There’s nothing like hot soup to ward off the chill of winter – plus, a soup supper tends to be a considerably lighter meal than food on a plate, a welcome change after all the holiday indulgence. If you want to “beef” them up with animal protein, slivered ham would be a welcome addition to either soup. Both can be made in under half an hour with pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH CHOPPED VEGETABLE GARNISHES

Of course you can make this soup with cooked dried black beans, but canned beans work just fine. Add corn bread and a salad for a lovely simple supper.

Serves 3 to 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large stalk of celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons dry mustard

4 cups drained cooked black beans

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup sherry

1/2 teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes: chopped fresh tomato, chopped red onion, cilantro sprigs, sour cream or plain yogurt

In a large heavy saucepan or soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add onion, celery, garlic and mustard, and cook over medium heat until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add beans and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor (or with an immersion blender), puree the soup until it is quite smooth. Return to the pot, add broth and simmer for 5 minutes. The soup should be quite thick, but not so thick that it mounds on the spoon. Adjust liquid if necessary.

Add sherry and hot pepper sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Serve into bowls and pass the garnishes at the table.

GREEK AVGOLEMONO

It’s amazing that these few ingredients can result in this thick, velvety, lemony soup, which is quite substantial and very delicious and nourishing. It’s perfect with a Greek salad (romaine, red onion, oregano, black olives and feta) and toasted country bread.

Serves 8 as a first course; 4 as a main course

8 cups chicken broth

1 cup dried orzo or 1/2 cup raw long-grain rice

2 eggs

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and/or scallions

In a large soup pot, combine the broth and orzo or rice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the pasta or rice is tender, about 10 minutes for orzo; 20 minutes for rice.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice until smooth. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into the egg mixture; then slowly and gradually whisk the egg mixture into the gently simmering soup, stirring until the soup achieves a smooth, velvety, lightly thickened consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

 

Brooke Dojny is author or co-author of more than a dozen cookbooks, most recently “Dishing Up Maine” (Storey Publishing 2006) and “The New England Clam Shack Cookbook” (Storey 2008). She lives on the Blue Hill peninsula.