Soup Week 2013

Since last week was salad week, it feels natural to follow with soup week, featuring a mix of soups perfect for winter: hearty, heart-warming soups that celebrate winter ingredients. No tomatoes or corn here.

Pictured above are three soups I'll be writing about throughout this week: a richly ham-flavored Split Pea and Ham Soup (lower left) from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, a hearty French Onion Soup (upper left) based on a recent Washington Post recipe and a Parsnip-Carrot Soup with Tahini and Roasted Chickpeas (lower right) adapted from a recent recipe by Smitten Kitchen.

In the meantime, here are four soup recipes from last year that are perfect for this time of year:

Apple-Fennel Soup with Beans and Sausage (pictured above, upper right). I came up with this soup after reading an article about a new D.C. chef who was contemplating an apple soup with sausage and sage. In addition to the apple and fennel, it gets its body from russet potatoes. The cannellini beans and Italian chicken sausage complement the flavors nicely.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup. This soup, adapted from a recipe by Sprouted Kitchen, puts a southwestern spin on pureed butternut squash soup, topped with crispy tortilla strips and fresh avocado.

Navy Bean and Kielbasa Soup. Although I continue to regularly use store-bought broth, if you have the time, a homemade stock can make such a difference in giving soup unique and interesting flavors. This soup has homemade vegetable stock flavored with fennel, onion, carrot, garlic, potato and a mix of fresh herbs. Omit the kielbasa and it's vegetarian.

Chicken-Udon Soup. For something Asian, this basic soup with cubed chicken, shiitake mushrooms and udon noodles is pretty satisfying.