Soup

Introduced to England at the beginning of the 20th century by the wife of the British viceroy of India, this soup, enhanced with cream and a touch of curry, was soon turning up in dining rooms across Europe.

Pho Bo Vietnam's favorite convenience food is usually purchased at street stands, where the quality of his or her broth can make or break a cook's reputation. The secret ingredients in ours are meaty beef shanks, charred ginger, and onions.

Both turkey meat and gravy are used in this vibrant soup. Pass grated Parmesan cheese alongside if you like.

Lynn Brown of Houston, Texas, writes: "For me, it's fun to see how much I can simplify or revise a recipe to make it my own. That's what I've done with the soups here (they're one of my favorite things to make). The mushroom soup is from a restaurant, but I've added more flavor with wild mushrooms."

Gerald Colapinto of Corona, California, writes: "My grandparents were born in Italy and were wonderful cooks, so I'm partial to Italian food. I especially love the cooking of Southern Italy. Fortunately, I often travel to Rome on business. Back home, I like to re-create the dishes I discovered."

Celery root (also called celeriac) is one of autumn's most delicious—but least appreciated—vegetables. Here it adds fresh celery flavor to this velvety first-course soup.

Try this seasonal, six-ingredient wonder as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner.

Using frozen winter squash purée makes putting together this soup extremely speedy; then just let it simmer while the turkey roasts. The lime juice may seem like an unusual Thanksgiving ingredient, but its tart flavor gives a lift to the sweetness of the squash and tempers the spicy toasted pumpkin seeds. The seeds themselves are addictive, so if you think you might want to have extra around for noshing, consider doubling that recipe. They will keep for at least a week or two in an airtight container—if they last that long!

his delicious vegetarian soup is a take on the Persian dish ash-e reshteh.

We love the homey quality and clean flavors of this colorful soup.

The flavor combinations in this creamy yet light soup are complex, but making it is very easy. Like the best appetizers, the soup wakes up the palate and is not too filling.

Most chestnut soups are fairly substantial. We've made our version lighter and brothier to serve as a first course for a big meal. Chopped chestnuts mixed with tangy croutons add texture and extra layers of complexity.

A few fresh vegetables and a leftover turkey is all you'll need to create this phenomenal soup — perfect for cold nights and holiday nostalgia.

The gelatin in this refreshing dessert soup sets just enough to give it body but not bounce. All kinds of grapes work beautifully as garnishes for this soup; it's worth seeking out unusual varieties, however, for the extra character.

This luxurious soup soothes on a wintry day, warming the palate with rich duck confit, sweet root vegetables, and earthy barley. Pearl barley, by definition, has had some of its bran removed, but we found that different brands varied widely. Higher-fiber varieties will have a slightly longer cooking time.

This recipe makes more broth than you will need for the Sea Urchin Mousse . The leftover broth freezes well — use it for making soups or stews.

Serve this with plenty of crusty bread.

Liz and Kurt Gruber of Bellevue, Washington, write: "We really enjoyed the mulligatawny soup we had at Shamiana in nearby Kirkland. Could you get the recipe?"

This soup is made with store-bought broth and rotisserie chicken, which shortens the preparation time considerably. (If you usually make your soup from scratch, you may be surprised at how appealing this shortcut can be when you're rushed.)