Jacques Pepin's Hearty Vegetable Soup | Today's Gourmet | KQED

Jacques Pepin's vegetable soup is made with hearty fall vegetables like yam and leek and uses crushed angel hair pasta for thickening. (1:00). For the main course, Jacques shares his technique for cooking flavorful lentils (5:36) to serve with grilled cabbage stuffed with sausage (10:56). For dessert, Jacques prepares a fig and pear gratin (15:29). Lots of great cooking tips and techniques in this episode!
Today's Gourmet with Jacques Pépin - Full episode
Season 1, Episode 12, 1991. Soup
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About Today's Gourmet with Jacques Pépin:
Today’s Gourmet aired on KQED 9 for 3 seasons, spanning 1991 - 1993. The series showcased Jacques' culinary techniques, mouthwatering recipes, and his sensibilities as a chef. Episodes include recipes such as gnocchi maison and visits from special guests including the godmother of the organic food movement, Alice Waters.
The Jacques Pépin Foundation is dedicated to enriching lives and strengthening communities through the power of culinary education. jp.foundation/​​​
Subscribe to ‪@KQEDFood‬ to watch more food videos.

[@lennymoss2216]

My favorite CHEF of all times!! All the way down to the accent!👍 😅

[@lizzi437]

Absolument!

[@rherchenreder]

So practical and flexible. I learn more every time I watch.

[@mjrussell414]

My grandmother used to make something she called End of the Week soup where she would use up all the bits of vegetables leftover in the fridge. Even lettuce. Why not? It was always different and always delicious. She lived through two World Wars and the Great Depression. They didn’t waste anything.

[@mightymorphingmemory6178]

Late to the reply year ago. I know people do that and also they make casseroles out of leftovers to not allow it to go waste.

[@jimmyniland9721]

I regularly use chopped lettuce in soups. 👍

[@apawstate]

Heartwarming that a world-class chef like Jacques Pepin still looks for bargains on older produce!

[@carolinelevine6433]

I love that Jacques goes to the sale veggies and fruit also.

[@marinazagrai1623]

apawstate…Europeans are like that, and as he said, slightly older veggies are tastier before their expiration date. Like fruit, sometimes it’s on sale and the fruit feels like rocks, but leave them to ripen for a few days and you won’t regret it.

[@joannaedwards6325]

@@marinazagrai1623 Yup. Learned from him about choosing mushrooms that are open a bit on the stem and slightly dark in places. You are right. They are tastier than perfectly tight and unblemished mushrooms.

[@billb5690]

He's the man!

[@NormAppleton]

Cooking poor is a huge life skill, maybe the biggest.

[@Killy5445]

He’s such a treasure. I keep learning and learning so much from him.

[@Sweetrottenapple]

Oh those good old days when at least vegetables were available on an affordable price.. I miss those days dearly :(

[@chantalf9357]

Jacques Pepin is a genius -combination of his classical training in his native Lyon area, then in the finest restaurants of Paris, cooking for President de Gaulle and family, finest restaurants of New York, and his childhood love of real food for real people like like his family. But most of all, he loves food -eggs, veggies, chicken…like the way he talks about leeks…wonderful.

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Real cooking. No edits

[@kathleenstewart7494]

Teaches us how to cook, while sharing his recipes and knowledge.

[@marymagmartha7453]

_It’s 4:15am…couldn’t sleep, saw this “Recommendation” on my KZbin Home page and the Soup caught my eye😉 I’ve been on a “Soup” kick for about a month now, but only straight vegetables, with chicken stock. I learned something with this video: adding dry pasta as a thickening agent and it’s not necessary to cook your soup with Stock all the time. Thank you, love learning new tips. The soup is so simple, but looks delicious 🤤 I have everything, but the Leeks - time for a quick trip to the grocery store and then a new 🍲 soup to enjoy_

[@lizzi437]

Jacques Pepin makes me want to go look in my fridge and freezer to see what kind of soup I can come up with! 🍲

[@kqed]

You never know what you might cook up!

[@slackdaddy1912]

What this man can accomplish in a half hour is amazing, the education is priceless!

[@ChatBot1337]

I feel so blessed that I grew up with Jacques on tv every Saturday. While he among others made me a great cook, Jacques has a way of conveying 'love what you do, do what you love' but moreso 'do things to the best of your ability'. I know plenty of people who are good cooks, but may as well chop their vegetables with an axe. No knife skills whatsoever. Jacques made it look easy and it's fascinating to watch and I still try to improve everything I do, everytime I do it. Thanks, Jacques.

