Soup Recipes | DanaSlatkin.com

Fresh Spring Pea Soup with Fennel and Chives

04/15/2013 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Adapted from Shutters On The Beach When I met my husband twenty years ago, I was fresh out of cooking school and working my first restaurant manager job at L’Orangerie in Los Angeles. My husband and his brother had just inked a deal on a half-built beach hotel that needed a roof, thousands of new sheets, and an identity. We were young and ambitious, eager to please. A year later, when Shutters On The Beach opened its doors in 1993, I remember tasting a fresh pea soup at a table overlooking the sea. The peas came from the Santa Monica Farmers Market just down the street, all grassy and new, perfumed simply with fresh mint, some salty air and sweet beach breezes. It was one of those meals that became a signpost for me, a verdant bowl … [Read more...]

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Sweet Corn Chowder with Lotus Root (adapted from M Cafe)

05/08/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

I’m always trying to teach my kids how to have their own sense of balance. I want them to learn to appreciate the yins and yangs of life…to know when to excel and when to exhale. It’s not always an easy lesson. But we know that incorporating balance wherever possible can improve our well-being and even our health. It can moderate stress and boost our immunity to disease. Apparently it can help our cooking taste better, too. I learned this while preparing for my class on Macrobiotic Cuisine, which I taught last month with Yuta Tsunoda, the spirited and visionary owner of the popular M Café chain here in Los Angeles. In macrobiotic cooking, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish form the basis for … [Read more...]

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Wild Mushroom-Leek Soup

03/30/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

By now, even if you don’t have a teenager in the house, you’ve heard of the stratospherically successful movie “The Hunger Games.” I read the book over a weekend last summer, after my son’s school recommended it to both of us (we were supposed to read it together and discuss, but he decided to skip this bonding opportunity in favor of “South Park” reruns). You might be wondering what the story of one girl’s fight for her integrity in a blood-thirsty dystopian society has to do with cooking. Well, let’s just say when every theater nearby was sold out last weekend, I got inspired to cook up my own hunger games. My four hungry participants declared their various appetites at 5 pm, and … [Read more...]

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Chaya’s Vegan Japanese Minestrone

02/21/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Los Angeles has always had a thriving restaurant scene, fueled by innovative chefs, abundant inspiration, and ever-curious diners. But when it comes to classic fine dining, there are only a handful of grandes dames left. It’s not that Angelenos don’t appreciate first-rate food, but they want it served with a fun, lighthearted vibe. In this town, stuffy and pompous just don’t fly any more. One L.A. landmark has managed to keep its hip Euro-Japanese brand of haute cuisine relevant for 27 years. Chaya Brasserie, owned by the Tsunoda family, which has been operating restaurants and tea houses in Japan for almost four centuries, is constantly reinventing the sophisticated neighborhood haunt. Chaya is where my husband took me … [Read more...]

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Cauliflower Cheddar Beer Soup with Cornbread Croutons

10/26/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

The holiday games have begun. I know because I was in a store yesterday buying my kid fangs for Halloween, when some all-too-jolly Christmas music wafted into my ears. Not to be a cantankerous grouch or anything. Actually, I really do love this time of year — the refreshing chill in the air, the warm smells of cloves and casseroles, the cozy nights and twinkling lights. But the sound of jingle bells in October can only mean one thing…time to get ready for the Thanksgiving feast. Though I collect ideas and try new recipes all year long, now is the time my kitchen turns into a test lab. Anyone who walks in must take a bite of whatever is on the counter and give me their honest opinion. The rejects are tossed, the tastes are tallied, … [Read more...]

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Sweet and Sour Glass Noodle Soup with Tofu and Fennel

05/17/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Come Sunday evening, I am as limp as the leftover vegetables in my fridge. After a busy weekend shuttling kids to and from their activities and social engagements, all I want is a hot bath, a cup of tea, and some melatonin. Dinner is my final hurdle, a chance to gather the family together and recharge before beginning another hectic week. Though there are times when takeout is quite tempting, I prefer my weekend finale wholesome and home-brewed. The idea of soup, noodles, and vegetables in the same bowl is especially appealing on a Sunday evening. A hearty, three-course meal in one, with only one pot to clean? Now we’re talking. Rooting through my purchases from last week’s farmers market, I found a bulb of fennel … [Read more...]

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Dana’s 4-Pepper Tomato Tortilla Soup

02/21/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Soup can be sublime. The best kind beckons with warmth and comfort, leading us deeper into the bowl with each bite, the last slurp as delicious as the first. Though it invariably requires a small investment in time, a good soup gratifies on so many levels. It is a most basic way to make life a little better, at least for the moment. On a chilly Sunday evening, my brother and his new fiancée came over. I had an hour to come up with dinner. Digging through the vegetable bin, I found all the ingredients for a mire poix — carrots, celery, and onion — the building blocks of a good soup. But I was in the mood for something spicy and celebratory. After all, there was a wedding to plan and lots of festivities in store. I … [Read more...]

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White Bean Soup with Leeks, Potatoes and Green Olives

01/10/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Do you ever get the feeling the curtain’s up and the show has started without you? The New Year is off and running, and already it feels like I can’t catch up. I tell myself the vacation is over; the lazy mornings and late-night movies will have to wait awhile. I need to get organized, get inspired…get cooking. The other day, while sipping my morning latte, I glanced down at my lap and found just the incentive I needed, hanging over my pants. Gasp. Holiday belly. It was the motivation that got me to embrace my stove again. Since I’ve never had the patience for dieting, my thoughts turned to soup. I was craving something flavorful and nourishing, a one-pot meal that would ease me back into the grind while … [Read more...]

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