Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with tortilla soup,
and enter the Gourmet Giveaway. Photo
courtesy Wolfgang Puck.

Fans of the Gourmet Giveaway know that our gourmet food giveaway went on hiatus in February, as we were building its new home on TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com.

The Gourmet Giveaway is back, with three gift baskets from Chef Wolfgang Puck.

All you need to do is enter your email address. To enter, go to TheNibbleGourmetMarket.com, scroll down, and click the box right underneath the shopping cart.

The gift basket is filled with Chef Puck’s Signature Tortilla Soup—which we’re going to enjoy again on Cinco de Mayo—plus other gift items from Chef Puck.

The Wolfgang Puck soup line is delicious, certified organic and has several gluten-free choices. You know from the first taste that you’re dealing with top-quality ingredients.

You can purchase the Wolfgang Puck soup line at fine retailers nationwide and online.

We liked the three varieties we tried—Classic Minestrone, Signature Tortilla and Tomato Basil Bisque—so much that we can’t wait to try the rest of the 17 varieties of soups, including Creamy Butternut Squash, French Onion, Old Fashioned Potato, Roasted Red Pepper with Tomato, Thick Hearty Vegetable and Vegetable Barley.

The gluten-free soup varieties include Black Bean, Hearty Lentil Vegetable, Free Range Chicken With White And Wild Rice, Signature Tortilla and Tomato Basil Bisque. See the full list.

Lovely leeks. Photo by Marlon Paul Bruin |
SXC.

On this past Sunday’s episode of Desperate Housewives, Susan Mayer had no idea what the long white vegetable that looked like a ginormous scallion was.

While it seems improbable that anyone who has ever strolled through a produce aisle can’t recognize a leek, it gave us this Tip Of The Day idea.

Leeks—a member of the onion species, allium—are in season now, and anyone who likes onions should cook some up.

To those Latin students who know that allium is garlic: garlic is also a member of the onion species, as are chives, shallots and ramps (wild leeks).

The edible portions of the leek are the white onion base and light green stalk. The bittersweet dark green portion at the end of the stalk is usually discarded.

Some recipes use only the white base. Save the light green portion for salads, stocks, quiche, burgers, general garnishes and so forth. Or batter and fry them as fried onion stalks, instead of onion rings.

Julia Child first introduced us to leeks in Mastering The Art Of French Cooking: leeks braised in butter (served with hot entrées, or served cold with cold meats and seafood), leeks browned with cheese and leeks in a ham quiche.

We later learned to love leeks as a soup ingredient. Scotland’s cock-a-leekie soup (chicken and leeks), leek and potato soup and vichyssoise—that delightful cold summer soup made of potatoes and leeks—are the most famous leek soups. Leeks are also the main ingredient in three-onion soup, along with onions and shallots.

Here’s a variation on that soup—a recipe for two-onion soup, made with leeks and sweet onions, also in season. Turn it into three-onion soup by adding a couple of minced shallots or garnishing it with chopped chives.

What do do with those Easter ham leftovers: make a fresh, spring pea soup with diced ham.

Peas are in season, and soup never tastes better than when made with fresh peas.

Fresh pea soup (you can substitute frozen green peas) tastes brighter and more luscious than split pea soup. Just watch this video with Chef Peter Sherlock.

If you enjoy soup as comfort food, here’s a lovely and easy seasonal recipe, made with an abundance of spring herbs. The base is familiar—potatoes, onions and broth—but the quantity of fresh herbs makes it a completely different experience.

The British chef provides both gram and ounce equivalents. Note that the products called double cream and single cream in the U.K. refer to heavy cream and half-and-half, respectively, in the U.S. We recommend using the half-and-half.

Add as many basil leaves, bean sprouts and
scallions as you like. Photo © Simon
Gurney | Dreamstime.

Last night on “Top Chef,” contestant Dale Talde won the fondue Quickfire Challenge with his adaptation of the Vietnamese soup, phö (pronounced fuh).