[@grantcarroll6714]

Yes and in an episode on one of his show, he instructs on how to sharpen a knife. Not that I needed instruction, but how many people use dull knives!! I call Jacques my uncle because he has taught me so much. Thank you, Oncle Jacques

[@elizabethcanales7170]

He's an artist.

[@kathyscrazylife]

He and his meal are perfect.

[@bengt_axle]

The lentil salad is addictive! DuPuy lentils can also be used as a replacement for ground beef in a number of other dishes like tomato-based sauces and even combined with meat or mushrooms in things like tacos. They can take a lot of seasoning but still have a very good flavor with just olive oil and salt. Jacque's classic "Fridge soup" is favorite always tastes better the next day. I use cornstarch to thicken it so as to better suspend the vegetables and give it more body. Sometimes I'll just add the lentils to the soup and it is great as well.

[@The3Storms]

Thanks for the tip!

[@joannaedwards6325]

Good ideas.

[@thetr00per30]

Even his most simple dishes are so good.

[@behringerm]

I have made the “cabbage rolls” with southern breakfast sausage and collard greens. I have always braised them in the oven, but I need to try grilling them. Thank you for the ideas

[@The3Storms]

That sounds pretty great, hope I remember to try that later.

[@billb5690]

Good stuff!

[@vyvienvp3413]

Soups are marvelouse, cheap and hearty. You can use all the leftovers from a Sunday roast , including meat scraps, and make the most delicious supper for the next day. Lamb being my favourite soup.

[@mousiebrown1747]

Reminds me of the TV set for Justin Wilson!!! How can Jacques Pepin be that young? I don’t think I was even that young! Superb menu! Superb technique! MORE, please!!!

[@raymondrobertson3095]

wonderful chef.. thank you....

[@katherinemooney4396]

Been watching Jacques Pépin since the early 90’s with Julia Childs on PBS. They were the best!

[@pietbandiet5833]

He is the absolute best of all the best👍🏼

[@seanmacdonald3157]

I came for soup. I left with a full course menu.

[@KETOInTheKitchenWithJasmine]

Gorgeous display. Thank you

[@ruthwalters9179]

Greetings Chef Pepin, only discovered you last evening with French Onion Soup. Loved this simple easy to prepare soup. Tonight, its Vegetable soup which I will try tomorrow. I've subscribed to your show with great pleasure and many thanks. Ruth.

[@rosaleepruett3433]

Oh the cabbage and lentils look so good

[@revgee93]

Delicious. 😋

[@flybyairplane3528]

Jacques,very NICE VEGETABLE SOUP,I need a brown right now,it’s cold here THANKS, 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@GabrielA-mw4in]

With the current economic issues, what a well times way to use up food that would shamefully be binned. No end of sale date which is a marketing ploy. Most foods can be cooked despite appeance, go by smell. What a great video.

[@flybyairplane3528]

Wow, this is REALLY OLD,look a how much hair he has here also dark too,even this kitchen area is way back,but this man is GREAT from his teens in FRANCE, ! Tops with me ! 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@tomallen9179]

Remarkable!

[@philbertuglia2203]

Brqavo!! par excellence!!!!

[@philbertuglia2203]

BRAVO!! 🤠

[@hcharton5722]

no reason at all to add butter or white flower pasta to this dish. better choices are a little olive or sesame or avocado oil with some potato or some form of brown rice for thickening. and the split lentils are also a great thickener. I have come to feel that just throwing butter into everything is really the lazy way out - and I can no longer tolerate dairy in my diet, so I must find a new, cleaner, healthier way of cooking.

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

I don't think (speculation) the vitamins are "lost" its more like the vitamins break down during the cooking?

[@intuneorange]

The minerals breakdown to being a little more absorbable but you do lose vitamins when you cook vitamin C is one the idea is not to overcook for example if you use turmeric you don't want to cook it for more than 15 minutes because it starts to lose its medicinal value

[@peterjensen6844]

Did we miss this last week's video due to Holiday?

[@VooSetIck]

The sin of number one this page running ads on their videos, but number 2 it was for a papa Johns papadia 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😂😂😂

[@positivelynegative9149]

👍

[@YD-uq5fi]

I love vegetable soup, but don't all the non-mineral nutrients get destroyed from the boiling?

