious, remove the pot from the heat just after you’ve added the cheese.

Variations: Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes with the broth.

Substitute hot paprika or even smoked paprika for the mild paprika.

Substitute fennel or caraway seeds for the celery seeds.

Use a mixture of grated cheeses: Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Grana Padano; Gouda and a hard goat cheese; Emmentaler and Gruyère; or any combination you prefer.

Escarole Soup with White Beans and Roasted Garlic

This Italian soup of greens and pancetta is made richer by poaching eggs in it at the end. Make sure the yolks are runny so they’ll melt into the individual servings when broken. Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces pancetta, finely chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 medium heads escarole (about 1 pound each—see section Salads), cored, shredded, and washed, but not dried

6 cups (1½ quarts) chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves or 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

3 cups canned cannellini or other small white beans, drained and rinsed

1 garlic head, roasted

3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 large eggs

Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil, add the pancetta, and sauté until browned and frizzled at the edges, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until pale but very fragrant, stirring often, about 2 minutes.

Add the escarole and cook just until the greens begin to wilt, tossing constantly, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth and sage, raise the heat to high, and bring to a simmer.

Reserve 1 cup of the beans in a small bowl; stir the remainder into the soup. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze the roasted garlic pulp from its hulls into the bowl with the reserved beans. Mash with a fork until smooth.

After the soup has cooked for 20 minutes, whisk a small amount of the soup broth into the garlic-bean puree, just to dissolve it; then stir this combined mixture back into the soup. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper until the cheese melts.

Reduce the heat to very low so the soup stays hot without bubbling. Crack the eggs, one at a time, into a small custard cup or other small bowl, slip them into the soup, and cook until soft-set, about 3 minutes.

Use a large ladle to gather up the eggs one by one from the soup, place them in individual serving bowls, and ladle the soup around them.

Variations: Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon chopped pitted black olives or a small amount of purchased caponata (a Sicilian eggplant salad). Since either olives or caponata can be quite salty, reduce the amount of salt in the soup to 1/8 teaspoon or none at all.

Place a toasted round of bread in each bowl before adding the soup. For a richer soup, drizzle each toasted round with extra virgin olive oil before placing it in the bowl.

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Soup vs. Stew

The difference is one of degree. A soup is thinner, more broth per spoonful. A stew is actually a type of braise: a meat or vegetable dish that’s long-cooked, the liquid reduced until the whole thing is quite thick. All sorts of stews can be found in the chicken, fish, and meat chapters.

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Cabbage, Potatoes, and Bacon Soup

Hearty, filling, and wintry. Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces bacon strips, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 small head white cabbage, cored and shredded (about 8 cups)

1 pound yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon golds, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1¾ cups canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1½ teaspoons stemmed thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon caraway seeds