A Hot Summer Soup

Even though we're gliding towards summer, we can still enjoy some cold weather dishes. That includes a minestrone.This is not one , made for snowy days  but one that's a nice repast after a hot day , whether at work or at the beach. Like Tuesday's column all it takes is updating it to make a dish perfect for now.

This was the premise of David Tanis column A City Kitchen in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. He takes one of the heaviest soups , minestrone and lightens up for hearty summer dining. How does he do so? By subbing in fish broth for beef or chicken stock. Making fish stock is easy Take the bones from any meaty white fish  and rinse them well. You should have two pounds of bones by now and then cook them for half an hour with eight cups of water. Mr. Tanis recommend add ing an onion for more flavor. After cooking then just strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer.

As with minestrone, you can use more onions , celery and carrots. Mr. Tanis also  has saffron and garlic cloves for  flavor  and spice. The meat are littleneck clams and squid to re emphasize the brininess,Beans are a must here too and Mr. Tanis uses cannellini and fava beans. Instead of topping the finished bowls with cheese , he returns to the garden , employing a dollop of fresh pesto.He keeps this simple too , using only parsley , basil and garlic and avoiding the heavily invasive cheese and pine nuts. The end result is a hot satisfying soup, but one that is incredibly light.

There's nothing better than a hot soup for lunch or dinner. Even though it's summer , you can still make a delicious, smelling and tasting minestrone,Sub in lighter ingredients and you have this the perfect summer soup.