Turning Dishes Into Soup

 Can a favorite dish enjoyed as a snack or a summer favorite be turned into a hearty winter soup? Surprisingly yes. Hummus, bean salad and pasta pesto can be transformed form forkfuls to spoonfuls. It 's an easy change and perfect for the weather right now.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark created these dishes and wrote about them in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. All are great on their own. Hummus makes and excellent lunch or snack while the other two are usually summer barbecue favorites.Ms Clakrs inspiraration,. for using these were favorite dishes with big flavors. These are not usual soup ingredients(well, may be the pesto is) but have great potential to be made into them. Ms Clark takes the pesto which can be homemade or s tore bought has pasta and turkey in it,.There is also garlic in it for pungency. Like regular soups the base can either be vegetable or chicken stock. Orzo or macaroni CNA be used a long with five ounces of baby spinach. Ground turkey is used for heartiness. Lemon gives it brightness and a summery sunny taste while the addition of ricotta gives it a creaminess.

Three bean salad , the perfect summer dish is now a delicious soup for a frigid day. Yes there are beans.Ms. Clark uses white, chickpeas or kidney ones and green beans.It give a more veggie flavor thanks to an onion chopped up into it along with chopped celery , carrot  and tomato paste. Again the stock CNA be veggie or chicken (stick with veggie this time Coriander and ground pepper give it a spikiness that's perfect for a cold day soup. The hummus soup is a fun one, combining the same ingredients as the dip with three to four cups of veggie or chicken stock (for a truer hummus flavor go with the vegetable stock).Unlike the dip Ms Clark uses a teaspoon of whole cumin seeds along with cilantro or dill. A large pinch of crushed red pepper gives it the heat to make it perfect for a chilly mid winter day.  Home chefs can add pan fired chickpeas for crunch on top as well as extra tahini to drizzle in.Lemon is added for zing and the dish can be served with , hot toasted pita chips.

These dishes are perfect as for full of goodness. They're even better as a good spoonful or a frosty day. Try them for a different spin on winter soups.