The moment the summer heat subsides, my thoughts turn to soup. The big stockpot comes off the shelf and onto the stove at the first hint of cool weather. Fall’s shorter days and winter’s dampness lead me to seek such therapeutic liquid succor.

This is especially true today, with the drumbeat of rain on our metal roof and a blanket of gray turning noon to dusk.

Soup is one of my favorite meals; nothing comforts more than a steaming bowl, especially when paired with a hunk of warm, crusty bread.

I even long for soup during hot Lake County summers, when cool soups such as gazpacho or those made with fruit or cucumber are whipped up in a food processor.

There’s just something wonderful about marrying flavors and ingredients together in one pot, whether cool or hot.

My husband once told me that Walmart sales records reveal an uptick in the purchase of strawberry Pop Tarts when hurricanes threaten landfall. As a consequence, the chain stocks plenty of them in the paths of such storms.

Fruity pastry must be considered comforting when rainy danger threatens, at least in those areas.

As much as I love sweets, when a storm lurks on the horizon, I long to have a big batch of homemade soup at hand.

Soup transcends time, culture and location, with nearly every civilization having a form of it. Evidence for the existence of soup extends as far back as 6,000 B.C. The invention of early waterproof containers, most likely in the form of clay vessels or pouches made of animal skins, made it possible to heat water, spawning primitive soups.

It was the sale of soup for medicinal purposes by street vendors in Paris that led to today’s restaurant industry. A highly concentrated, warm liquid was sold as an antidote to physical exhaustion. A Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop in 1765 to sell the restorative liquid, which prompted the use of the word “restaurant,” meaning “something restoring,” to describe the business.

The word soup has origins in the practice of soaking bread in broth, “suppa” in Latin. From this root comes the French word “soupe,” as well as the English word “sop,” a piece of bread used to soak up soup or stew.

A rich stock, made from simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water, is the secret to a good soup. Fish stock should only be boiled 30 to 45 minutes, but most other stocks take much longer to make, from three to eight hours, depending on the base.

Mirepoix, a combination of onions, carrots, and celery, contributes flavor to stock, along with various herbs and other aromatics.

Fund blanc, or white stock, is made with raw bones, most commonly chicken, and fund brun, or brown stock, is made using bones that have been roasted to add flavor and color.

Vegetable stock may be made using all manner of vegetables. Cooking water from vegetables made throughout the week may be saved in the fridge and used as the stock base.

If you’re not interested in making your own stock, don’t despair, as quality premade stocks are available at most supermarkets.

Soups are traditionally divided into two categories, clear and thick. Clear soups include broth (known as bouillon in French) and consommé, a complex soup that has gone through a clarifying process. Consommé tends to gel somewhat when cool.

Thick soups are classified based on the thickener, such as starch, cream, eggs, grains or butter. Types of thick soups include purees, bisques and cream soups.

After a long season of dry heat, soup weather has arrived in earnest. In anticipation of the months of happy soup-making ahead of us, below are five favorite soups from recipes that I’ve developed over the years.

A Spanish proverb says, “Of soup and love, the first is best.” While I disagree that food trumps love, a good bowl of soup can certainly inspire it.

Be warmed and comforted, sip with pleasure, and most of all, enjoy.

Smokey roasted carrot soup

White beans thicken the soup without compromising the warm flavor of smoked paprika.

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots (about 5-1/2 cups raw, which becomes 4 cups roasted)
2 large shallots
Tablespoon olive or grape seed oil
Teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Quart vegetable or chicken stock
About ½ of a 15-ounce can of white beans

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and cut carrots into uniform pieces, about 1 inch in length.

Roughly chop the shallots

In a two-quart bowl, toss carrots in the oil until all are glossy.

Add salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, tossing to combine evenly.

Turn carrots onto a baking sheet and mix in shallots.

Roast mixture in oven until tender and somewhat browned, about 25 minutes or more. (Stir halfway through for even cooking.)

Heat stock on stove in a four-quart saucepan; add carrot mixture.

Simmer for 10 minutes or so, and then add beans.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (recommended), a food processor, or a blender.

If desired, add more beans until desired thickness is achieved.

Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired with fresh herbs such as parsley or dill.

Makes about 8 servings.

French onion soup

I cry copiously when chopping onions! I’ve tried many methods of avoiding burning tears but the time I wore my son’s snorkeling mask while I processed them was the only thing that truly worked.

Ingredients

10 onions (any combination of types)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white wine
Quart vegetable or beef stock
1 and ¼ cups apple cider
Bouquet garni (thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley tied with kitchen string)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Splash of Cognac or brandy (optional)
1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated
Croutons (recipe follows)

Procedure

Finely slice onions into half-moon shapes. (For quicker processing, a food processor with the slicing attachment may be used.)

