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Directions

For soup: heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add the shallots, celery, carrots, garlic and leek. Cook, stirring, until garlic and shallots begin to turn translucent, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the squash, celery seed and cumin seed; stir in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium-high; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat; set aside to cool, about 25 minutes.

Purée the soup in small batches in a blender, straining each batch into a large bowl. Return the soup to the pot; add the salt and pepper. (The soup can be made to this point one day ahead, then reheated.)

For croutons: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush olive oil on both sides of bread slices. Place bread on a baking sheet; bake until tops are toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn slices over; top each with a cheese slice. Return to the oven to melt cheese, watching carefully to prevent burning, about 3 minutes.

Stir cream and honey into the hot soup. Ladle soup into each of six bowls; float a crouton in center of each.

New Mexico Red Posole

This classic American Indian dish from New Mexico comes from “On the Chile Trail: 100 Great Recipes From Across America” (Gibbs Smith, $24.95), by Coyote Joe, the founder of the Mad Coyote Spice Company. Serves 8.

Ingredients

Garnish:

Directions

Remove stems, seeds and veins from the chiles. Carefully toast the pods in a dry iron frying pan until soft and pliable but not burnt (if the chiles burn, they will become bitter). Simmer the chiles in the chicken broth along with the garlic, cumin and oregano for 20 minutes. Run chiles and broth through the blender, 1/2 cup at a time. (Be careful – hot liquids expand in a blender and can spill over the top and burn you.) Work the broth and chiles through a wire sieve with the back of a spoon into a mixing bowl until only the chile solids are left in the sieve; discard these.

In a stockpot, brown the pork in oil and then add chile-chicken broth mixture and hominy. Simmer on low for a few hours. (I let it burble along all day; it makes the house smell great!) Stir occasionally. Serve in big soup bowls topped with purple cabbage, white onion, radish slices and cilantro. Crush one chile tepin on top and drizzle with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Italian Bread and Cheese Soup

From “Simple Suppers,” by The Moosewood Collective (Clarkson Potter, 2005, $32.50). Serves 4.

Ingredients

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until just golden, but not brown. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, toast the bread. Break each slice into bite- sized chunks and arrange in 4 serving bowls. Add 1/2 cup of cheese to each bowl over the bread. Sprinkle with basil or parsley and pepper.

To serve, ladle 1 cup of hot broth over the bread and cheese in each bowl.

Sopa de Ajo

Castilian Garlic Soup

Chef Jose Andres is the chef-owner of seven restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area. This recipe, from his new book, “Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America” (Clarkson Potter: $35), is a traditional Castilian dish. “You can make this soup with water if you like,” Andres says. “That’s the traditional way, but I find that chicken stock makes it richer and tastier.” Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium flame. Add the garlic and sauté until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates, about 30 seconds. Then add the pimenton and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the bread and pour in the chicken stock. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes.

Add the eggs and stir with a spatula to fold them into the soup. The eggs will form long strands, almost like noodles. Simmer for 2 more minutes, and add salt to taste. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Caldo de pollo

Chicken Stock

Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients

Directions

Put 4 quarts of water in a stockpot and add all the ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil. As the stock comes to the boil, foam will form on the surface. Scoop this off immediately, so that your stock will end up as clear and clean as possible.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt to taste, and remove from the heat. Strain the stock and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer until you need it.

Curry Soup Noodles

This dish combines the style of Chinese soup noodles with the flavors of Indian curries. From “The Best Recipes in the World: More Than 1,000 International Dishes to Cook at Home,” by food writer Mark Bittman (Doubleday Broadway, $29.95), this recipe from Malaysia can be used as a main course.Serves 4.

Ingredients

Directions

Put the first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until pasty. Put the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lemongrass and stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the noodles and bean sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the noodles are tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer the noodles and bean sprouts to large serving bowls.

Add the coconut milk to the curry soup and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and divide the soup among the bowls of noodles. Top the noodles with the eggs, tofu and cucumber, and serve.