A TRUE CLASSIC

The world of fashion is notorious for continual change — hemlines go up, hemlines go down — but the realm of food generally is no slouch in that regard. Except, it seems, when it comes to soups.

"My experience the last four or five years is that the traditional soups are still the mainstays," said Mark Sherline, executive chef of the Hard Rock Hotel.

"It’s still pretty much the old comfort food," said Rene Lenger, executive chef of The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas.

Which is not to say our tastes in soups haven’t changed at all. Several chefs said they’ve seen a move away from heavier soups.

"People don’t want a creamy soup; they want something light," said Sven Mede, executive chef of Nobhill Tavern at the MGM Grand. "Fresh vegetables; clean, crisp flavors."

And ethnically inspired soups are getting more attention. Scott Irestone, executive chef at Chinois at The Forum Shops at Caesars, said he featured a curried sweet-corn soup during the summer, and for fall will serve an Indian-influenced soup based on kabocha pumpkin, also known as kabocha squash.

"One of the trends in soups that’s becoming bigger and bigger is the noodle soups, the Asian-style soups," Sherline said. "They’re almost a meal."

Joe Romano, Golden Gaming executive chef, said he recently introduced a dish he calls "the soup bowl," an Asian-influenced broth-based dish that incorporates a variety of vegetables, plus tiny Italian meatballs, maybe a chicken breast or grilled prawns.

Alex Stratta, chef of Alex and Stratta at Wynn Las Vegas — who notes that he’s a true soup fan, being particularly fond of those representing numerous cultures from the Vietnamese pho to the French bouillabaisse — said the secret of a good soup is both quality ingredients and careful technique.

"People think you can just put everything in a pot and boil it and it’s going to turn out well, which is not at all the case," he said. "You have to start off sweating the vegetables, have a piece of meat in there for flavor."

Another key, Stratta said, is a rich broth.

"If you take stock and make a soup with it, it tastes OK," he said. "But if you take the stock and reduce it by half, it’s really good."

What’s the most popular soup in Las Vegas? There’s no consensus on this one, but the winner would likely be good old-fashioned French onion.

"If you went to all of the restaurants and took a sampling of all of the soups, I’d bet you the French onion soup would find its way on most of the lists," Sherline said.

"The appeal would have to be the melted cheese over the top, how crusty the cheese gets around the outside of the bowl," Romano said.

Just the sort of comfort food we need for the stormy days ahead.

ZUPPE DI MARE

11/2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

3 clams in the shell

3 mussels in the shell

2 ounces calamari

2 ounces shrimp

4 ounces lobster stock

2 ounces marinara sauce

1 pinch finely chopped Italian parsley

Pour 1 ounce olive oil in sauté pan. Crush garlic by hand and sauté on high heat until fragrant and golden. Add clams and mussels and toss in hot oil. Add calamari and shrimp and sauté 2 to 3 minutes.

Add liquids; cover and simmer until clams and mussels open. Serve immediately, drizzled with remaining olive oil and sprinkled with parsley

If desired, garnish with garlic-rubbed toasted ciabatta.

Serves 1, or 2 as an appetizer.

— Recipe from Mark Sherline, executive chef, Hard Rock Hotel

INDIAN SPICED KABOCHAPUMPKIN SOUP

1/2 onion, sliced

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small finger fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 scallions (white parts only), sliced

2 cups kabocha pumpkin (or kabocha squash) puree (see note)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder

1/4 teaspoon whole cumin

1/4 teaspoon whole coriander

1/2 stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups coconut milk

11/2 cups cream

1 cup half and half

Saute onion in butter until soft. Add garlic, ginger and scallions.

Lower heat; add pumpkin puree and simmer with garam masala, curry powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt. Add coconut milk, cream and half and half.

Blend in batches in high-speed blender; strain through fine-mesh strainer.

Season with salt and sugar to taste

To serve, heat 8 ounces of soup and add a dollop of a 50-50 mix of freshly whipped cream and crème fraiche, with a touch of cracked black pepper.

Note: The kabocha pumpkin is also sometimes called a Japanese pumpkin, and is a winter squash. To make puree, cut the pumpkin/squash in half, remove seeds and place cut-side-down in a shallow roasting pan. Add 2 to 3 inches of water and roast at 350 for about 30 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork. Remove rind and puree in a food processor until smooth.

— Recipe from Scott Irestone, executive chef, Chinois

GREEN ASPARAGUS SOUP

1 shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups vegetable stock or water

2 bunches green asparagus, blanched and iced

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute shallot and garlic in olive oil until soft but not browned. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Cool.

Drain the asparagus; blend with the cold stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat soup but don’t boil, or it will turn brown.

Serves 10.

— Recipe from Sven Mede, executive chef, Nobhill Tavern

GREEN GARLIC SOUP

1 yellow onion, sliced

6 ounces spring garlic or regular garlic cloves, chopped

6 ounces sliced leeks, white part only

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in large dice

1 gallon light chicken stock or water

1 bouquet garni (made with fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaf)

4 ounces butter

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup blanched and pureed spinach and parsley

Combine all ingredients except spinach puree. Simmer for about 90 minutes, until potatoes are very soft. Puree with hand blender or mixer. Finish with spinach puree and add salt and pepper.

Serves 12.

— Recipe from Sven Mede, executive chef, Nobhill Tavern

SWEET CORN SOUP

8 ears yellow corn, kernels removed (reserve cobs)

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

6 ounces butter

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

To make corn stock, cover the cobs with water and simmer for 1 hour.

Saute the onion and garlic in butter until they are soft but not browned. Add the corn and keep cooking, without browning, for 5 minutes. Add the corn stock and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree in mixer and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 12.

— Recipe from Sven Mede, executive chef, Nobhill Tavern

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.