Simple, satisfying soups for the season

Honestly, I sometimes think you could throw an almost random selection of vegetables in a pot and bring them to a boil and wind up with something pretty tasty — if you know what you’re doing. Here are a few guidelines.

Choose carefully: Let me start by apologizing for that word “random.” In cooking — or at least good cooking — nothing is truly random. But you’d be surprised how far you can get by sticking with that old local-and-seasonal thing. Potatoes, fennel, winter squash and greens? I can think of half a dozen dishes without even trying.

You need starch: It gives soup heft. If you’re using pasta, rice or grains, cook them first and add them at the end so they don’t muddy the broth or overcook. If you’re using potatoes, use smooth-skinned boilers and add them early, so they have time to absorb flavors.

When in doubt, add greens: And then if you’re still uncertain, add more greens. I don’t know a cook who doesn’t have a few bags of odd scraps of lettuce, kale and chard in the crisper drawer. Soup is a great way to get the most out of them, and the more (and the more kinds), the merrier.

Water’s fine: Sure, you can use a vegetable broth if you want, but don’t overlook simply adding water — that way, you also can control the amount of salt more accurately. If you’ve got the right blend of vegetables, you won’t need any added flavors.

Season assertively: If there is one common fault with vegetable soups, it’s timidity in seasoning, particularly salt. As always, you don’t want the food to taste salty, but the right amount awakens all the other flavors. This is especially true if you’ve added starches — they suck salt out of a soup like nobody’s business.

Acidity is a seasoning, too. This is overlooked by too many cooks, but if a soup or stew tastes a little flat, and you’ve seasoned it correctly with salt, try adding some vinegar or lemon juice to finish. As little as a teaspoon can make a big difference, giving the flavors a strong backbone to hang from.

Don’t fear fat: You’ve salted correctly and added just the right dash of lemon juice, but the dish still lacks something? A drizzle of olive oil, a dollop of herb paste or a shaving of hard cheese such as Parmigiano or ricotta salata can provide a final lift. Because the rest of the soup is basically nothing but vegetables and water, you can liven it up a little.

A couple of very different but equally delicious examples come from two of my favorite cookbooks of 2014 — “Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts” by Aglaia Kremezi and “Persiana” from Sabrina Ghayour. One is the essence of Greek family cooking — homely in appearance but with a depth of flavor that comes only from careful, long cooking. The other is simple to make but striking enough to be the centerpiece of a holiday dinner. But even given its gorgeous looks, Ghayour promises, “There are no rules for making it; the simple truth is that this soup should contain whatever you might find lying around the house and in your fridge.”

Chickpea Soup With Fried Sauerkraut

4 servings (makes about 6 cups)

MAKE AHEAD: The soup, without the sauerkraut or yogurt, can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months. The fried sauerkraut can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; warm before adding to the soup. Adapted from “Green Box,” by Tim Malzer (Mosaik Verlag/Prestel Publishing, 2014).

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium leek (white part only), halved lengthwise, rinsed, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1¾ cups (15½ ounces) cooked or canned no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

4¼ cups store-bought or homemade vegetable broth

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, plus more to taste

2 cups sauerkraut, squeezed of as much liquid as possible

1 teaspoon coarsely ground coriander seed

¼ teaspoon sugar

½ cup whole-milk or low-fat yogurt

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat; when it shimmers, add the leek, garlic and jalapeño. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of chickpeas; add the rest to the saucepan, along with the curry powder. Cook a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are dry and the curry very fragrant.

Add the broth and ¼ teaspoon of salt; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low so the liquid is barely bubbling. Cook uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the chickpeas are very tender and the flavors have melded. Taste; add salt if needed. Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree until smooth. The soup will not be thick.

While the soup cooks, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sauerkraut, coriander and the reserved chickpeas and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauerkraut is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, and remove from the heat.

Divide the soup among four bowls. Place one-quarter of the sauerkraut mixture at the center of each, along with a dollop of yogurt. Serve hot.

Spiced Vegetable Soup

2 hours, 40 minutes. Serves 10 to 12

Adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s “Persiana.”