[@santanalz]

No. Polyphenols can be lost in the boil but that's just flavor. Denaturing isn't a thing with most vitamins or minerals. EDIT(I just googled this, some B and C vits can be denatured. So low simmer when you do this.)

[@jaypoole8056]

Chef Marco Pierre White would not be happy with this soup. It needs at least 4 liters of "Oly Oll" and 25 Knorr stock pots.

[@maxmontreal447]

DARK GREEN LENTIL NEEDS A LOT OF TIME TO COOK. I USE MY PRESSURE COOKER TO MAKE SOUP FROM IT

[@austin2842]

What year was this filmed?

[@geezermann7865]

I'd say at least 30 years ago.

[@joannaedwards6325]

1990

[@gregc1331]

Man, learn your knife skills from this guy!

[@marilynmadrid9550]

I make cabbage rolls and I don’t think the way he cooks his are moist/juicy. They look dry.

[@mobus1603]

Salt when cooking lentil seems risky.

[@ishmael8505]

How he makes everything simple is amazing, in contrary to all other celebrity chefs, he doesn't make food sounds luxury. Simple ingredients, simple recipes, simple food.

[@kindabluejazz]

10 minutes in and I stopped the video and started my own veggie soup. About 10 minutes of prep and into the pot. Back to watch the rest of the video. Now my soup's done and it's delicious, and super healthy. Thank you for many years of inspiring me Jacques!

[@spacewizard69]

did the same i made it with what i had in the fridg 😀

[@joannaedwards6325]

With, of course , those stray mushrooms always "found" in the refrigerator. 😄

[@billb5690]

Haha good stuff!

[@positivelynegative9149]

🙂

[@karendickson1529]

When he chops but looks up at the camera, still chopping, it creeps me out. I'm a mom, I want to yell "Watch what you're doing!" JP probably hasn't cut himself in 50 years. Ha!

[@vickygarcia8603]

Yes! But if you look close you can see he guides it with the fingers on the non chopping hand to keep his knife controlled. He is Just so blazingly fast and skilled.

[@chrisandersen5635]

So many ideas, so much knowledge and skill. I am grateful for all the lessons.

[@Donaldopato]

Love any chef that uses and never wastes leeks!

[@gaggymott9159]

But Chef Jacques really does waste the dark green leaves of the leeks. The dark green leaves contain the most vitamins and minerals: Iron, Vit B12, Folic Acid etc USE THEM, DON'T BOIL THEM!

[@lizzi437]

I was looking for the method to clean/prepare a few weeks ago. Little did I know the instruction was hidden in this video!

[@clay7840]

​@@gaggymott9159how am I supposed to use them if not boiled in a stock?

[@davidmatke248]

Jacques is the greatest chef of all time!

[@milesdyson7311]

Ya, i really have to agree with you.

[@pangkaji]

I don't know about the greatest chef but he is a very good teacher

[@linneanormand8216]

I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY ! From Pensacola, FL.

[@jeanniebrooks]

I think Jacques is the best of all time! I love him!

[@davidmatke248]

@@jeanniebrooks he definitely is!

[@joanneyoung1081]

Exceptional Jacques Pepin prepares an entire dinner, soup, salad and dessert. That’s a rare treat. Grateful for Jacques Pepin in our lives.

[@Quick_and_Dirty]

I love that Jacques is talking about using old vegetables. --eyes old wilted vegetables in fridge--

[@kathleenbarthelemy3850]

I could listen to this accent all day. He's so soothing, efficient, and I love the attention to nutrition. I also love that there is no waste with him. He buys cast-off veggies at the market, and makes soup of the vegetables that purists throw away from their own refrigerators. I sometimes forget how practical the French are. And this video is so old that he has my Mother's Revereware pans, popular in the 60's. I still have three of my mother's and use them regularly.

[@jeanniebrooks]

I noticed the pots too…I thought they were Farberware. Revereware had the copper bottom, which I didn’t notice here. I inherited some of each from my in-laws and bought a few of my own. I later replaced them with the first Kitchenaid high end professional cookware (which I still have today) but there are a few pieces of the older stuff I wish I kept. I had a pot big enough to cook a couple good size lobsters in!

[@lailahroga7988]

I like to saute and season everything first, then add the water.

[@amanatee]

potato flakes are great for a soup thickener as well. learned that from the man himself

[@bencollins4740]

Such a gentleman, the way here conducts himself is a delight

[@hangtime540yo]

Absolutely my favorite chef in the world. What a great human.

