Soup: Hearty, healthy winter meal in a bowl!

Wintertime is soup time! But real, stick-to-the-ribs, hearty soup that satisfies not only hunger but the need for sustenance as well. When it’s cold outside, we want to leave the table feeling filled, stoked, and satiated — ready for work, be it at the office or out shoveling snow.

Today’s recipes, the beginning of a series of great winter soups, fill the bill. They’re from my favorite collection, representing a variety of cultures, and I’ve made them easier by virtue of using some canned ingredients, but you can use dried beans and fresh vegetables as you wish for a more authentic outcome.

Enjoy!

We begin with a truly American classic, learned from the Indians by early European settlers. The Native Americans’ combination of beans with corn forms a complete protein, making for the perfect marriage of health and savor.

Since succotash can be either a stew or a veggie main dish, make this with more or less liquid as you desire for a thicker or thinner outcome.

Succotash

3 tablespoons butter (salted)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 sweet bell pepper (red, green or yellow), thinly sliced and chopped

2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

2 cans green lima beans OR 

1 can green and 1 can large butter beans, rinsed and drained

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Dash of hot pepper seeds

(al a Pizza Hut packet) optional

1 cup (or more) water

1 cup (or more) milk or half-and-half

In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion and hot pepper, if used, for a few minutes to soften. Add the bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes, stirring. Add corn, beans, and 1 cup water; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste; stir in the milk and allow to heat through. Taste and add more water or milk for the

desired consistency. Serve.

Tip: I’ve found that a crumbled sage leaf sautéed with the onion and peppers adds a special zing to this good dish.

Note: You can stir diced bacon into this dish before serving, or dice up a cooked ham hock and heat with the veggies as well.

On now, to two Italian offerings. They use ingredients that we too often overlook — eggplant, fennel, and such. This one’s delicious and soul-satisfying, and the second revels in a plethora of winter greens!

Vermicelli, Eggplant, Bean & Mushroom Soup

2 15 1/2-ounce cans Great Northern white beans

OR cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

6 cups boiling water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 eggplant (1-pound), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with juice, seeded, chopped

6 large, fresh mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

5 ounces vermicelli, broken in thirds

1/4 cup finely chopped

fresh basil OR parsley leaves

1 cup fresh grated Romano cheese

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add and sauté the eggplant, stirring and tossing quickly with a spatula, since it absorbs oil and sticks to the pan. Add garlic, stir, and cook to soften a bit, about 2 minutes, then add tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, salt, and pepper. Stir together, then add the boiling water. Return to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer, cover, and cook to blend flavors for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook vermicelli separately till al dente (tender but firm to the bite) and drain. When the soup is finished, stir in the cooked pasta and the basil and let rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes. Serve in heated bowls, passing the grated cheese.

Note: The reason for cooking the pasta separately is that the starch is thus drained away and does not interfere with the texture and quality of the soup.

Potato and Winter Greens Soup

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped

1 large fennel bulb, peeled and diced; tops rinsed and saved in a bundle

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds fresh greens: bok choy, cabbage (green and/or Napa), endive, kale, chard (whatever’s on the produce counter)

6 cups vegetable broth or water

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Small bunch parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Rinse and clean greens, cutting off ends, tough stems, or veins where needed (not the Bok choy or chard)! Slice into strips, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the fennel bulb pieces until slightly colored, then add the garlic. Stir and sauté until slightly softened.

Add the potatoes, then the broth; stir well, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the greens, stirring everything well together. Add the tied bundle of fennel tops.

Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender and the greens are cooked, around 15 minutes. When done, remove the pot from heat, remove the fennel bundle, stir the soup, and season with salt and pepper.

Mix parsley and lemon juice in a small bowl. To serve, spoon soup into warmed bowls, sprinkle each with grated cheese, and top with a dot of the parsley mixture.

Editor's note: For many years, Valle Novak wrote gardening and cooking columns for the Daily Bee. "Weekend Gardener" and "Country Chef" became renowned for their humor, information, and common-sense advice on how to do everything from planting to cooking. She left behind many columns to delight her many fans. This is one such column, originally published on Jan. 6, 2008.