It’s cold, it’s dark, and you are in need of some comfort food. Or maybe you want to invite a few friends for a casual meal tomorrow but you’ve got a day from hell with back to back appointments.

My version of a classical Italian bean and kale soup. The little meatballs are rolled from spicy Italian sausage whose skins I peeled away. The coarse kale, torn into chunks and combined with exotic red lima beans and white cannellini, give texture. Spicy pepper flakes provide kick. A small chunk of parmesan or peco romano rind with a generous splash of white wine lend richness and depth to the broth.

Here is my go-to basic soup recipe that can be adapted to whatever ingredients you have on hand. Make it the night before. Let the flavors cure. Pick up a loaf of crusty French bread after work or throw together some cornbread from a box. Open a bottle of red wine and voila! You have a gourmet meal to impress anyone.

I usually make big pots of soup so that I can freeze the extra and pull a container out on a busy, rainy day. The longer the soup sits (even frozen), the better the taste.

BASIC SOUP RECIPE

• Pot, deep and heavy, with lid
• Olive or avocado oil, enough to cover bottom of pan
• Stock – veggie, beef, chicken, turkey, pheasant etc – (I prefer 2 heaping Tbsp or more of Better Than Bouillon paste for chicken, beef and turkey). note: With leftover roasted meats and fowl, make stock by boiling the bones and bits, then straining through cheesecloth. Shred any residual meat for use in soup.
• Onion, 1 large, diced
• Vegetables, diced or sliced
• Spices or herbs to taste note: Here is where you get creative. Anything goes, from thyme to crushed pepper flakes.
• Water, boiling from teakettle saves time
• The following are optional depending on type of soup:
  Garlic clove, smashed
  Veggies, just about anything.
  Note: Diced carrots are excellent base for many flavor soups. Diced celery is wonderful with vegetable soups.
• Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
• Dry pasta or rice note: Wild rice is divine with pheasant or turkey soup.
• Beans/legumes note: Soak 6 hrs or so, except split peas which can be used directly.
• Sausage (spicy or not), cut into 2” lengths
• Smoked bacon (Hungarian style if possible), ½” slice chopped into cubes
• Tomato paste, 2 Tbsp, or tomato chunks from a can.
• Soy sauce, helpful for boosted flavor in a vegan soup.

Putting soup together
Follow directions in the LIMA BEAN SOUP recipe, substituting your specific ingredients.

This fish soup had an oriental slant with bok choy and ginger dressed up with fresh lime and raw bamboo shoots tossed in the mix just before serving.

LIMA BEAN SOUP

Beans are good for you, filling and low fat. Lima beans are one of my favorites because of their rich taste and fun texture. This soup has some bacon and sausage but in small quantities. Although the meat gives complexity, this can be made tasty vegan with a little soy sauce and more tomato. I was especially pleased with the combination of spices. Like almost all soups, it’s best when prepared in advance. The flavor only gets better with time. Serves 8 depending on size of portion.

• deep heavy pot with lid
• olive oil, enough to cover bottom of pan
• onion, 1 large, diced
• carrot, 6 large, chopped into good-sized chunks (more if prefer)
• lima beans, 3/4 – 1 package, soaked overnight (whole package if making more soup)
• beef or chicken stock paste, 2 Tbsp. (more according to taste)
• smoky bacon (Hungarian style if possible), ½” slice chopped into cubes
• Italian hot sausage, at least one large, cut into 2” lengths
• fennel, ground, 1 heaping Tbsp.
• thyme, dried, 1 heaping Tbsp.
• tomato paste, 2 Tbsp.
• red pepper flakes, generous sprinkle (depends how spicy you want)
• salt and pepper
• water, boiling from teakettle saves time

1. Sauté onions and smoky bacon in olive oil in large, deep, heavy pot.
2. Add carrots, sausage and thyme. Sauté a few minutes, stirring.
3. Add boiling water (5+ cups), bouillon paste, fennel, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
4. Add soaked lima beans.
5. Adjust water as necessary to cover well. Remember beans swell. You can add water anytime during cooking.
   Cover.
6. Simmer gently for 1-1 ½ hours (until beans are soft). Check water levels if needed.
7. Let sit all day if possible.
8. Serve with slices of European style rye bread or whole grain bread.

The little spicy kick from the sausage and pepper flakes combined with the smokiness of the Hungarian-style bacon give the lima beans a special lift. The fennel leaves a lovely finish. Remember, you can substitute any bean or combination of beans. Each time, you’ll have a new creation.

Here is a classic tomato-based vegetable soup which you could call minestrone. I gathered odds and ends of vegetables from the fridge and, following my basic recipe in this article, created a tasty vegan soup with zero cholesterol and few weightwatcher points.

Pheasant is always an exotic treat and you never want to waste a thing. I boiled the carcass to create a stock, salvaged every tiny morsel of meat, added heirloom carrots, celery and wild rice. Divine!

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine