400 Best-Ever Soups

Book excerpt: This lavishly illustrated volume is the ultimate guide to soup-making, with mouthwatering ideas from all around the world. A mixture of traditional classics and exciting new ideas, there is something for every taste, diet and occasion, from hearty one-pot meals to elegant entertaining. The book opens with an essential guide to soup ingredients, flavourings, techniques and equipment. This is followed by instructions for making your own basic stocks, thickening soups and making creative garnishes. The recipe section has easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and photographs, with a glorious picture of each finished dish. The soups are divided into chapters according to their style and main ingredients: chilled; light and refreshing; hot and spicy; creamy vegetable; chunky vegetable; winter warming; legume; pasta; noodle; tofu; chicken and duck; meat; fish; shellfish; egg and cheese; one-pot meals; and soups for entertaining. Great soups from world cuisines include Avgolemono and Bouillabaise from the Mediterranean, Irish Brotchan Foltchep and Scotch Broth from the British Isles, Thai classics such as Cellophane Noodle Soup and Chiang Mai Noodle Soup, chilled Spanish Gazpacho and fiery Malaysian Laksa Lemak. With over 1600 superb full-colour photographs illustrating more than 400 mouthwatering soup recipes, there are plenty of fresh, new ideas for both everyday eating and special occasions.