Heat olive oil in a large wide-bottomed pot.

Add a layer of onions to pot and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat until all onions and salt are in the pot.

Allow onions to sweat down for 15 to 20 minutes before stirring. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany in color and reduced to approximately two cups. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrupy consistency.

Add broth, apple cider, bouquet garni, and brandy, if using. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with a crouton, and then top with grated cheese.

Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil in oven until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes six to eight servings.

Croutons

French bread baguette, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Garlic cloves, peeled, optional

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brush bread slices with olive oil (or toss with oil in a bowl until pieces are coated) and toast in oven until golden brown.

If desired, rub with a garlic clove after toasting.

‘Be kind to your heart’ vichyssoise

Classic vichyssoise includes butter and heavy cream; this is a lighter version. For a less rustic soup, you may peel the potatoes. Vichyssoise can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients

6 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into thin rounds and thoroughly cleaned
6 cups red potatoes (about 8 medium), with some skin left on (optional), diced
4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Quart vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Russian-style plain yogurt (and additional for garnish if serving cold, optional)
Fresh herbs of your choice for garnish (such as parsley, dill, tarragon or thyme)

Procedure

Sauté leeks in olive oil in large soup pot until tender, about five minutes.

Add vegetable broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow soup to cool for a few minutes before pureeing with an immersion blender (preferred) or a food processor. (If using a food processor, you may have to process it in batches.)

Add yogurt and blend.

Serve soup warm or chill for several hours or overnight and serve cold. If serving cold, garnish with a dollop of yogurt.

Garnish warm or cold soup with chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

Makes about eight servings.

Spicy Mexican bean soup with chili-garlic crostini

This soup is easy to make and is warm and hearty on a cold winter’s day!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 purple onion, diced
½ red pepper, diced *
½ green pepper, diced *
3 – 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Quart vegetable stock (homemade or otherwise)
2 – 15-ounce cans black beans **
1 – 15-ounce can light kidney beans **
1 – 15-ounce can corn kernels
1 – 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish, if desired)
Salt to taste, if desired
Toasted pumpkin seeds or diced avocado for garnish, if desired

*Use any combination of colored bell peppers; the more colors, the merrier!

**Any combination of similar beans may be used, even 3 cans of one type. (If one type is used, black beans are recommended.)

Procedure

Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat until just tender.

Add garlic and sauté about a minute more.

Add vegetable broth, beans and corn. Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to low to simmer.

Mix in tomato paste; add vinegar, cumin and pepper flakes.

Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Allow to simmer for at least 10 and up to 30 minutes until flavors blend and soup has thickened.

Add cilantro and simmer a few minutes more.

Ladle into bowls and add desired garnishes.

Serve with chili-garlic crostini. (Recipe follows.)

Makes six to eight servings.

Chili-garlic crostini

About 1 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 – 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes
1 French bread baguette, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Press garlic cloves with flat of knife so they are crushed.

Warm olive oil on stove; add garlic and pepper flakes and cook a minute or so more (not long).

Remove oil from heat and allow it to rest for a bit. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor.

Strain oil into a squeeze bottle or bowl and drizzle or brush oil on each baguette slice.

Arrange slices on a baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown. Watch carefully; it takes only a few minutes.

Mushroom bisque with sherry

I am a huge mushroom fan and love the way their flavor is complimented by the addition of sherry. Olive oil may be subbed for butter and cream may be eliminated for a lighter (and vegan) version.

­Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or olive oil)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup minced shallots or onions
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 – ½ pounds fresh mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ inch thick
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (or 4 cups, plus 2 cups water)
2 – ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup dry sherry (not “cooking sherry”)
1/3 cup cream (optional)

For garnish:

½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts (procedure follows)

Procedure

Melt butter (or oil, if using instead) in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. When melted, stir in flour and cook for a minute or so.

Add onions and sauté, stirring, for one or two minutes, then stir in garlic, thyme, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add sliced mushrooms, stir to blend, and increase heat to medium. Add stock, sherry, and salt.

Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes.

When mushrooms are tender, puree soup using a hand-held immersion blender, a food processor, or a standing blender. (If using either of the latter two, puree the soup in batches. If using a standing blender, be sure to hold the lid tight with a towel to keep contents inside.)

If desired, soup may be strained through a medium-mesh strainer, using a ladle to help push it through. (This is an optional step.)

Once soup is pureed (and strained, if taking that step), add cream (if using) and stir to blend. If needed, gently heat soup to desired temperature.

Serve with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts.

Makes six generous or eight small servings

Note: When using a blender to puree hot soups, remove liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender and fill it no more than halfway. Release one corner of the lid, which prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Original recipes are by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.