If in spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, in fall a cook's fancy turns toward a lovely bowl of soup.

When that chill wind starts to blow, what could be more soothing than a steaming bowl of broth, studded with beans or noodles, filled out with whatever bits and pieces of herbs and veggies happen to be languishing in the refrigerator.

Soup isn't just comforting and delicious, though — it's cost-effective too. Most can be made with whatever is on hand, in season or on sale at the market. More expensive meats and cheeses are used sparingly, more as condiments than as the centerpiece of the meal. And, once all the ingredients are in the pot or slow-cooker, the meal all but cooks itself.

Sipped in the quiet of your own kitchen, a hot bowl of soup can clear a stuffy head. Put two or three different soups together with a green salad and some breadsticks, and you've got an easy-to-host party for a crowd.

While most people think of pasta as Italy's most important contribution to American cuisine, Italian home cooks are masters of simple and delicious seasonal soups and stews, where the recipes require no fancy techniques and the ingredients speak for themselves.

Christine Hickman, who has just returned to Santa Fe from her annual six-month residency in the Umbria region of Italy, brings that kitchen magic to a class featuring hearty Italian winter soups at the Las Cosas cooking school on Saturday morning. Featured on the menu are artichoke "guacamole" and focaccia; roasted tomato soup with sautéed gnocchi; fennel and sausage soup with parmigiano-reggiano croutons; and a more luxurious silky chestnut soup with truffle oil. All the soups are set off by a winter greens salad with persimmon, pear and grapes. A dish of drunken figs with cream completes the meal and the class.

Hickman, who is proprietor of Sono Marcella catering in Santa Fe and Perugia, shares this recipe for a savory and satisfying puréed soup with The New Mexican's readers.

FENNEL AND SAUSAGE SOUP
WITH PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO CROUTONS
(Serves 6)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage links
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 medium fennel bulbs, halved, cored and thinly sliced
2 thyme sprigs
6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned broth
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Six (3/4-inch-thick) baguette slices, lightly toasted
6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely shredded (not grated)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the sausage links and cook them over moderate heat until golden brown and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage links to a plate.

Add the onion to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the fennel and thyme and cook, stirring, until softened. about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and simmer over moderately low heat until the fennel is very tender, about 45 minutes.

Add the zucchini, cover and simmer over moderate heat until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.

Working in two batches, purée the soup in a food processor. Return the soup to the saucepan. Thinly slice the sausage and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Arrange the baguette toasts on a baking sheet and top them with half of the cheese. Bake for 1 minute, or until the cheese melts.

Ladle the soup into 6 shallow bowls and top with the toasts. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and serve.




WHAT: Hearty Italian Winter Soups — a hands-on cooking class with caterer/cooking teacher Christine Hickman

WHEN: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: The cooking school at Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe, DeVargas Center (181 Paseo de Peralta)

PRICE: $80

TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: 505-988-3394