Silky, sophisticated and simple

Most people who remember Mitchell Parrish recall him as one of America’s great lyricists -- he wrote the words to Hoagy Carmichael’s “Star Dust,” one of the 20th century’s most romantic and widely covered songs, as well as “Sophisticated Lady,” “Stars Fell on Alabama,” “Moonlight Serenade” and the English version of “Volare.”

But I remember him as a guy who inadvertently gave me one of my favorite soups. My husband, a jazz journalist, interviewed Parrish shortly before his death at age 92 in 1993. Parrish had talked about his years in Paris, when he loved to go into a little bistro and order potage St. Germain, which he described as pea soup.

Hmm, I wondered, was this different from split pea soup (soupe de pois casses)?

As it turns out, it is fresh pea soup. To make it, you saute some sliced Bibb lettuce in butter, add young peas (frozen are best, unless you have some just-picked fresh ones), cover with water and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes. Puree, correct the seasoning, and it’s extremely wonderful -- silky and sophisticated as Duke Ellington’s lady, with very pure pea flavor. Stir in a little lemon zest or chopped mint at the end, if you like.

A few years later, when my son was a baby, and I was determined to get him to eat vegetables, I simmered some broccoli in a little chicken broth till the broccoli was tender, put it all, vegetable and broth, in the Cuisinart, and pureed. Voila! -- a silky, dark green, wonderfully nutritious soup that he slurped up with glee.

In my naivete, I thought this dish’s best attributes were that it was quick (only 15 or 20 minutes for the broccoli to get tender) and an easy way to sneak cruciferous vegetables into my unsuspecting son’s diet.

But I kept admiring the way it looked -- so green and creamy, despite the fact there was no cream in it -- and I could never help myself from taking a few spoonfuls. Delicious. Sometimes I used cauliflower, sometimes baby bok choy. Always, it was a pure expression of the starring vegetable. I started making it for the whole family, and even serving it at dinner parties. Naturally, I seasoned ours more assertively than the baby’s, sometimes stirring in a little creme fraiche. When I realized that this was the easiest first course in the universe, no more work than making a salad, it turned into a habit.

Once I thought about it for half a minute, I realized I hadn’t invented it. It’s the same technique that Julia Child used for one of my longtime favorites, potage parmentier -- the leek and potato soup that she called “simplicity itself.” You just simmer sliced leeks and potatoes in water, pass them through a food mill (I always just used a food processor; a mill makes it even smoother) and stir in a little cream or butter and parsley or chives. Use chicken broth instead of water, chill it, and it’s vichyssoise. Toss in a big handful of watercress five minutes before it’s done, and it’s watercress soup.

Then there’s my most frugal, yet luxurious soup, a puree of asparagus. When local asparagus makes its appearance in spring, first I go through an asparagus vinaigrette phase. I peel the spears, simmer them gently in salted water, drain and sauce with a vinaigrette. But wait -- don’t throw away the asparagus cooking water: Save it to use as a base for a creamy asparagus soup. Once you have a few batches’ worth (about a quart), use it to simmer two bunches of unpeeled asparagus until they’re just overcooked. Then puree. It’s asparagus heaven.

But it’s the chicken broth-based purees that are the quickest and easiest: Roughly cut up some vegetables, add a carton of chicken broth, turn on the heat, and you’re almost there. If you use an immersion blender, you don’t even have the fuss of transferring the liquid to the bowl of a food processor or blender, nor the mess of an extra pot (since it never all goes in one batch).

Best of all, you can dress them up or dress them down. Toss in extra vegetables -- whatever’s in the fridge. Or give them a dapper garnish, depending on the soup.

The broccoli soup is terrific as is, one of those cases of the whole adding up to more than the sum of its parts. Or you can finish it with a little lemon juice or zest, stir in some creme fraiche or butter, or sprinkle on a bit of grated Parmesan. This one works just as well with cauliflower. If you want something a little richer, stir in some cream. When truffle season rolls around, a creamy cauliflower puree is a magnificent canvas for shaved white truffles.

I frequently toss a handful of arugula into other puree soups just before they’re done cooking. (This is an especially handy trick once the arugula is looking a little too tired to appear in a salad.)

But what about a very, very arugula-intense soup? We started by simmering Yukon gold potatoes in the broth, so the soup would have some body. Then we added two whole bags of baby arugula. The green’s peppery flavor softens when it’s cooked, but in the end it still wants a little fat to round it out. A dollop of creme fraiche swirled in makes it creamy; alternatively, a touch of olive oil keeps it more Italian.

The fennel-carrot soup departs a little from the formula, because you saute the aromatic vegetables (including onion) in olive oil first. From there, just add the broth, simmer and puree. It’s delicious as is, but a little Dungeness crab on top wouldn’t hurt either.

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Arugula and potato soup

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

1 carton (1 quart) chicken broth

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes (about 9 ounces), peeled and sliced

2 (5-ounce) cartons or bags baby arugula

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 tablespoons creme fraiche or olive oil

1. Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Add the potatoes and cook, covered, until they are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Wash and drain the arugula. Add it to the saucepan. Stir to combine and simmer until the arugula is completely wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Puree with an immersion blender right in the saucepan, or in a food processor in one or two batches, transferring each batch to a clean saucepan or warm tureen. Stir in the pepper and swirl in the creme fraiche or olive oil.

Each serving: 91 calories; 5 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 mg. cholesterol; 405 mg. sodium.

