‘Soups & Stews’ has tastes for all seasons

Quick look: This soup-er encyclopedia features the magazine editors’ top 150 “triple-tested” recipes for soups and stews, including vegetarian options and ethnic inspirations.

What’s inside: There are soups for all seasons – from Summer Corn Soup with Crisp Prosciutto to Pumpkin Soup with Sage and Gruyére Croutons or Turkey Chili. Recipes are divided into five sections: puréed soups, bisques and chowders, hearty soups, stews and chilis, and homemade stocks and broths. There are traditional soups – Classic Tomato, Classic Chicken Pot Pie, French Onion, Matzo Ball – as well as flavorful combinations – Tomato-Fennel Soup with Orange, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup with Star Anise, and Turkey Soup with Ginger, Lemon and Mint. Ethnically inspired options include Colombian Chicken Soup, Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup, Brazilian Chicken and Shrimp Stew, Moroccan Vegetable Ragout, and Pasta e Fagioloi. Recipes are listed at the front of each section as well as the index. The book also includes how-to tips for freezing and puréeing soups as well as choosing, storing, prepping and chopping certain vegetables and spices. There are “more about” explanations, “make ahead” options and suggestions for substitutions – chicken for turkey, for instance. Recipes also include nutrition information as well as the name of the contributor.

What’s not: The bisques and chowders section is small, with only eight options – compared, for example, to the book’s 48 hearty soup recipes. With the exception of Pea and Mint Soup with Lemon Cream, there aren’t many recipes for cold soups.