[@MrKmoconne]

Cinnamon or nutmeg would be good on those pears......

[@jimmyniland9721]

He really is a good chef - and he’s so driven to spread and give us all his knowledge and skill. Top chap!

[@bryan3550]

Loved the soup: so simple and I just made it! I thought it cried out for a couple of tablespoons of basil pesto to finish off. Something Chef has done in one of his cookbooks, I think. 😉 P.S. Are his knives sharp or what..? 💔

[@joannaedwards6325]

KQED...I HATE YOU PUTTING ADS ALL THROUGH CHEF PEPIN'S PRESENTATION!!! You used to just have ads at the beginning. Which was perfectly fine but PLEASE STOP PUTTING ADS THROUGH OUT. Many of us listen to J. P. to put us to sleep. Now, with your new format, YOU'VE SPOILED our calming down time. I will unsubscribe..... if you keep doing this. I love Chef but will GO ELSEWHERE for my bedtime videos.

[@MW-rq5uc]

It is the week of December 19 and so it is your birthday now. Happy b d to you. Thanks for teaching us how to cook! It is 2021 now and you have given us decades of pleasure.

[@joaoportesantava1412]

I love these recipes because they are from a time that you did not waste anything fr WWI and WWII. My Italian grandmother Nonna and my great Nonna had amazing recipes to utilize everything and very healthy. I love this channel and I Miss Julia cooking with him

[@liannebedard5521]

Those who survived WW 2 in Europe rarely waste food…

[@newyorkslim2001]

beyond charming -- and incredibly instructive and inspiring

[@milesdyson7311]

Jacques the best. Enough said.

[@xjAlbert]

Another show packed with flavor, nutrition and inspiration 🎉🎉🎉

[@numberstation]

Top Tip- When you’ve boiled an egg in a pan, don’t throw the water away. Simply add salt and pepper and hey presto: Boiled Egg Soup!

[@mariadiantherese9663]

What a wonderful chef and a wonderful healthy economical meal!

[@howardbartlett3026]

I still remember watching this episode a number of times with my Maternal Grandma and Fiancée back in the early 1990's. I made the entire menu along with homemade French baguette's and it all was amazing. I haven't made the vegetable soup in years but still have my copy of The Today Gourmet that I bought for my Grandma so I will have to make it soon. Also LOVED the sausages as not only does the savoy cabbage help keep them moist but so does the diced raw mushrooms that release their rich moisture as they are cooked. Mushrooms add great flavor as well, plus it is easy to sneak them into picky children's diets. I've had children say "But I Don't Like Mushrooms' ! My response is: Really but you eat them all the time. Every time I make stuffed cabbage, stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchini, hamburgers, meatballs, lasagna Bolognese, etc. I add chopped mushrooms to the mix.

[@eugenesedita]

Thank you, Sir. Wonderful. I’ll make this for my boys and me. Merci beaucoup ☺️

[@nyccolm]

Always a pleasure to watch Jacques Pepin

[@whaddoiknow6519]

Interesting to recall that there was a time that Americans did not know what coriander was. You also could not get fresh ginger in the produce section, and had to settle for dried ginger powder when you were lucky enough to get it.

[@flormarthas.ferreira2984]

I'm having difficulty understanding the specifics about the figs. Were they cooked?

[@cherylanderson3340]

What a great assortment of foods that would fit right in with how I cook. I love the sausage recipe & the use of a cabbage leaf for a skin! I could live on some of the simple veggie soups I've made. One's made with the dry 16 bean combo soup mix. It's so satisfying with the addition of veggies, cloves of garlic, bay leaf, herbs, S&P, lots of water, , etc. Makes a vat of a base to feed several people, or freeze portions for later when you have fresh kale or chicken & pasta leftovers to.make a quick, hardy soup for one or two. A great way to use up last portion of a good, still fresh tomato based pasta sauce. Some organic broths in a box make a good addition near the end, without tasting fake & too salty. Trader Joes has some good ones. I usually prefer the vegetarian broths. I like how he cooked the lentils. They looked perfect. I have some lentils & have been wanting to use them. And also - I was given a big bag of dried figs as a Christmas gift! So I'm liking his fig & pear gratin...& still have one, light green pear!

[@joannaedwards6325]

Thanks for sharing. Good ideas.

