Soup and Salad Recipes:
Chef June Jacobs' Soup Recipes

Mussel Soup with Aïoli and Saffron
Aïoli
Crôutes
Grandma Jacobs' Potato Soup
Hearty Split Pea Soup
New England Fish Chowder
Pasta è Fagiole è Scarola (Soup with Beans, Bow Ties and Escarole)
Bourride (Provençal Fish Soup with Garlic Mayonnaise)

Mussel Soup with Aïoli and Saffron

If you like mussels, this is one of the most delicious soups to prepare for family and friends.  Some years ago, my friend Mark Williamson, had a beautiful restaurant, "La Moulin de la Village," in a pedestrian alleyway near the Place de la Madeleine in Paris.  His chef served this soup to start my dinner on a chilly March evening.   Mark paired it with an incredible Don Zoilo Fino Sherry.  These days, you can find Mark at Macéo at 15 rue des Petits Champs.  I recommend EVERYthing on their menu!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
3 leeks (white and pale green parts only) chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 1/2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups dry sherry (Fino)
2 cups fish stock (make your own, or use More than Gourmet)
1 1/2 cups Aïoli (recipe follows)
3 pounds mussels steamed and removed from their shells

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, leeks, celery, bell pepper, bay leaf and saffron to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add wine, fish stock and salt to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Purée mixture in batches in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Then force it through a tamis or fine sieve.  You may wish to process the vegetable mixture a second time and again work the resulting liquid through the tamis.  [Soup can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Return to the simmer before continuing.]

Stir aïoli into the soup.  Add mussels to the soup and simmer until just heated through, about 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf from soup. 

Serve the soup in large shallow soup plates with crôutes (see recipe below).

Teacher's Tip: Scrub and debeard mussels just before steaming.  If done too far in advance, the mussels may die.  Discard any mussels which do not close after tapping.

Wine Tip: Serve an excellent Fino Sherry with this soup.  It makes a fabulous first course as well as a luscious luncheon or Sunday night supper entrée.

Source: Chef June Jacobs

Aïoli

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon fine, dry, unflavored breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Soak the breadcrumbs in 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar for 5 minutes, then squeeze the crumbs dry in the corner of a towel.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the garlic, then add crumbs and combine with garlic to make a smooth paste.  Add egg yolks, and all the other ingredients except the oil and combine.  Scrape down sides.  Now, with the motor running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream.  When all the oil is in, you have aïoli.  Voilà!!

Crôutes

There are several ways to make crôutes.  Following are two slightly different ways to achieve this crispy end.

Method #1

Ingredients:

1 baguette or thinly sliced white bread
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200 to 250°F.  Slice the baguette Melba-toast thin, or cut 2-inch rounds of thinly sliced sandwich bread (there should be at least 2 per person).  Generously coat a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place the slices in this very slow oven for an hour, or until the toasts are crisp, dry and slightly golden.  Rub each crouton briefly with the peeled garlic clove.  These can be made the day before and stored in a tight-lidded container, then reheated slightly before serving.

Method #2

Ingredients:

12 to 16 one-inch thick diagonal slices of French bread
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Spread the slices of bread in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  With a pastry brush, lightly brush both sides of each slice with olive oil.  Then turn slices over and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the bread is completely dry and lightly browned.  Rub each slice with the cut garlic clove and set aside.

Grandma Jacobs' Potato Soup

My grandmother thought that no proper dinner ever began without soup.  This is a very inexpensive and easy Old World recipe she brought with her from the Warsaw Ghetto, and taught to my mother (her daughter-in-law).  Whenever my mom made it -- when I was very small -- my dad always referred to it as "Soupe du Jour-du Jour" when I asked what we were having.  I have since learned that Alsatians think this is a "French" soup!  I just think it's GOOD!

Makes 6 generous servings

Ingredients:

a large pot of cold water
4 large Idaho potatoes
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium-large onion, stuck with 2 cloves and poked through with a knife
sea salt and white pepper
1 dried (green) bay leaf
1/2 cup flour (2 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)

Preparation:

Cube the potatoes and add them to the pot of water along with all the other vegetables.  Bring the mixture to the boil, and allow to simmer merrily for 30 minutes.

In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux.  Stir constantly to remove any potential lumps and make a smooth paste.  Continue stirring constantly until the roux turns VERY dark brown.  BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE ROUX or you have to start all over again.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the roux, stirring constantly.  When the foaming subsides, taste, and correct the seasoning.  Remove the bay leaf and the whole onion before serving.

Teacher's Tip: Because this soup is so plain, you can easily embellish it by adding a pound of tiny bay scallops about 2 minutes before serving; or slice some garlicky sausage into the soup and allow to heat through - or BOTH!

Wine Tip: As Potato Soup, I'd serve it with a chilled Sancerre.  If you add the Scallops and/or sausage, I'd prefer a Beaujolais Villages (red).

