Customer Reviews

Soup: A Way of Life

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Luckily, I picked up Soup A Way of Life while fall's ripe tomatoes were still abound. The resulting Tomato and Bread Soup was meant to feed six, but the two of us kept refilling our bowls, leaving none. It was heavenly. A garlic lover, I moved on to Garlic Soup with Poached Eggs, then tried the same with Broccoli di Rappe which, with the addition of pasta, along with a green salad and some crsip apples became a memorable meal. Ernie's favorite, Winter Duck Soup, was a hit one weekend and a trip to China Town produced asumptuous Stewed eels. As winter approaches, chilly evenings beg for a substantial Borscht or any of the bean soups which I can't wait to try in all their variations. I expect we will be eating well for some time to come. But not only the recipes are attractive. The prose is a pleasure to read. The warmth with which Mrs. Kafka introduces the people close to her is a joy to share. This book celebrates family and the love of food. Bravo.

I love to cook, and am an avid "Roaster", partly due to Kafka's roasting book. I have had great luck with this book, especially the recipe for bread soup, and with the bouliabase. There are few secrets, just use good fresh ingredients, and taylor the soups to suit your taste.

Barbara does a great job of pulling together a wide variety of soups that have never failed me from the simple country tomato, to the hearty beef stew to the hot and sour or the exotic Tom Ka Coconut Soup. The backstories and the basics lend to its completeness and character. This will be a staple in my cookbook library for life.

Barbara Kafka continues her series of extraordinary cookbooks. Here, as in her previous books, there are WONDERFUL recipes and, to spice up the book, there is fascinating, intelligent, interesting commentary about cooking techniques, personal interests, family history and variations of a theme, such as borscht. A terrific book for all who love to eat and love to cook...

After reading and using "Roasting" by Kafka, I couldn't wait to get this new volume. Soup is in my blood. My Polish grandmother could make soup out of anything. Upon receipt I immediately tore open this book, looking forward to starting immediately. I did not find one single recipe that enticed me. Maybe my tastes are too "country", but this cookbook will remain closed on my shelf gathering dust rather than use.

Kafka presents recipies that are far less challenging then many other serious cookbooks. Her simple prose and straight forward recipies are perfect for the cook ready to move up the culinary ladder.

This book is the greatest cookbook that I have ever read. It offers more soups than I could've ever imagined existed. I will definately get my money's worth from this book ten fold! I would recomment this book to students, single parents, as well as large families.

This cookbook is lovely to look at and has nice vignettes about the author and her love of soup. However, the recipes were not my cup of tea. Too many of them contained either fish of odd ingredients that I would choose to avoid (e.g., oxtail). As a result, I have made few of these recipes.

There are some really wonderful recipes in this book that are quite easy, however you must look for them; it's true that some ingredients for quite a few of the soups are rather exotic. Not all of us live in Manhattan or Brooklyn where we can walk down the street and find, say, adzuki beans, asafetida, or Jerusalem artichokes(?) [yawn.. Please.]

However, I do find quite a few recipes such as split pea, summer mushroom, gazpacho and many other soups delicious and easy to make with ingredients you can pick up at any supermarket.

I could not find a single recipe that I would use. Either they contained odd ingredients or the entire recipe did not sound edible. I absolutely do not recommend purchasing this book.