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Fennel-carrot soup

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

2 bulbs fennel (about 1 3/4 pounds total)

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup sliced carrots (about 2 to 3 carrots)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 carton (1 quart) chicken broth

Cracked black pepper

1. Trim the tops and ends of the fennel bulbs. Save a few of the green fronds and chop them for garnish; set aside. Thinly slice the bulbs. You should have about 4 cups sliced fennel.

2. Saute the sliced fennel, chopped onion and sliced carrots in the olive oil in a large saucepan until tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer about 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.

4. Puree with an immersion blender right in the saucepan, or in a food processor in one or two batches, transferring each batch to a clean saucepan or warm tureen.

5. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds and cracked black pepper.

Each serving: 184 calories; 5 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 504 mg. sodium.

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Broccoli soup

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: Cauliflower may be substituted for the broccoli, but if you do so, omit the optional lemon juice and Parmesan; finish with a little creme fraiche, half and half or heavy cream, if desired.

1 pound broccoli (about 6 cups, chopped)

1 carton (1 quart) chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 lemon (optional)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Wash and trim the broccoli, then coarsely chop.

2. Heat the chicken broth in a large saucepan over medium heat to simmering. Add the chopped broccoli and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 to 17 minutes.

3. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender right in the saucepan, or in a food processor in one or two batches, transferring each batch to a clean saucepan or warm tureen. Stir in the salt and pepper.

4. Spoon into serving bowls and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of Parmesan, if desired.

Each serving (with cheese): 63 calories; 7 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 mg. cholesterol; 892 mg. sodium.

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A clear reading on broths

With the appearance on the market some years ago of chicken broth sold in paper cartons, home cooks breathed a collective sigh of relief: Now we had an alternative to canned broth, which was often metallic-tasting and boosted with MSG.

Today we grab the boxes off the shelf with abandon. But which brand is best? Is there much -- or any -- difference between the various “natural,” “organic,” “free-range,” “low-sodium” or “new and improved” offerings?

The Times tasting panel met last week to taste and assess them. On the panel were test kitchen director Donna Deane, columnist David Shaw, staff writers Charles Perry, Corie Brown and Barbara Hansen and food editor Leslie Brenner. Our conclusion: All boxed chicken broth is not created equal. The differences in flavor, color and aroma were remarkable. We reviewed 12 broths by eight makers. None contained MSG, but other ingredients varied widely. Most were fat free; a few contained 0.5 grams of fat per 1-cup serving.

All were heated and tasted straight. As for two with very low sodium, we tasted them straight, and then, to judge the flavor better, added a little salt and tasted again.

In the end, we found four to recommend. The two best broths each represented a different style. Trader Joe’s Free Range was the best of the light-bodied broths; Swanson chicken broth was the best full-bodied. Two others (call them medium-bodied), Williams Sonoma’s All Natural and Whole Foods Market 365 Organic, were runners-up and could be useful for specific cooking needs.

The broths are listed in order of the panel’s preferences:

Trader Joe’s Free Range chicken broth (about $2). The favorite of many panelists, this was the best of the light-bodied broths. It had real chicken aroma and flavor, and was clear and light in appearance and flavor. Available only at Trader Joe’s stores.

Swanson chicken broth (about $3).

An old standby that’s learned new tricks (such as ditching the MSG), this is a rich, full-bodied broth with a good balance of chicken and vegetable flavors.

Whole Foods 365 Organic chicken broth (about $2). The aroma of this broth was startling -- one panelist detected licorice notes, another smelled cocoa-- and it had a lemony, slightly cloudy appearance. But the medium-bodied broth had a good, somewhat complex, lightly vegetable-y flavor. Available only at Whole Foods stores.

Williams-Sonoma All Natural chicken broth (about $5). This extremely low-sodium broth appealed to some panelists for its nice chicken-y smell, good flavor and pleasant finish (though two tasters found it to be “bouillon-y”). It would be useful for making dishes in which you’d want to control salt proportions. Available only at Williams-Sonoma stores.

Trader Joe’s Organic chicken broth (about $2). This was rated OK by most panelists, but not as good as the Free Range. It had chicken-y aroma and flavor, though some detected a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. Available only at Trader Joe’s.

Swanson Certified Organic chicken broth (about $3). Also an also-ran, this didn’t have the body or flavor of the regular Swanson broth. It had a slightly meaty as opposed to chicken-y aroma and an unpleasant finish, but it wasn’t as unappealing as the rest of the losers.

Pacific Organic

Free Range chicken broth (about $3). The panelists couldn’t find much to like about any of the Pacific boxed broths. Although consistently noted as the “least objectionable” of the Pacific broths, this light-yellow concoction didn’t smell or taste like chicken.

Pacific Free Range chicken broth (about $3). This one had a fake butter smell and an “evil” finish.

Pacific Organic Low Sodium chicken broth (about $3). Tasters found it watery and waxy, with off flavors.

Imagine Organic Free Range chicken broth (about $2). One taster detected notes of sulfur, another a plastic taste, in what several agreed was an overly peppery broth. Its opaque, bright yellow appearance was also off-putting to some.

Health Valley chicken broth (about $2). This broth tied for last place with the one from Kitchen Basics. One panelist called this brownish broth “nasty,” another said it was “dish water.” Others said it tasted “canned” or “reconstituted.”

Kitchen Basics chicken broth (about $4). With a nose of “paint thinner” and a taste like “polyester,” this brown broth was judged to be no better than a bad bouillon.

-- Susan LaTempa