Hearty Split Pea Soup

When I was a little girl, my mother would often ask our butcher, Clarence, for a ham bone so she could make Split Pea Soup.  It was one of my Dad's favorite winter treats - mine too.  During my "vegetarian days" I started making Pea Soup without meat, and found that what I really loved most was the texture of the peas.  Whether you make this soup with or without a ham bone, I guarantee that all the bowls will be empty when you clear the table.

Makes 3 to 4 quarts (and freezes well)

Ingredients:

1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 pound green split peas
2 cups small white beans (Navy, or pea beans)
17 cups cold water
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
3 carrots, chopped coarsely
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large (Idaho) potato, diced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation:

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft, along with bay leaves and celery seed.  Stir in the peas and beans.  Add 13 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.  Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Add the remaining vegetables, salt and pepper, herbs and remaining 4 cups water.  Turn the heat down as low as possible and simmer for another hour.  If the soup becomes too thick, thin it with additional water to taste.

Teacher's Tip: If you want to make this soup with meat, add one or two meaty ham hocks to the onions and garlic when you begin to sauté.  Then, when the soup is cooked, remove the meat from the bone, cut it into tiny morsels and stir it into the soup.  However, this soup is completely delicious without any meat.  Your family and friends will not miss the meat at all, I promise!

Wine Tip: The smoky flavors of this soup go very well with a Pinot Noir.  Try a Côte de Beaune or Bourgogne Rouge.  If you can find an Irancy from the Yonne region of Burgundy, that would be delicious!

New England Fish Chowder

Boston was my home for eleven years, but I loved creamy chowder long before that.  While Clam Chowder is one of Boston's most famous exports, I prefer fish chowder.  I love the way the fish gets soft and falls apart in the soup - while clams, when overcooked, get rubbery!  [By the way: New Englanders don't consider any soup "chowdah" that contains tomatoes.]

Makes 6 main course servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds fresh firm white fish fillets
4 cups fish stock or 2 cups bottled or canned clam juice and 2 cups of water (More Than Gourmet makes an excellent, highly concentrated fish stock)
6 ounces "streak of lean" salt pork (with the rind removed) cut into 3/8-inch dice, blanched for 5 minutes in 2 quarts of water, and drained
4 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 cups sliced "boiling" potatoes
1 teaspoon each fresh sage and thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, roughly crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
additional fish stock, milk or water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
fresh parsley, thyme, sage coarsely chopped -- for garnish

Preparation:

Base: Sauté the blanched salt pork for several minutes in a 3-quart saucepan to brown very lightly and render fat.  Stir in the onions, then the garlic, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and tender.  Drain off excess fat and save it.

Stir the flour into the onion mixture.  Add a little of the reserved fat if the mixture is too dry, and cook slowly, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

In another pot, bring the fish stock to the simmer, then vigorously beat 4 cups (1 at a time!) into the vegetables and pork.

Add the potatoes, herbs, peppercorns (no salt here!).  Cook until potatoes are tender then simmer slowly 5 minutes.  Now taste and add salt as needed.  [You want to wait until now because the salt pork is quite salty, if you've used bottled clam juice, it's VERY salty, and after the potatoes have cooked you'll have a better idea of how much additional salt you'll need.]  You can make the chowder up to this point and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

Shortly before you are ready to serve, bring the base to the simmer.  Cut your fish into 2 -inch chunks and add to the base.  Add extra stock, milk or water to cover the ingredients.  Simmer about 5 minutes, or JUST until the fish chunks are opaque.  DON'T overcook!  Taste again for seasoning.

To serve, ladle into wide soup plates.  Top with chopped fresh herbs, and pass the common crackers.

Teacher's Tip: Cod, haddock or halibut are the most obvious fish choices, but investigate less known, less expensive and more widely available varieties such as orange roughy and pollock, or (in New England) even the ubiquitous "Chowder fish".  Just make sure that the fish fillets you choose are FRESH

Wine Tip: I like a crisp New England white - Vidal Blanc from Sakonnet Vineyards - with my chowder.  If that's not available in your area, try an Italian Gavi.

Pasta è Fagiole è Scarola
(Soup with Beans, Bow Ties and Escarole)

I lived in the Italian North End of Boston for six years.  During that time I came to think of food in the Italian manner - shopping daily and formulating my menus from what was best in the market. In order to make this centerpiece soup, you will need to have a great-quality chicken stock on hand.  To complete the meal, all it takes is a fabulous loaf of Italian-style crusty bread and a bottle of delicious Barbera d'Asti.  Buon Appetito!

Makes 8 main course or 12-16 starter servings

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds (shelled) fresh shell (Cranberry) beans (or 1 pound dried white beans, soaked overnight)
1 1/2 pounds prosciutto end piece, chopped (bribe it from your Italian deli man!)
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade) - or use More Than Gourmet
2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes
16 fresh basil leaves, torn
freshly ground pepper
2 pounds escarole, shredded

Preparation:

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until limp and translucent.

