THE HOLY GRAIL OF SOUP BOOKS

If you love soup as much as I do and  feel as though it soothes the soul (I'm no hippie but shit- seriously!), then you have to find this book. I bought it a year or so ago in a clearance bin at a book store. BEST $8 ever. The Soup bible is a  collection of soup recipes divided into six sections: light & refreshing, rich & creamy, warming winter, hearty lunch, one-pot-meals, and special occasion. The variety is excellent, and there are soups from around the world. The front section on making stocks is very helpful as it includes not only the standard vegetable, chicken and meat stocks, but also fish stock and stocks for Chinese and Japanese cooking.

Each recipe comes with beautiful end-result pictures as well as pictures of some of the steps involved. The directions are clear and simple. Many of the recipes come with suggestions for variations and all of the vegetarian selections are marked. Most of the soups use easy-to-find ingredients, but the exceptions often have tips on where to find the unfamiliar items.