Saved By Soup [Hardcover]

Soup seems to revive the spirit even as it contents the stomach. In Judith Barrett's case, it also helped her lose 10 pounds. These low-fat and reasonably low-calorie soups, she claims, provided filling comfort as she cut back on calories and on the overall quantity she ate, helping her lose weight and keep it off.

The 100-plus recipes in Saved by Soup contain, at maximum, three grams of fat per three-quarter-cup portion. (Most of us eat more than that, and in restaurants a serving is at least a full cup.)

Barrett explains how to de-fat homemade stocks and store-bought broth. Her recipes start with a light, clear consommé graced with angel hair pasta and fine strips of fresh spinach, then progress to hefty Pasta e Fagioli, a section on chowders, chicken soups both thick and thin--including one with fluffy matzoh balls--and verdant spring soups like Creamy Watercress. There are rustic Italian minestre and chilled soups for summer. Perhaps best of all are chili-spiked Racy Red Lentil and clever, chunky Summer Fruit "Minestrone," a melange of fruit cut up in mint-perfumed orange juice.

The nutritional analysis provided for each recipe proves Barrett's point--that soups can be both lean and flavorful. Glorious color photos show that they can also be eye filling. --Dana Jacobi

There isn't a single soup in Barrett's collection that doesn't sound delectable?and this is quite impressive considering none of her recipes contains more than three grams of fat. Looking for a way to lighten up family meals, Barrett (coauthor of Risotto) discovered that soup was not only fun to make but, with a few tricks, could be conveniently dietetic. Her homemade, de-fatted stocks?chicken, fish and roasted vegetable?provide the backbone for everything from Vidalia Onion Soup to Pasta e Fagioli. Substituting buttermilk for cream doesn't detract from the richness of New England Lobster and Corn Chowder, and doesn't add the fat, and pureed vegetables make Leek and Celery Root Soup with Fresh Crabmeat and Dill far more luxurious than its 2.9 grams of fat would indicate. Nutritional analyses follow each recipe; it's encouraging to note that cooks need not cut out potatoes, pasta, legumes, rice or cheese to achieve dietetic acceptability. After an introduction to making stocks, the book moves on to recipes that incorporate beans, seafood and chicken, to assorted ethnic and seasonal soups, finishing with refreshing fruit combinations (Honeydew and Lime Soup, for example). These diet-friendly selections should be just the ticket for post-holiday calorie counters. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Barbara Kafka's Soup (LJ 10/15/98) is the soup book of the season, and James Peterson's Splendid Soups (LJ 9/15/93) has become a classic in the field, but this less ambitious collection of low-fat recipes is appealing in its own right. Barrett's (Pasta Verde, LJ 6/15/95) love of Italian food is evident in these recipes, too, but there are also many from other cuisines as well, including Roasted Beet Borscht, Miami Black Bean Soup, and Lemongrass Broth with Shrimp and Cilantro. Not just for the diet shelf, this attractive book, with many full-page color photographs, is recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

There is no better way to tap into today's soup craze than with this glorious cookbook, filled with more than 100 deliciously low-fat soup recipes. Author Judith Barrett lost pounds and inches using these mouthwatering recipes, each of which contains less than three grams of fat per serving. And cutting the fat posed no bar to creating soups with incredible flavor -- Black Mushroom and Spinach Wonton Soup and Creamy Fennel Soup with Shrimp both contain only one gram of fat.

Barrett offers soups to be savored for every season. In the fall, Creamy Carrot Soup or Roasted Beet Borscht will delight you. Winter Squash Soup with Thyme or Real Gumbo with Okra and Chicken is sure to take the edge off the cold during the snowy months. Come springtime, there is Vidalia Onion Soup or Arugula Vichyssoise, and to beat the summertime heat, make a batch of Cool Cucumber and Yogurt Soup or Creamy Tomato Bisque with Shallots and Tarragon. You have a veritable calendar full of soup's pleasures at your fingertips. Soups "from the sea," like Mediterranean Fish Stew and New York Red Clam Chowder, will leave a briny tingle on your palate. If it's legumes you crave, try one of the unbeatable bean soups: Lentil and Portobello Mushroom Soup, Miami Black Bean Soup, Lemony Chickpea and Escarole Soup. Or experiment with the variety of international soup recipes that are offered, from Japanese Dashi with Soba and Scallions to Chinese Cabbage Soup with Cellophane Noodles to Italian Minestra of Swiss Chard and Rice.

Judith Barrett is a freelancer reporter and food writer, the coauthor of the bestselling Risotto and the author of Risotto Risotti. Her work has appeared in many national publications, including The Boston Globe and The New York Times. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. |