This winter, we’ve been seeing some pretty Pinterest-perfect soups and stews. Some are hearty stews for the coldest nights, while others could carry you through winter and into spring. They’re also coming from all around the world—for instance, roasted moong dal from India and tuna and potato soup from Spain. Get cozy with our 9 most pinned soups and stews.
Parboiling the bones for this broth is sufficient for a clean, pure, traditional pho. But for a beefier broth with deep, rich flavor, roast the bones before their long simmer. This recipe is adapted from Madame Vo in New York City. Get the recipe for Beef Short Rib Pho »
Fermented Carrot Borscht with Ginger and Turmeric
“Borscht was traditionally a fermented soup,” says Cortney Burns, who adapted the classic beet base to one featuring a combination of fresh and fermented carrots and beets instead. “The warming spices, fresh ginger, and alliums bring out the natural sweet flavor of the carrots,” she says. Burns tops her soup with anything from salt-brined caraway to shredded or wilted vegetables, pickled ginger, dill, or yogurt, but play around with combinations you like. For a red version, use purple or red carrots and red beets. For a yellow version, use yellow carrots and golden beets. Pass the finished soup through a fine-mesh sieve for a completely silky texture. Get the recipe for Fermented Carrot Borscht with Ginger and Turmeric »
Called a wanmono, this winter vegetable soup is named for the squat bowl, or wan, in which it is served. This version uses kuzu root powder as a thickener, suspending the grated turnip in the enriched broth (the suspended white strands mimic sleet, or mizore). If necessary, substitute arrowroot or cornstarch for the kuzu powder. Lily bulbs can be found fresh at Asian markets, and domestically produced yuba is available online at hodosoy.com. Get the recipe for Yuba, Lily Bulbs, And Shitake Soup »
In Spain’s Basque Country, marmitako means roughly “from the pot.” This rustic, filling soup, now common in Basque homes and sociedades, began as a meal local tuna fishermen would make during long fishing routes on their boats, and still do. Get the recipe for Basque Tuna and Potato Soup (Marmitako) »
Many years ago, I learned a classic civet of duck cooked in a rich wine and blood sauce from the most wonderful female cooks in the Lot-et-Garonne, chef Marie-Claude Garcia of La Belle Gasconne restaurant and my dear friend Vétou Pompèle. They taught me to always “cook” the wine lightly by lighting it on fire before adding the meat and aromatics to simmer. Get the recipe for Wine-Braised Duck Legs with Agen Prunes (Civet de Canard Aux Pruneaux D’Agen) »
Whole spices give this fish curry an impossible-to-place depth. Get the recipe for Sri Lankan Fish Curry »
The author’s creamed spinach is an ultra-fine, silky version of this traditional staple, puréed with parsley leaves for a vivid green color and vermouth for a pop of acidity. For the brightest green color, cool the spinach mixture down fully before puréeing, then reheat. You can eat this dish by the spoonful or use it as a sort of sauce through which to drag meat and vegetables on the plate. Get the recipe for Finnish Creamed Spinach With Crumbled Egg Yolks »
Hearty Vegetable Stew with Duck Confit and Cabbage (Garbure Gasconne)
Traveling through the lower reaches of Gascony, you will be offered a steaming bowl of garbure to begin almost every lunch and dinner. Warming, hearty, and satisfying with large chunks of sweet winter roots, cabbages, and onion, garbure is the way the French balance the heavier meat and starch courses inevitably to follow. Locals here typically enrich the broth by stirring it with a leg of duck confit, then adding the shredded meat at the end, or with the addition of a few chunks of ham. Or both: I loved a version I was served in a cafe in Salies-de-Béarn with a crispy garnish of thinly sliced Jambon de Bayonne on top. Get the recipe for Hearty Vegetable Stew with Duck Confit and Cabbage (Garbure Gasconne) »
This recipe, from Madhur Jaffrey’s A Taste of India, is part of SAVEUR’s November 2017 cookbook club. Though we’ve tested this recipe in the SAVEUR test kitchen, we present it in its original, unedited form from the book. Get the recipe for Roasted Moong Dal with Spinach »