Add everything else but the escarole to the onion mixture.   Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour over medium heat.

Add 2 pounds escarole, shredded.   Bring back to the boil and turn the heat off.

Just before serving, cook 1 pound of farfalle (bowties) separately.   Add to hot soup.  Serve with grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese to sprinkle on top.

Wine Tip: A young Barbera d'Asti or a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo would be an appropriate accompaniment to this delicious meal in a bowl.

Bourride (Provençal Fish Soup with Garlic Mayonnaise)

Bouillabaisse may be one of the most familiar French dishes to Americans, but the Provençaux are more likely to eat Bourride.  Once you've tried it, I think you will know why.  Where Bouillabaisse  is bold and rambunctious, Bourride is more subtle and voluptuous.  Bourride can be made with just one kind of fish, or use as wide a variety as you'd like (or can find).  Shellfish can be added, or not, depending upon what's fresh that day, upon your personal taste, or your pocketbook!  The Court Bouillon can be prepared just before you use it, or can be something you've made ahead and stored in the freezer.  (Please don't substitute bottled clam juice.  The clam flavor takes over, and that's not good here.)

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

Court Bouillon:

6 cups water
2 pounds fish heads, bones and trimmings
1 cup dry white wine
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 three-inch strips fresh orange peel
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt

Aïoli:

1 tablespoon fine, dry, unflavored breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Fish:

2 pounds each of three kind of firm white fish fillets or steaks - choices should include: either monkfish or swordfish; a gelatinous fish, such as rockfish or halibut; and a delicate fish, such as flounder, whiting, sea bass, porgy or red snapper.  Have your whole fish filleted, and reserve all the trimmings (heads and frames) to make the Court Bouillon.

Crôutes:

12 to 16 one-inch thick slices of French bread
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, cut

3 pounds new potatoes (preferably red-skinned), boiled, then peeled and sliced 1/3-inch thick

Preparation:

In a 4- to 6-quart saucepan, bring the court bouillon ingredients to a boil, partially cover the pan, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the Aïoli.  (See method below.) Spoon 2/3 cup of Aïoli into a small sauceboat and cover with plastic wrap.  Put the rest of the sauce (about 1 1/3 cups) into a 3- to 4-quart saucepan.

Strain the court bouillon through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down hard on the vegetables and trimmings with a spoon before discarding them.  Wash the pan and return the court bouillon to it.  Add the fish, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 3 to 8 minutes, or until the fish is just firm to the touch.  Watch the fish CAREFULLY!!  Different kinds and thicknesses cook at different speeds.  With a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the pieces to a heated platter as soon as they are done.  Cover the platter loosely to keep the fish warm.

Off the heat, beat the remaining 4 yolks, one at a time, into the aïoli in the saucepan.  Add 1 cup of hot fish broth, beating constantly, then gradually beat in the remaining broth.  Cook over low heat, stirring, until the soup is thick enough to coat the whisk lightly.  Do NOT let it come to a boil!  Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice if needed.

While the bouillon simmers also make the crôutes.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Spread the slices of bread in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  With a pastry brush, lightly brush both sides of each slice with olive oil.  Then turn slices over and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the bread is completely dry and lightly browned.  Rub each slice with the cut garlic clove and set aside.

To serve, pour the soup into a large tureen and bring it to the table with the platter of fish, a bowl of the sliced potatoes, the sauceboat of aïoli and the crôutes.  Line the bottom of each soup bowl with potatoes and ladle in the soup.  Pass the crôutes and aïoli to put on top.  Eat at least part of the soup like this.  Then, pass the platter of fish.  Put some in your bowl and add some more broth, aïoli and crôutes.  This is the second course of the meal.

Aïoli Method:

Soak the breadcrumbs in 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar for 5 minutes, then squeeze the crumbs dry in the corner of a towel.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the garlic, then add crumbs and combine with garlic to make a smooth paste.  Add egg yolks, and all the other ingredients except the oil and combine.  Scrape down sides.  Now, with the motor running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream.  When all the oil is in, you have aïoli.  Voilà!!]

Teacher's Tip: If you can find small coquilles, they make a nice addition to the fish selection.  Scallops, clams and small shrimp are delicious, also.  The idea is to use what's available and what's fresh.

[This Bourride is reminiscent of the wonderful one I ate at L'Ane Rouge in Nice, but the best Bourrides are made at home!]

Wine Tip: The "Right White" for this scrumptious dinner is Bellet - an appellation only found in Nice.  Next time you're there, stash a couple of bottles of Château Crémant in your suitcase!  In the meantime, drink a crisp Chablis or a citrus-y Sauvignon Blanc.