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1½-inch chunks

2 large onions, diced, plus 1 large onion cut in half and thinly sliced into half-moons, separated

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped

3 boiling potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1½-inch chunks

5 tomatoes, roughly chopped

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3 teaspoons hot pepper paste, such as harissa

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (14- to 15½-ounce) cans chickpeas (reserve the liquid plus a couple of handfuls of chickpeas to garnish)

1 large zucchini, finely diced

3½ ounces feta cheese

Herb oil (recipe at bottom)

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to generously coat the base of the pan. Add the butternut squash, diced onions, garlic, leeks and potatoes, and cook, without browning, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and hot pepper paste, and give it all a good stir to ensure the spices evenly coat the vegetables. Cover the vegetables completely with water, add a generous amount of salt (I would suggest at least 4 teaspoons) and black pepper. Stir once more and continue to cook at a gentle boil until the squash is tender when poked with a knife, about 30 minutes.

Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender until you get a lovely, even, smooth soup. Once smooth, add the chickpeas and their liquid, and stir well.

Adjust the consistency of the soup with additional water if desired, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the zucchini and cook for a final 20 minutes before serving.

While the soup is cooking, drizzle some olive oil into a large frying pan set over high heat, and fry the sliced onion until browned and crispy. Add the reserved chickpeas and brown them along with the onions. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and chickpeas from the pan and set aside. This makes about 3½ quarts soup.

Pour the soup into large bowls (preferably wide, shallow ones), then generously crumble the feta on top. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the herb oil into each bowl over the feta. Finally, add the reserved crispy fried onions and chickpeas.

Braised Greens and Potatoes With Lemon and Fennel

1 hour. Serves 4

Adapted from Aglaia Kremezi’s “Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.” Kremezi recommends serving this with ricotta or feta cheese and crusty bread.

½ cup olive oil, plus good, fruity olive oil for drizzling, divided

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 carrots, quartered and cut in 1-inch lengths

4 green onions, white and most of green parts, thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and coarsely chopped, fronds and tender stalks reserved

4-6 fingerling potatoes, cut in bite-sized pieces

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle or finely ground

2 pounds mixed greens, spinach, sorrel, Swiss chard, outer leaves of romaine lettuce, pea shoots, nettle tops or any combination of sweet, leafy greens; large leaves coarsely chopped

½ cup white wine

1 cup water

¼ preserved lemon, flesh discarded, rinsed and chopped

½ to 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

½ cup chopped fresh dill or wild fennel, divided

1 to 2 teaspoons marash pepper or a good pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

In a wide, deep soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, green onions, fennel bulb, potatoes and fennel seeds, stir to coat with the oil and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Add the greens in batches, starting with the larger leaves and gradually adding the smaller, more tender ones. Stir a few times to help the leaves wilt and reduce in size, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the water, the preserved lemon and salt to taste.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the greens and potatoes are tender and most of the juices have been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. If there is still too much liquid, raise the heat to high and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced, up to an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, half the dill and the fennel fronds and stalks. Sprinkle with the red pepper; toss, taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Cook an additional 2 minutes to marry the flavors, then sprinkle with remaining dill.

Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with the good, fruity olive oil.

Tomato Soup With Melted-Cheese Croutons

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Makes: 4 servings

Leah Eskin, Chicago Tribune

4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons each: tomato paste, sugar

2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled plum tomatoes in juice, emptied into the blender and reduced to a slurry

2 cups chicken broth

6 tablespoons heavy cream

4 slices white sandwich bread

Salted butter

2 ounces sharp cheddar, sliced

Toss: Mix together basil, thyme and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Soften: In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt unsalted butter. Tumble in onion, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables soften and onions begin to color, about 10 minutes.

Simmer: Stir in tomato paste and sugar. Pour in tomato slurry and chicken broth. When soup begins to bubble, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until flavors meld and soup begins to thicken, 25-30 minutes.

Blend: Turn off heat. Using an immersion blender and caution about spatters (or a standard blender and respect for the “hot fill” line), puree soup smooth. Stir in cream. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Melt: Butter both sides of each slice of bread with salted butter. Make two sandwiches, each filled with 1 ounce cheddar. Toast sandwiches in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until outside is golden brown and inside is delightfully melty, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve: Let sandwiches rest 1 minute. Slice away crusts. Cut each sandwich into nine neat croutons. Scoop soup into bowls. Scatter on mixed herbs and melted-cheese croutons. Enjoy right away.

Herb Oil

Adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s “Persiana.”

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil; more if needed

Good handful parsley

Good handful dill

Good handful cilantro

Handful shelled pistachios

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and blitz with a hand blender until the mixture is finely chopped and has the consistency of pesto. If you need to slacken the mixture, add a bit more oil.