Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta make a perfect dinner.
Plus, an "Ask Ina" about what cookware I recommend for a starter kitchen.
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It’s cold and dark in East Hampton and there’s nothing more satisfying than a big bowl of hot soup. So I’ve been making big batches of my favorite soups.
In order for a soup to feel like a meal, I think it has to have lots of texture. My Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta makes a perfect dinner - it’s filled with tomatoes, pasta, beans, lots of butternut squash, pancetta, and a dollop of pesto. For lunch, I would serve a lighter soup with something more substantial as a topping, like big chunks of Meredith Dairy Sheep & Goat Cheese, homemade croutons, or maybe with a grilled sandwich on the side.
Below is a list of my 5 favorite soups to make ahead and freeze. Hope you love them too!!
Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta - Foolproof
Italian Wedding Soup - Back to Basics
Chicken Ramen-Noodle Soup - Go-To Dinners
“16 Bean” Pasta e Fagioli - Cooking for Jeffrey
Creamy Potato Fennel Soup - Go-To Dinners
Ask Ina:
“My daughter and her boyfriend just started cooking together, and I want to help them out. What kind of cookware should I get them?”
I know there is a lot of good cookware out there, but the ones I have always used are All-Clad stainless steel and Le Creuset enameled cast iron. They’re expensive but they’re a great place to start because they last a lifetime.
I recommend two stainless-steel sauté pans, two stainless-steel saucepans, and one 16 to 20-quart stainless-steel pot for making stock and pasta. For soups and stews, she’ll need a heavier pot. I like the 7.25-quart Le Creuset Dutch oven, which comes in lots of different colors. Not only do I use it all the time, but it’s beautiful enough to go directly on the table.
White oval Apilco baking dishes are great for everything from gratins to crisps, so I have several in different sizes. I don’t generally use nonstick pans, but I have one 9-inch All-Clad omelet pan that I love to use for omelets and crepes.
Whatever brand you choose, stainless steel and enameled cast-iron pots and pans clean really easily. If anything sticks, all I have to do is fill them with very hot soapy water and let them sit overnight. In the morning, a gentle scrub makes them like new again!
This Week’s Favorites:
In honor of the many fabulous journalists at the Washington Post, I’m sharing a few of my favorite movies that show how important the newspaper has been over the years. Meryl Streep is just perfect as Katharine Graham and Tom Hanks is amazing as Ben Bradlee!
Thank you to everyone who came to the second stop on my speaking tour. Love Toronto!!
Thank you for these soups and the cookware recommendations. I’m a long time LeCreuset lover and can never recommend them enough. I have a Zwilling 5 ply pan that is also well loved and used.
Dear Ina: Thank you for the wonderful soup recipes. I also liked your suggestions because I have all your books and I usually have to search for which cookbook has a particular recipe inside the cover! Now they are at my fingertips. Also, I thank you for the movie suggestions and I'm glad to have them so I'm happy about that. Have a wonderful day Ina!