Phö is a symphony of flavors—one of the world’s great soups. It is a complex and flavorful beef broth seasoned with cardamom, chile, cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, ginger, onions and star anise.

The broth is piled high with stewed beef, rice noodles, basil, bean sprouts, cilantro and scallions, and is topped off with fresh lime juice squeezed at the table. The ingredients create a heady aroma and flavor.

Hearty enough to be served as a main course for lunch or a light dinner, the Vietnamese enjoy phö for breakfast. It’s a winner any time of the day.

Learn more about phö and whip up a batch with this recipe.

It’s winter, it’s cold and soup is warm comfort.

It’s also Healthy Food Month at THE NIBBLE; so combining both concepts, we’ve got healthy soup recipes for you.

Starting with 10 tips for “enlightened soupmaking,” you’ll see that you don’t need to sacrifice flavor to make family favorites and dinner party soups.

The Hot & Sour Soup in the photo is incredibly flavorful, is much more exciting than restaurant versions, and has only 143 calories per serving. It takes a mere half-hour to prepare.

So, get out the stock pot and start cooking!

Hot & Sour soup. Photo courtesy Turner
Publishing Company.

A large bowl of soup can be a filling first course at dinner. A shot glass of soup gives a satisfying two sips and leaves room for other dishes.

It’s also a perky way to start off a meal. Simply fill shot glasses or small juice glasses with soup and add a garnish or two.

Here, the first garnish on the tomato soup is a dab of crème fraîche (substitute nonfat Greek yogurt or sour cream). It’s followed by a julienne of vegetables—carrot, turnip and zucchini—fresh or lightly steamed, which make a beautiful pattern. Microgreens add the final touch.

A glam soup shot. Photo courtesy
SweetFlavorFL.com, which sells plastic shot
glasses and small party dishes.

We’ve all made a pot of oversalted soup or stew. A classic kitchen trick is to add a thinly-sliced raw potato and let it sit to absorb some of the salt, until the slices become translucent.

If that doesn’t work for you, here are four more ideas, courtesy of the newest edition of the kitchen helper book, How To Repair Food:

Discover the different types of soup in our Soup Glossary.

You can fix salty soup. Photo of bouillabaisse
courtesy MackenzieLtd.com.

Photo courtesy Right Foods.

The doctor is in…and he’s making healthy soup.

John McDougall, M.D., physician and nutritionist, has been studying the effects of nutrition on health for more than 20 years. A founding father of the modern wellness movement, he established the McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California, to help people improve their health.

His line of foods features oatmeal cups—add water and heat, (loved ‘em)—soup cups and low-sodium soups (bland). The newest entry is a line of heat-and-eat soups, about two cups per carton.

The soups are packed full of good things—veggies, brown rice and other whole grains, plus black beans, peas and lentils. Some are so thick, they could be a side dish!

Needless to say, we enjoyed these fat-free, dairy-free vegan soups as a light lunch, snack and dinner course. Read the full review.

Even if you don’t win this book, you can
have 7 recipes plus tips.

Is it possible that the hottest summer on record is now a memory? As of September 1st, it’s been 15 degrees cooler here—and we’re happy.

In fact, we’re ready to start thinking about hot soup again.

If you win this week’s Gourmet Giveaway, you’ll have plenty of recipes for hearty bowls of flavorful homemade soup.

Three winners will receive a beautiful cookbook, Enlightened Soups: More Than 135 Light, Healthy, Delicious and Beautiful Soups in 60 Minutes or Less, by Camilla V. Saulsbury. It’s packed with tips for enlightened soupmaking. The collection includes vegetarian, meat and fish-based soups. The soups are “enlightened” because the recipes are healthier. Your family and friends will love them.

If you don’t win a book, you can still make seven delicious recipes as well as incorporate Camilla’s 10 Tips For Enlightened Soupmaking.

To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Soups & Stocks Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing.