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Move over matzah balls — a variety of soups add comfort,
warmth and nutrition to the blustery days ahead.

BY LINDA BACHMANN

F

or whatever ails us, chicken soup has long been touted as Jewish
penicillin. And fluffy matzah balls, suspended in a rich golden
broth, seem to have a coveted spot at just about every Jewish
holiday table.
But to survive the chillier, damper days of the season, a variety
of soups can reign supreme as the ultimate comfort food, with a nutritional
boost to boot.
"Soup means comfort, gathering around the table and sharing a meal
that's simple," says jenny Levison, who owns and runs Souper Jenny, an
Atlanta, Ga., restaurant that specializes in soups. She says her business, now
in its eighth year, was born out of both a "love of soup and practicality," says
Levison. "And I'm a big vegetable fan — leafy greens, kales, Swiss chard, a

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lot of butternut squash and sweet potatoes — stuff you don't normally think
of. Its hard to mess up a soup; it just takes lots of chopping."
Most soups have a common theme — a mirepoix base of sauteed carrots,
onions and celery combined with a vegetable, chicken, beef or lamb stock.
While Levison's stocks are 100-percent homemade," she says that for home
cooks, pre-prepared, purchased stocks can suffice. "A lot of people just don't
have the time," she says, but advises to watch out for the prepared stocks
with a lot of sodium and to check the ingredients to make sure they're all
natural.
Whether you do all the work yourself or save yourself some time with a
prepared stock, these hearty soups can help provide a little dose of comfort
and a super family meal.

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