• 4 corn tortillas, cut in strips and crisped in hot oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 chiles anchos, dried, whole
• 1/2 t cumin
• Cooked beans
• Sliced avocado
• Grated cheese
• Chopped onion
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Combine broth, tomato paste, garlic, bay, cumin and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Place 1 chile ancho and some of the fried tortillas and beans in each of four soup bowls. Pour broth on top. Top with grated cheese.

Serve with avocado, onion, cilantro, and extra cheese and beans on the side.

A refreshing chilled soup for hot afternoons.

• 2 cups avocado. sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 t onion juice
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley, paprika, and green onions for garnish

Blend avocado, broth, onion. Mix cream and seasonings. Mix both together. Chill. Garnish with parsley, paprika and onion. Servings: 4

Caldo Tlalpeño is a delicious traditional Mexican chicken soup with garbanzos, avocado, and lime.

Ingredients for Caldo Tlalpeño

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked
• 1 chile largo
• 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• Limes
• Avocado slices
• 4 T diced onion

Heat the stock. Add shredded meat from chicken breasts and whole chile largo. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove chile.  Add the garbanzo beans and heat.

Pour into bowls and garnish with avocado and diced onion. Serve with lime wedges. Lime juice can also be added to the soup before serving.

This soup is often made will additional vegetables such as diced carrots, baby zucchini, and green beans, and sometimes served with chile chipotle for added smoky flavor.

• 2 quarts water
• 1 lb. pork link sausage
• 2 cups green split peas
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 t thyme
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Garlicky croutons

Place sausages in water and add peas, celery, onion, thyme, cayenne, bay, and salt and pepper. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until peas begin to soften. Lower heat and simmer until done. Serve with croutons. Serves 8.

• Soup bones
• 1/4 lb. cubed beef
• 1 onion, whole, stuck with cloves
• salt
• 1 large beet
• 2-3 large cabbage leaves, coarsely grated
• 3-4 small potatoes, cubed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T sugar
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk, lukewarm
• Sour cream

Make a stock with the soup bones, beef, clove-studded onion and salt, enough to render 1 quart. When meat is tender, add beet and cook until tender. Remove the beet and grate coarsely or cut into cubes.

Return to pot and bring to boil. Add cabbage leaves and potatoes. When they are almost tender, add lemon juice, sugar and seasonings.

Beat the egg, add lukewarm milk and a little hot soup, beating with a fork. Slowly blend in more of the hot soup as you beat, until all is added. Serve with sour cream.

This is not a recipe from our past: however, being that it is Russian and contains such an interesting combination of ingredients that we like–along the lines of liquid bread pudding–it does merit a place in the cookbook.

Ingredients for Russian Rye Bread Soup

• 6 oz hard, dry rye bread
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 oz raisins
• 2 oz sugar
• 2 oz sliced apples
• 1 oz crushed cranberries
• pinch of cinnamon

Pour boiling water over the dry rye bread, then rub soaked and softened bread through a sieve, along with the liquid.

Add raisins, sugar, apples, cranberries and cinnamon. Boil for 10 minutes.

Serve cool with whipped cream.

• 3 leeks, sliced (white part only)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 T butter
• 1 cup water
• 2-1/2 cups diced potatoes
• 3 cups milk
• Salt, pepper, paprika

Cook leeks and celery in butter for 3 minutes. Add water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes and extra water to cover, if necessary. Cook 10 minutes. Add milk and simmer until tender. Season.

This soup can be served chunky or can be run through a blender or food processor for a thick, creamier soup.

One of the main differences between Spanish garlic soup and garlic soups of some other Eastern European countries is the addition of eggs. Many other garlic soups call for cubed potatoes, or cheese and cream, which also serve the thicken the soup.

Ingredients for Madrid Garlic Soup

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 crushed cloves garlic
• 1 t paprika
• 8 slices stale bread
• 4 bouillon cubes
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 quarts water
• 5 eggs

Heat oil in large skillet. Add and lightly brown garlic cloves. Do not overcook.

Stir in paprika. Brown slices of bread in oil mixture.

Transfer to a large kettle. In a large pot, combine bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and water. Heat until cubes are dissolved. Pour over bread. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Break eggs, one at a time, into kettle. Cover. Simmer until the whites are set. Servings: 6