Cold Soup

The inclusion of fennel and a dash of Pernod puts a sophisticated spin on the classic chilled potato soup. Offer your guests iced tea with the meal.

Tomato time is the best time to put this do-ahead soup on the menu.

The classic cold soup, as interpreted by Ouro Branco restaurant, Vila Viçosa, Portugal.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This superb starter has no cream and just one tablespoon of oil.

This rich red nectar may be eaten hot or cold. I serve it in a demitasse or other small cup. Scrub the beets well before cooking. Taste as you prepare the soup, because getting the right balance of sweet and sour is important.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Gazpacho de Habas This gazpacho has a haunting flavor — barely identifiable as lima beans — and is also excellent when you substitute pine nuts for the limas, as the chef at El Churrasco, in Córdoba, often does. The addition of an egg — not at all unusual in white gazpachos — gives this soup a creamier, richer taste. It is best served in small portions.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

The lovely color and tangy taste of this starter make it a real crowd pleaser. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

"Andaluca restaurant in Seattle offers a delicious—and beautiful—green gazpacho served with a crabmeat topping," says Elida D. Wilson of Olympia, Washington. "Would chef Wayne Johnson be willing to share his recipe?"

This lovely summer soup has a rich, smooth texture even though it contains no cream. For a picnic, bring the cold soup in a thermos and the chives in a plastic bag, and then serve in sturdy ceramic bowls.

Simmering cobs in the corn-broth mixture gives the soup extra flavor.

Serve Champagne with this starter.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

"My daughter and son-in-law spend their summers on Stuart Island, one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington," says Ann Ayres of Santa Barbara, California. "On my way back from a visit, I planned to stop in Victoria, British Columbia. My daughter suggested that I try Paprika Bistro. The beet soup I ordered there was delicious."

This modification of a classic soup uses less cream than traditional versions.