Comfort in a Bowl: It's the perfect time of year for hot soups that can take the chill out of a winter day

Afew weeks ago, I wrote about how much I love pureed soups.

But as delicious and easy as these are, they tend to make soups on the light side -- best for a first course or light lunch.

Sometimes, especially this time of year, I like a heartier, more-filling soup that makes dinner a one-pot meal.

I have a few favorites that I've been making for years. But I found a lot of new and interesting ideas when I leafed through the new 300 Sensational Soups by Carol Snyder and Meredith Deeds (Robert Rose, $24.95).

Those 300 recipes cover a lot of ground. The book has 14 recipes just for stocks. Recipes include just about all the classics, such as old-fashioned chicken noodle, Navy bean and ham, French onion, Chinese egg drop and Spanish gazpacho.

But what really grabbed my attention was the wealth of creative recipes. Some have familiar flavors with just a slight twist, such as the creamy corn soup with chipotle peppers or the butternut-squash soup with sage butter.

Others take familiar foods and turn them into soup, such as the guacamole soup, taco soup, chicken-pot-pie soup and shrimp-cocktail soup.

Others go off in different directions. These include curried salmon in coconut stock and a garlic soup with slices of pork rolls stuffed with prosciutto, pine nuts and currants. A pureed potato soup adds parsnips to sweeten the pot and blue-cheese croutons for a piquant counterpoint -- and the veg-

etables are first roasted with rosemary for even more flavor. A creamy chicken soup incorporates pesto and potato gnocchi.

And I can't forget the desserts -- a frozen chocolate soup, mint-chocolate chip soup and pina colada soup with caramelized pineapple (and optional rum).

Snyder and Reed's penchant for tweaking tradition is reflected in the book's last chapter. This is full of garnishes and little extras to give soup a special boost. Its widely varied recipes include risotto cakes, spicy mustard croutons and fried shallots.

One extra I particularly like is the fruit salsa that adds a Caribbean touch to black-bean soup.

Another soup that caught my eye is a mushroom soup studded with Italian meatballs and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Finally, I was drawn to the simple broth filled with wilted arugula -- though baby spinach would work great, too. Into that broth goes a whole roasted salmon fillet, roasted grape tomatoes and some feta cheese. It's not just a bowl of soup; it's something much more.

But then that's the beauty of soup. You can do so much with it.

As Snyder and Reed say in the book, "Nothing makes a house feel more like a home than a pot of freshly made soup."

And they add, "Soup is not just another meal -- it's comfort in a bowl."

Arugula Soup With Salmon and Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Recipe adapted from 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008). If desired, substitute baby spinach for the arugula.

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 skinless salmon fillets (about 2 pounds total)

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

10 ounces baby arugula (about 10 cups), chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. On the baking sheet, stir together tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the oil and salt and black pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Season salmon with salt and black pepper to taste. Add to baking sheet with the tomatoes and roast until fillets are opaque and flake easily with a fork, and until tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Add arugula and simmer, stirring occasionally until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, the 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

5. Arrange the salmon in warm bowls. Top with soup. Garnish with roasted tomatoes, feta and parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Wild Mushroom and Orzo Soup With Italian Meatballs

Recipe adapted from 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008). For mushrooms consider a mix of cremini, shiitake, oyster and porcini mushrooms. You could even use dried mushrooms for part of it; be sure to add the mushroom-soaking liquid after straining it well for even more mushroom flavor.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, minced

1½ pounds wild or exotic mushrooms, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

6 cups beef or chicken stock

Italian Meatballs (recipe below)

1 cup orzo pasta

¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving.

Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, salt, basil and oregano. Saute until vegetables begin to soften and mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes.

2. Add stock and bring to a boil. Carefully add meatballs and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

3. Increase heat to medium-high and bring back to a boil. Stir in orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley, lemon juice, ¼ cup Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and pass additional Parmesan at the table.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Italian Meatballs

Recipe adapted from 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008).

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces lean ground beef

8 ounces lean ground veal

8 ounces regular or lean ground pork

1 egg

1 cup fresh bread crumbs (See Note)

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, using your hands, combine onion mixture, beef, veal, pork, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, basil, oregano and pepper. (If desired, check seasoning by cooking a spoon-sized patty in a skillet until meat is no longer pink. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.)

3. Roll into meatballs about 1½ inches in diameter.

Makes 32 meatballs, enough for 8 servings of soup.

Note: To make fresh bread crumbs, tear up 2 or 3 slices of sandwich bread, then process in a food processor until they turn into crumbs.

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

Recipe adapted from 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008). To make this vegetarian, replace the bacon with 1 tablespoon oil and the beef stock with water or vegetable stock. For a thicker soup, mash or puree about 2 cups of the cooked beans.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground cumin

6 cups beef stock

2 cups water

2 cups dried black beans, soaked in water overnight or quick-soaked (See Note), drained

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lime, cut into 6 to 8 wedges

Fruit Salsa:

Sections from 2 oranges

1 (firm) banana, diced

½ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add bacon and saute until it renders its fat but is still soft, about 2 minutes. Add onion and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, carrot celery, thyme and cumin; saute until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add stock, water, beans and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper; simmer until beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Discard bay leaf.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the fruit salsa. In a small bowl, combine orange sections, banana, onion, cilantro and lime juice.

4. Ladle soup into heated bowls and garnish with a heaping tablespoon of salsa and a lime wedge. If desired, squeeze the lime juice over their soup at the table.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: To quick-soak dried beans, put them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, then let sit one hour. Discard water and cook as for any soaked beans.