There's nothing better on a cold, rainy day than coming home to a hot bowl of soup. Winter is finally here and I love preparing thick, filling soups that are also nutritious. I tend to make soups according to my mood, the weather, and, of course, which vegetables I happen to have in my fridge. The most important factor for making a good soup, though, is always using fresh, quality ingredients. It's best to add chicken, beef or bones to give your soup deep flavor, but if you don't have any, using soup powder is second best (but try to keep amounts small and avoid monosodium glutamate). The types of soups I make can be sorted into three categories. The first one is clear soups, which are served as starters to whet your appetite. They can also be served with egg noodles, soups nuts, or kreplach. The second category is thick soups, which are generally served in the middle of a meal or as the main dish, since they are quite filling. These soups are full of vegetables, meat, legumes and grains. The third type is cold soups, which are a great way to cool down on hot days. Yogurt soup with cucumbers, gazpacho and peach soup are a few examples. This week, I've chosen to share with you four different soups. The first is clear chicken soup. To make this soup, you must cook a pot of water with chicken and vegetables for many hours, which you remove before serving. The second is tomato soup, to which you can add rice or noodles. The third is sweet-potato soup, which even kids who hate soup will eat. And the last one is a thick bean soup that is perfect for cold winter days. Translated by Hannah Hochner. Chicken soup Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients: ■ 1 cinnamon stick ■ ½ tsp. turmeric ■ 5 pieces of chicken, rinsed (if you're using a whole chicken, you do not need to add wings and necks) ■ 4 wings and 2 necks, rinsed ■ 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces ■ 2 zucchini, peeled and cut into large pieces ■ 2 large onions, cut into quarters ■ 1 potato, peeled and cut into quarters ■ 4 stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into pieces ■ 3 stalks of parsley, chopped finely ■ 1 tsp. salt Directions: Pour enough water into a pot to fill it halfway. Bring to a boil over medium flame. Add the cinnamon and turmeric, stir and bring to a boil. Add the chicken pieces, wings and necks, or whole chicken. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add all the cut vegetables and herbs, stir and add salt. Stir, cover and cook over low flame for two hours. Taste every once in a while and adjust seasoning. When the soup is done, remove all the vegetables and herbs. You can use them to make a quiche or other dish. Remove the chicken pieces and place them in a dish. Strain the soup and then return to the pot. Adjust seasoning. If you want to add an egg to the soup, this is the time. Bring the soup back to a boil. Beat an egg and then add it to the soup while mixing quickly. Alternatively, you can add thin egg noodles. Tomato soup Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients: ■ 2 Tbsp. oil ■ 1 onion, cut into strips ■ 2 red or green bell peppers ■ 1 or 2 carrots, cut into small strips ■ 4 medium tomatoes, cut into quarters or large cubes ■ 1 Tbsp. tomato paste ■ 100 gr. orange lentils ■ ¼ tsp. hot paprika ■ Salt and pepper to taste ■ 7-8 cups water ■ 1½ cups of ptitim Directions: Fry the onion slices in oil until golden. Add the peppers and carrots and fry for another two minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and lentils and cook for another two to three minutes. Add the spices, stir and then pour in the water. Stir again, cover the pot and bring back to boil. Turn the flame down low and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning, add ptitim and bring back to boil. Lower flame and cook another 40 minutes until soup thickens. Sweet-potato soup Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients: ■ 500g. sweet potato, cut into large pieces ■ 3 large carrots, cut into large pieces ■ 1 large potato, cut in half ■ 10 cups water ■ 8 cloves garlic, crushed ■ 1 tsp. salt ■ ½ tsp. black pepper ■ 1 tsp. cumin ■ ½ tsp. hot paprika ■ 1 stick cinnamon or ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ■ ½ tsp. ground coriander For garnish: ■ Fresh coriander, chopped Directions: Place all the vegetables in a pot and pour water on top. Bring to a boil over medium flame. Cook for 40 minutes until vegetables are very soft. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, hot paprika and coriander. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the cinnamon and cook for another 15 minutes. Take out the vegetables and mash them. If you used a stick of cinnamon, this is the time to remove it. Pour the vegetable mash back into the pot. If you feel that the soup is too thick, add ½ to 1 cup of water. Cover and cook over low flame for 30 minutes. Just before serving, adorn with fresh or dry coriander and chopped chili pepper if desired. Bean soup Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients: ■ 2 Tbsp. olive oil ■ 1 large onion, chopped thinly ■ 2 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes ■ 5 cloves garlic, chopped ■ 1 bell pepper, cut into cubes ■ Leaves from 5 stalks of parsley, chopped finely ■ 1 Tbsp. cumin ■ 1 tsp. salt ■ ½ tsp. black pepper ■ ½ tsp. paprika ■ 1 Tbsp. pomegranate concentrate (optional) ■ ½ tsp. turmeric ■ 4 Tbsp. crushed tomatoes ■ 1 heaping Tbsp. tomato paste ■ 10 cups water ■ 1 cup mung beans, rinsed ■ 1 cup black lentils, rinsed ■ 4 Tbsp. quinoa Directions: Heat the oil in a tall pot. Add the onions and fry until translucent. Add the carrots, garlic and red pepper. Stir fry for two to three minutes. Add the parsley, spices, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and pour in water. Stir again. Cover and cook soup over high flame until it boils. Add the mung beans, lentils and quinoa. Mix and bring to boil. Cover pot, lower flame and cook for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour in one cup of water, mix and cook over low flame for 40 minutes or until soup thickens.
(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)