• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, let sizzle for a moment, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cumin and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the bay leaf, chiles, tomatoes, chicken stock, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat to 365oF or until bubbles form and begin to float up around the handle of a wooden spoon when dipped into the oil. Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season to taste with salt.
• Using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender, carefully puree the hot soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Transfer the soup to bowls, garnish with a spoonful of sour cream and avocado, a sprinkle of marjoram, and a handful of tortilla strips.

• Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them and put them into a large, heavy pot. Add 1⁄2 cup olive oil, the peeled intact onion half, the celery stalk, bay leaf, and 10 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2 1⁄2 hours. Season with salt to taste. Remove and discard the onion, bay leaf, and celery.
• In a heavy, 5-quart saucepan, heat the remaining 1⁄2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion, minced celery, and carrot, stirring briefly. Let the vegetables sizzle for a moment in the oil, then lower the heat to medium-low or low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes to the pot, stir well, and let cook for a minute or so. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beans and the bean cooking liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove 2 cups of beans from the pot and puree them with 1 1⁄2 cups water in a blender until smooth. Stir the pureed beans back into the pot and return to a boil. Stir the pasta into the pot and lower the heat to simmer, stirring often. Cook until the pasta is tender yet still retains a slight firmness in the center, about 20 minutes. Stir in the fennel and 1⁄2 cup cold water. Season generously, to taste, with salt and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Drizzle with Pequin Chile Oil or an extremely good, grassy extra-virgin olive oil, and serve.

PEQUIN CHILE OIL

• In a small saucepan, heat 1⁄2 cup of olive oil over medium-low heat until hot to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of pequin chile flakes or other hot red pepper flakes and let them steep for at least 30 minutes. Cool the chile oil, and then transfer it to a covered container. Stir well before using to ensure chile flakes are suspended in each spoonful of oil. You can store the oil, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.

• Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook the lamb in single-layer batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, adding a tablespoon of oil between batches if needed. Remove the lamb and reserve.
• Preheat the oven to 350oF. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and stir in the onions and garlic. Let sizzle for a minute, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, and tomato paste to the pot and stir to combine. Add the lamb along with the wine, 5 cups of water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, then cover and transfer to the oven for 1 hour. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon stick, and carrots, cover the pot, and return to the oven until the meat easily releases when pierced with a skewer or small knife, another 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove the bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with pomegranate seeds and cilantro, and serve.

• In a large pot, combine the bones, vinegar, and any optional additions with 6 quarts of water and slowly bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the top, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook for the amount of time indicated in the chart below, based on the type of broth you are making. When the cooking time is complete, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve.

• Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small saucepan, combine the oil, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, bring the oil to a simmer over medium heat, and let the garlic simmer for 5 minutes, without browning, to infuse flavor. Discard the garlic; reserve the oil.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bread cubes on prepared pan, drizzle with the garlic oil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss to help the bread absorb the oil. Spread the cubes in a single layer in the pan and bake for 5 minutes. Toss the croutons, and sprinkle with half of the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the croutons are golden and the cheese is melted, another 5 minutes. Toss the croutons again, gathering up the cheese onto the croutons, then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bake until golden brown and crispy, another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Caramelize the onions: In your largest Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, shallots, garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan, until the onions are very soft and dark golden brown, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on your heat. (Decrease heat to medium if the onions are burning.)
• Add the wine, scrape the brown bits on the sides of the pot into the onions, bring to a boil, lower the heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nearly dry, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add the broth, stir, bring to a light boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with 1 to 1½ teaspoons salt, depending on the saltiness of the broth, and pepper to taste. Serve hot with croutons and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

• Make the broth: In a large soup pot, combine 10 cups water and the broth ingredients, then bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer and cook 3 hours, or until the meat falls easily off the bones. Strain; keep hot.
• Make the tare: In a small bowl, combine all of the tare ingredients.
• To serve, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Into 6 deep bowls, divide the noodles, hot broth, bok choy, and halved eggs. Garnish with the reserved onion tops.
• Serve with the tare, sesame seeds, chili oil, sesame oil, and nori.

• In a small soup pot over medium-high heat, warm both oils. Add the white parts of the green onions, the carrot, and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring often, until the carrot softens a bit, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened and taken on a bit of color, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
• Add 6 cups of water, the tamari, and miso. Bring to a boil, stirring often to incorporate the miso into the water. Lower the heat, stir in the broccoli and the noodles, and simmer until the noodles soften and the broccoli is bright green, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. Season to taste with salt, tamari, and sesame oil.
• Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the reserved green onions and sesame seeds, and serve.

• In a small saucepan, combine the dried shiitake mushrooms and 1 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
• In a large pot over medium heat, warm the butter and oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mixed fresh mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and starting to release their liquid, about 6 minutes. Add the soaked shiitake mushrooms, strain and add their soaking liquid, then add the remaining 5 cups broth and the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in the vinegar and garnish with the parsley just before serving.

• Place 5 1⁄2 cups cold water, the kombu, and dried mushrooms into a sealable container and refrigerate, covered, 8 hours or overnight.
• Strain the kombu-mushroom stock into a medium pot and discard the solids. Stir in the tamari and sake and bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and carrot and boil until the mushrooms and carrots are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and turn off the heat. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the soba noodles and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of the soba cooking liquid, then drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Stir the reserved soba cooking liquid into the pot with the soup.
• To serve, divide the soba noodles and soup among four bowls. Garnish each with 1⁄2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 egg yolk.

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine 6 cups cold water with the beans, 1⁄4 cup of the oil, the onion half, the celery, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2-1⁄2 hours. When the beans are just about cooked, season with salt to taste. Discard the onion, bay leaf, and celery and set the soup base aside.
• In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the remaining 1⁄4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes, stir well, and let cook for 1 minute. Stir in the leeks, celery root, carrots, and diced onion. Let the vegetables sizzle for a moment in the oil, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are slightly translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and juices, the reserved beans and soup base, the kale, cabbage, and cheese rind. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1⁄4 hours, until the flavors have melded and the vegetables are soft.
• To serve the soup, place 1⁄3 cup elbow macaroni in each bowl, top with a ladle or two of soup, and garnish with pesto at the table.

• Place the parsley, oil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Process until a loose paste forms. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.