Sampson - Souped Up: More Than 100 Recipes for Soups, Stews, and Chilis, and the Breads, Salads, and Sweets to Make Them a Meal

W hen I first envisioned this book, I thought back on all my years of making soup for my takeout shop in Brookline: We made massive amounts of soup in very few steps. All my shop recipes used unpeeled ingredients like whole broccoli heads and zucchini, whole cans of whole tomatoes, unpeeled whole potatoes (I do, however, peel carrots unless they arevery clean, in which case I scrub them). I hated to have little bits of things filling the refrigerator or, for that matter, the sink. And I still do.

It was with these methods in mind that I wrote this book. In the recipes, I rarely specify cups, preferring to call for whole potatoes, whole carrots, whole onions. I generally use red potatoes, which I do not peel; I like the flecks of color. I do not peel or seed tomatoes; I like their texture. Unless otherwise specified, all the soups are cooked uncovered.

My goal is for you to feel the freedom to adjust accordingly. Do not get caught up in precision; making soup calls forno, it demandsflexibility. If you find that a soup is too thick because, for example, the broccoli head is larger than expected, simply add more stock or more cream.

If this is too general and you want more explicit guidelines, here are some general equivalents:

ASPARAGUS1 pound, trimmed and peeled=3 to 3 cups trimmed, peeled, and chopped

BROCCOLI1 average head=1 to 3 pounds, or 4 to 5 cups chopped

BROCCOLI RABE1 pound=4 cups chopped

BUTTERNUT SQUASH1 large=2 to 2 pounds, or 5 cups chopped

CARROTS1 medium= pound or cup

CAULIFLOWER1 medium head=2 to 2 pounds, or 5 to 6 cups chopped

CELERIAC1 larger 1 pound, or 4 to 4 cups

CELERY1 bunch=12 to 14 stalks, or 1 to 2 pounds

CORN1 medium ear= cup

CUCUMBER1 medium= pound

EGGPLANT1 medium=1 to 1 pounds, or 6 cups

KALE1 pound=5 to 7 cups chopped

LEEKS1 average bunch=4 to 5 leeks, or 2 pounds untrimmed

MUSHROOMS1 pound=6 to 7 cups trimmed and sliced

PARSNIPS1 medium= pound or to cup

PEPPERS,BELL1 medium=1/3Pound

POTATOES1 medium or 4 small= pound, or 2 cups diced

PUMPKIN1 medium=5 pounds

SPANISH ONION1 large= pound, or 1 to 2 cups

SPINACH1 pound=8 to 9 cups chopped

SWEET POTATOES1 medium= to pound, or 2 to 2cups diced

SUMMER SQUASH1 medium= to pound, or 1 to 2 cups diced

TOMATOES1 medium= pound

TURNIPS1 pound=4 cups chopped

WATERCRESS1 pound=3 cups chopped

ZUCCHINI1 medium= pound, or 1 cups sliced

T here are a few ingredients that are essential to soup making. If you have these on hand, you can always makesome kind of soup.

CANNED

Black turtle beans

Kidney beans, dark red (I hate the pale ones)

Tomatoes, crushed

Tomatoes, diced

Tomatoes, whole peeled Italian plum

White cannellini beans

DRYGOODS

Black turtle beans

Boxed chicken stock (I like the Pacific brand, available in whole-food stores)