The Soup Diet

The American Dietetic Assn.’s new dietary guidelines take the form of a pyramid, illustrating that there are no bad foods, only bad eating habits. All foods should be part of a healthy diet, but you’ll want your meal to emphasize carbohydrates first and vegetables second, then add a smattering of animal protein. And, of course, watch the fat.

An easy way of achieving this ideal balance is to prepare main-course soups. Soups are filling because of the liquid background that ties the ingredients together, animates the flavors and blends the textures. The broth adds few calories to the meal. Even if you have three bowls of soup for dinner, you haven’t gone off this diet.

The following soups are heavy on the “proper” ingredients--carbohydrates and vegetables--and somewhat meager in the meat-and-fat department, without being meager on flavor. So with proper cooking and a little forethought, you can have all sorts of delicious foods--sausages, bacon, sour cream, butter--that are not usually associated with dieting. Just remember that the so-called “bad guys” of a recipe are there to give pleasure, and you don’t need a whole lot of them to be happy.

Save your fat allowance by sauteing the onions and vegetables in a scant amount of butter or olive oil, or use a non-stick pan and eliminate the oil completely. The butter is more important someplace else, like on bread.

A couple of sausages or some bacon are enough to add flavor to any bean or vegetable soup. To lighten the fat load, pierce the sausages before cooking and discard the fat that is rendered into the pan. And if you’re using bacon, cook a slab rather than small pieces. About midway through the cooking, remove the bacon and separate the layer of fat from the layers of meat. Then discard the fat and return the meat to the pan.

If you want to reduce the fat even further, prepare the soup a day in advance and refrigerate it. The excess fat will congeal on the surface and can be easily removed before reheating. Most soups taste better the second day anyway.

PUREE OF GARLIC SOUP WITH CHICKEN DUMPLINGS 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound garlic (about 8 medium garlic heads), separated into cloves but unpeeled 2 medium onions, coarsely diced 7 cups chicken stock, canned low-sodium chicken broth or water 1 lemon, halved 4 bay leaves 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried 2 cups mixed diced vegetables (such as zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and green beans) 12 Chicken Dumplings 8 slices French bread, cut from baguette, toasted

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 2-quart pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Add onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add stock, lemon halves, bay leaves and thyme. Increase heat to high and bring to boil, then lower heat to medium and simmer 30 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in small pan over medium heat. Add vegetables. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare Chicken Dumplings and set aside.

Remove soup from heat. Discard bay leaves and lemon. Puree mixture in food processor or blender. Strain soup through strainer or pass through food mill into clean soup pot. Bring to simmer. Using tablespoon, drop dollops of Chicken Dumplings into soup. Cover and cook 8 minutes. Ladle soup into 4 serving bowls at table. Garnish with reserved vegetables and toasted bread. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Dumplings 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 cup Madeira or dry Sherry 2 egg whites 1 small onion, finely diced

Cut chicken into 2-ounce pieces and place in food processor along with garlic, salt, white pepper, Madeira and egg whites. Pulse on and off until mixture is coarsely chopped. Scrape into bowl. Add onion and mix well. Makes enough for 12 dumplings.

POTATO, LEEK AND COD SOUP 1 pound salt cod 4 cups low-fat milk 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 cups finely sliced leek rounds, white parts only 1 tablespoon flour 1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

Soak salt cod overnight, changing water at least once.

Next day, drain and place salt cod and milk in pan. Cover and cook over medium heat 8 minutes. Remove salt cod from pan. Pour milk through strainer and set milk aside. Flake fish and discard any skin and bones. Set cod aside.

Melt butter in clean pan over low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Stir in reserved milk, potatoes and white pepper. Increase heat to medium. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Add cod and remove from heat. (May be made up to 1 day in advance to this point. Cool, cover and refrigerate.)

Just before serving, reheat soup over medium heat to piping hot. Place sour cream in small bowl. Thin out sour cream with 1/2 cup hot soup, then return mixture to soup pot. Do not heat soup again or sour cream will curdle. Pour soup into tureen, sprinkle with fresh dill and serve. Makes 4 servings.

LA POTEE AUVERGNATE 2 garlic sausages or hot Italian sausages 4 ounces bacon, in 1 piece 1 medium onion, diced 1 calf’s foot, split, optional 24 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 pound pork stew meat, cubed 1/2 cup dried great northern beans 7 cups fresh or canned low-sodium chicken broth or water 1 small sprig fresh rosemary 1 sprig fresh thyme 4 bay leaves Freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon salt 12 ounces smoked pork chops 1 small head green cabbage, cut into eighths 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed or peeled as desired

Pierce sausages with fork and place along with bacon in 2-quart Dutch oven or heavy pan with lid. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove sausages and set aside.

Remove bacon and remove fat from lean meat. Chop bacon meat and return to pan, first pouring off any rendered fat in pan.

Add onion, calf’s foot, garlic and pork chops. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to boil. Place pan in oven and bake at 350 degrees 1 hour, until beans are tender.

Cut cooked sausages into 1-inch pieces and quarter potatoes.

When beans are tender, add salt to taste, smoked pork, sausages, cabbage and potatoes. Cover and bake 35 minutes longer. Just before serving, remove bay leaves. Serve potee in dish in which it was cooked. Makes 4 servings.