Soup/Stew

Chestnuts are harvested in the area around Alba and figure in many savory and sweet dishes there, particularly stews like this ragout. Gathered after they have fallen, chestnuts are traditionally served with game, but they also pair well with veal-another staple of northern Italian cuisine. If fresh chestnuts are unavailable, roasted vacuum-packed chestnuts-sold in jars in the specialty foods section of many supermarkets-can be used. Supply crusty bread for soaking up the juices. Accompany with a radicchio and escarole salad, and uncork a Barolo.

Green onions make all the difference in this new take on a popular Thai soup.

A version of the famous Parisian ham-and-cheese sandwich pairs up with a classic soup.

Mary garnishes the soup with fried brioche croutons, crème fraîche and fresh chervil.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes chilling) The electric blender (originally a bartender's tool for daiquiris) became a must-have home appliance in the 1950s. Cooks grew enamored of the blender's ability to create velvet-smooth soups — soups previously (and messily) forced through food mills and sieves.

This modification of a classic soup uses less cream than traditional versions.

When my mother prepared this gloriously cheesy, spicy dip, the smells from the kitchen would waft throughout the house and drive us all crazy with anticipation. It's a perfect appetizer for guests, so if Mom was making it, that usually meant company for dinner, football Sundays, or a full-blown party (which wouldn't be complete without someone desperately licking the bowl clean).

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Onioned Tuna Soup I first tasted this soup at La Canoa, a restaurant in Guayaquil, Ecuador. They prepared the tuna in the popular style of leaving it mostly rare, then they added it to the soup right before serving. When we serve the soup at the Patria, we use all the meaty trimmings from the tuna steaks we've served as full portions.

Most people never think about cooking cucumber—especially since that crisp, raw crunch is so perfect for salads and canapés. But cucumber acquires a wonderful velvety texture when cooked and puréed, and this soup shows it off beautifully. Even better, the flavor and color of this soup are at their best when it is warm, not hot, which takes some of the stress out of serving ten guests.

For easy serving, ladle the soup into pretty bowls, and set them on the buffet table.

(Braised Chicken with Chilies and Chinese Long Beans) The intoxicating seasoning paste in this Eurasian stew may be used to flavor chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood.

The stock recipe yields 8 cups; there will be about 1 1/2 cups left over after you make the mushroom soup. To prepare the mushrooms for this soup, wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. Be sure to cut off the stems from fresh shiitakes. If using morels, rinse quickly to dislodge any dirt from crevices.

For this rustic French meal, start with mixed greens dressed with lemon vinaigrette; serve new potatoes tossed in butter and parsley with the beef; and end with plum tarts topped with whipped cream. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.