Recipe report: Seasonal soups

Few foods are as comforting as a bowl of soup when there’s a bit of a nip in the air. This fall, expand the selection with five soups that build flavor with seasonal ingredients and slow simmering.

Chef Jamie Simpson created this soup for a fall reception at the Culinary Vegetable Institute, an educational center that focuses on seasonal vegetables and herbs grown on the adjacent farmland and greenhouses. The creamy soup features carrots, hemp seed and coriander blooms sweetened with honey. A garnish of infused oil, crispy ham and crunchy honeycomb candy creates additional layers of flavor and texture.

Click here for the recipe.

Build-your-own pho stations are springing up in college dining, allowing students to customize this on-trend Vietnamese meal in a bowl. In her previous position at University of California, Santa Barbara, chef Dusty Cooper developed this vegan version of the soup, using a fragrant ginger-hoisin broth as the base and adding rice noodles, fresh pumpkin and shiitake mushrooms. Customers can choose from an array of garnishes, including Thai basil, red onion slivers, jalapeno pepper slices and bean sprouts.

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Roasted chestnuts provide the primary punch of flavor to this rich, creamy soup, but mushrooms, carrots and celery root play strong supporting roles. Aromatics including garlic, shallots and thyme further enhance the flavor. Chef Teddy Diggs introduced the seasonal recipe at Coronato Pizza, a restaurant serving Roman-style pizza in Carrboro, N.C.

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This hearty meat-and-potatoes soup, created by Gary Kucy of Rupert’s at Hotel McCall in Idaho, veers towards a stew. The recipe takes on an Indian accent with its spicing, which includes garam masala, ginger, curry paste and tamarind. Coconut milk gives the soup a creamy texture and mellows the heat.

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How about setting up a soup station for a game day watch party? In addition to the obligatory chili, this creamy sweet potato soup makes a welcome option. Chef Matthew Register roasts the sweet potatoes ahead for ease of execution.

Click here for the recipe.