Good Housekeeping Soups & Stews: 150 Delicious Recipes

The cooks at Good Housekeeping magazine offer another thorough, practical collection of recipes, this time for 150 reliable soups and stews. The book's from-scratch approach and user-friendly spiral binding make it easy to lay flat on the counter as the soups simmer. Cooks with patience will be rewarded with rich, flavorful dishes, as most meat-based fare requires at least an hour to complete. That said, the editors offer a few quick takes on classics such as Quick Cassoulet, which comes together in roughly 30 minutes (thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken and canned beans), and Beef Stew with Red Wine, which employs a fully cooked beef roast au jus and a bag of precut vegetables to shave prep time. The selections heavily favor classics such as Senate Bean Soup, Chicken and Rice and Cioppino, though variations such as Southwest Chicken Stew, a flavorful combination of chicken thighs, potatoes, corn, black beans and spices, and Mussels in Saffron-Tomato Soup will keep cooks and their families from getting bored. Those looking for a solid collection of everyday soup and stew dishes will find the book a welcome resource, but cooks interested in stretching their soup and stew repertoire may find it lacking.