Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen

When I said I was working on a soup book, the response was often, “Oh, I love soup!” People enthuse about soup in a way that’s so heartwarming it makes me feel as if I’m in the right camp... The soups in this book are based on vegetables, and many of these recipes are new ones for me. But some are soup classics, by which I mean some of those that have stood the test of time in my kitchen, (Quinoa, Corn, and Spinach Chowder) and those that are classics in the culture (Boston-Style Black Bean Soup). I’ve tried to streamlined these dishes as much as possible without sacrificing goodness, so that you can easily enjoy them in your own kitchen. I hope you do enjoy making these soups and add them, one by one, to your repertoire.

—from the Introduction

In Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen, America’s favorite vegetarian cookbook author presents more than 100 inventive and straightforward soup recipes guaranteed to satisfy appetites all year long.

Deborah Madison has shown millions of Americans how to turn vegetables and other healthful ingredients into culinary triumphs. In her newest collection of recipes, She serves up a selection of soups ranging from stylish first courses to substantial one-bowl meals.

Madison begins with a soup-making primer and streamlined recipes for vegetable stocks and broths (such as the Hearty Mushroom Broth), which serve as the foundation for many of the recipes that follow, for those who wish to make their own. Soups like the Mexican Tomato Broth with Avocado and Lime can start a supper or stand alone as a simple, light meal. Cooks looking for heartier choices will find satisfying dishes such as Potato and Green Chile Stew with Cilantro Cream or grain-based soups like the Wild Rice Chowder. Organized by seasons, the recipes make the most of the produce–from a springtime Fennel and Almond Soup with Saffron and Ricotta Dumplings to a deeply flavorful autumnal Roasted Squash, Pear and Ginger Soup. When time just isn’t available and prepared soups take the place of home made, Madison offers a battery of suggestions for how to make them your own with simple additions from delicious oils and herbs to an invigorating Cilantro Salsa.

Featuring fifty stunning full-color photographs by Laurie Smith, serving suggestions, wine notes, and a host of ideas for creative finishing touches including caramelized pear “croutons” and souffléd cheese toasts, this friendly soup lover's guide gives the reader a hundred delicious ways to enjoy the benefits and flavors of vegetables by the bowlful throughout the seasons.

Customer Reviews:

excellent vegetarian soups

This book has the best vegetarian soups! For soups you don't need another cookbook with this one . Every recipe I have tried has turned out great.

2008-06-26

Beautiful AND Yummy

OK, so I'm slow, or maybe just dull....I'm just now figuring out that Deborah Madison only writes vegetarian cookbooks! I say that to preface my review because this wonderful soup cookbook is just that - wonderful. Not in-your-face vegetarian, not roots and twigs, but just good recipes. I ran across it in the library and had to get my own copy. And the one I returned to the library was a good bit more food-stained than when I checked it out (sorry!)
Yes, some of the recipes are a bit complicated. Yes, some are very time consuming. But it seems you get what you pay for, more or less, and the end product is so superior to other soups I've cooked that its worth the work. With a hubby who loves any and all things "soup", I have an extra incentive to try these too. So...if you have a soup fan in your house, or are one yourself, this book is worth purchasing. Start with the black bean, lime, and coconut milk soup. I'd almost pass up cake for a bowl!

2008-01-15

Not for Vegetarians Only!

I'm definitely not a vegetarian (and neither is Deborah Madison, as she writes in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)but this book is full of wonderful soups. We are huge soup eaters in our house and find that a bowl of soup, especially in the winter months is one of the easiest ways to eat healthy. So many of these soups go well as a prelude to a main course of perhaps simply roasted chicken or grilled salmon. Soup is usually economical; my husband packs a thermos of soup for lunch and avoids the vending machine/fast food routine. Vegetables are usually less expensive than meat or poultry and soups made from them really stretch your food dollar. Besides which, these soups just taste great. I didn't find any of them too terribly taxing in regards to preparation; and the most exotic ingredients were saffron and coconut milk. Easy to obtain if you decide you want to spend the money. I've stopped checking this book out from the library; I need to own my own copy!

2007-12-26

wonderful soup recipes

The first copy of this cookbook I purchased, I left for our daughter, who is a vegetarian, when we moved. After two weeks without it, I purchased my own copy. We are omnivores, but we love the healthy recipes in this book. The soups are often better the next day (for example, the lentil soup). I recommend the book enthusiastically.

2007-12-03

For vegans only.....

This is a beautifully photographed cookbook on vegetarian soups that uses the most unusual groupings of vegetables that you can think of to toss into a pot. That being said, unless you are a hardcore vegan or veggie-head, then I would recommend you consider other, more mainstream writings.

Deborah Madison has written a most unusual, yet laborious book of soups using a food group that does not get much respect in the world of carnivores. But that does not disrespect either the author/chef or the contents of this book. What this book does is give someone with a need or preference for veggies, a joy to own. Unfortunately, I am in the carnivore group and it does not appeal to my tastebuds.

This is not a mainstream type of soup cookbook, so you might be a bit surprised when you see some of the recipes in this tome of healthy soup ideas. Names such as Green Coriander and Ginger Broth with Tofu Soup or Yellow Pea and Coconut Milk Soup with Spinach, Rice, and Spiced Yogurt Soup might be a wee bit more than what you might be used to eating.

And to be fair, there were several basics like White Bean Broth and Hearty Mushroom Soup, among others, that were very much mainstream; but they were far and few in between.

Regardless of which side of the vegetable patch you side with, this is an excellent book for tastebuds that demand only the purest or healthiest of soups. For the other side, you might want to try another soup book.

Peace!

2007-10-17