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Flavor Toolbox

Good food begins with good ingredients, and never is this more important than when making soup and bread. Over the decades, I’ve turned to the following ingredients to turn my soup and bread flavors up to eleven. These ingredients build flavor, balance tastes, and make the process of getting di

Anchovies

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If you add anchovies to aromatic vegetables when you begin cooking a soup, you will get a subtle salty-meaty base note, which will not taste fishy at all. If you include them in herb butter to brush on flatbread, they will transform it into an umami masterpiece. You’ll find anchovies in recipes like the Creamy Ca

Demiglace Concentrate

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This little kitchen cheat gives quick-cooked beef and lamb soups and stews a long-simmered, beefy flavor and lip-smacking mouthfeel. Look for this very thick (gummy, even) concentrate where bouillon cubes are sold in upscale grocery stores, gourmet stores, and online. My favorite brand is More Than Gourmet Demi-Glace Gold.

Dried Mushrooms

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Dried mushrooms contain a high concentration of glutamic acid—nature’s version of MSG—so adding them to soups is a no-brainer. I love dried porcini mushrooms for the sweet, earthy flavor they add to soup. Dried shiitake mushrooms are great for soup as well; I find that the ones available at Asian markets tend to be of better quality than the tiny bags found in grocery stores, and they are loads cheaper. Either soaked and chopped, or just thrown whole into the soup pot to enhance the broth, dried mushrooms are powerhouses of umami flavor.

Dry Sherry

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Spanish dry sherry is wine that is aged in partially filled casks to oxidize and intensify its flavor, and finished with a swish of brandy for extra oomph. Sherries range from flinty to nutty to sweet. Sweet cream sherries are for old ladies to sip; for cooking, stick with dry sherry. I always have a bottle of dry oloroso sherry in the refrigerator. The complex, nutty taste adds depth to soups with earthy flavor profiles like Many Mushroom and Quinoa Soup (page 65), and it enhances creamy soups like Creamy Wild Rice and Turkey Soup (page 106). Look for sherry in the wine department of grocery stores. Sherry keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

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I confess I’ve got an olive oil addiction. I’ve got at least five bottles going at all times. I have one big bottle of everyday extra-virgin oil for sautéing, a few herb- and citrus-infused oils, and a slew of finer oils—peppery Tuscan oil for drizzling on soups and bread, mild and buttery California oil for baking muffins, and su

Flour

Believe it or not, something as basic as which all-purpose flour you use really affects your baking results. I use unbleached all-purpose flour and favor locally milled brands over big name brands. When I want the flavor and extra fiber of whole-wheat flour, I include white whole-wheat flour in recipes. White whole-wheat flour, available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, is made from whole kernels of hard white spring whole wheat, which makes more subtly flavored whole-wheat flour than traditional red wheat.

Fried Shallots

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Shelf-stable fried shallots are available in plastic containers at Asian markets. They add crunch and an oniony punch to muffins and flatbreads and are a great garnish for soups like Spicy Sweet Chicken Curry Soup (page 102). I also use them in Berbere Spice Blend (see page 51). Packaged fried shallots last indefinitely in a cool, dark pantry. You can make your own by tossing thinly sliced shallots with cornstarch and deep-frying them until golden brown; they won’t last as long as the packaged variety, but they are delicious. Alternatively, substitute packaged fried onions (the type used to top old-school green bean casseroles).

Lemon Juice

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One of the most important tools for soup makers, lemon juice lends brightness and acidity to soup like no other ingredient. Packaged juices contain additives to extend their shelf life; perhaps that’s why they taste like floor cleaner. I use freshly squeezed juice only. Since I often use the zest of the lemon and conventional lemon peels can be covered in pesticides, I buy organic lemons. (The same goes for limes.)

Miso

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Miso is a fermented bean-and-grain paste that is used in Japanese and Korean soups, marinades, and dressings. It comes in a variety of flavors and colors, depending on the types of beans and grains used. The most common are white (

shiro

) miso, which is slightly sweet and subtle, and the more pungent red (

aka