[@cherylanderson3340]

@@joannaedwards6325 Thanks. Hope you'll try some! Last week I made a 1/2 batch with a half bag of the Goya multi - bean, & later added in 1/2 a bag of a multi grain blend in a bag, which included Wild Rice. If interested I could explain a supposedly French, multi-step cooking technique for cooking dried beans, which seem to reduce the distress of gas from eating beans, though the broccoli I used this time may make some have a slight amount of gas. For the 1st time, I finished the bean soup near the end of the bean's cooking time, by adding the 1/2 bag of a wild rice blend - to cook for the last 40 minutes in the bean broth + more water added & an entire box of a good chicken stock, & a broth making paste in a jar. It's kinds intense so I just used a bit, though a real fan could just use as much of the paste as they want, added to the water to flavor the whole thing from the beginning. It may make everything even more delicious to you or your family or guests. I like it best when used sparingly. They make a few different flavor blends. I'd wanted to use the meat of the 2nd 1/2 of a purchased Rotisserie Chicken, & the veggie side of Carrots, Broccoli & Zucchini, so decided to make up some of this trusty old soup base with the cooked restaurant leftovers added in at the end. It was not the same as when I added in my own fresh veggies, but it was a time saver, so good enough, & this big pot of soup made the leftover chicken & veggies last several days! Added just S & P, & an Italian herb blend to the broth.

[@joannaedwards6325]

@@cherylanderson3340 Holy smoke sounds like you cook for an army!! I've tried those paste broth makers in a jar. Yucky 😝. Much too salty for me. I'll use liquid in a box or even powdered bullion in a pinch. Yup those rotisserie chickens make good soup. They're so over salted I don't have to add any salt. Well you are definitely the SOUP QUEEN! No I really don't need more info but your recipes do sound flavorful. 😊 🍲

[@cherylanderson3340]

@@joannaedwards6325 I agree on those soup pastes being too salty & strong to even bother using. I think I'll toss 'em. I prefer a natural veg & bean and/or bone broth taste anyway. That last 1/2 batch made about a gallon, with well under 1/8th tsp of the paste & I could still taste it. Adding in the chicken broth diminished it to be barely noticeable. I like to make a lot of a thing at one time, then freeze in small to medium batches. It comes in handy & is a comfort.

[@joannaedwards6325]

@@cherylanderson3340 You go girl! 😊 ✌

[@james-jq8sk]

I also add barley to my soup, I always fry/saute the veggies first in oil, then add a good wedge of butter, then the chicken stock...

[@mammam4827]

Budget frndly men can marry who makes noodles everyday,wear flip flops nd tee nd they can definitely bcum Nica Tesla or Elon Musk.

[@venkkandadai6042]

There is nothing pretentious about Pepin. Just love watching him cook and giving us a ton of confidence

[@papiezguwniak]

I wash it keep it for stok, den I tro all in de bin. Jak Pepin. Mein cour. Leantil.

[@fiskking]

Comfy

[@flormarthas.ferreira2984]

You are such a good teacher! Thanks!

[@messey12]

Awwwwwww yis SOUP DE PEPIN

[@leonorfontes57]

I like Tabasco too.

[@mailtorajrao]

*Master Pepin!*

[@joyaepace]

I want a knife like that!

[@linneanormand8216]

Wish I could tell Jacques PERSONALLY how much I love to watch his KZbin episodes on cooking. I am his same age, and LOVE COOKING his recipes!

[@Boomproof]

This man is simply put a goddamn genious. So grateful he has shared his wisdom with us, ever since I found his content I have really had fun cooking for myself. Thank you so much, Monsieur Pepin! 🙏

[@-los-7291]

Merci

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

I love to make soup! I've been making roast dinners for my Mum and her partner for the past week because she has just had a knee replacement. I made a roast lamb leg today, I cut holes and inserted garlic and rosemary. It was one of the best pieces of meat I've ever cooked! I cooked for 1 hr 45 and it was perfectly cooked. Now I'm making soup with the left overs!

[@squishykrishy_]

Even if you don't make the recipe just watch Mr. Pepin's cooking techniques amazing!

[@JohnClulow]

THE BEST cooking video I've EVER seen !!! Fantastic !!!

[@eugenesedita]

I never use that giant chefs knife unless it’s suitable to the job at hand. I have santokus and smaller chef knife style knives. But I like yours , I’ll get one. I always wanted a lighter thinner blade. You convinced me, Chris.

[@eliseolopez2790]

MARVALOUS

[@rosaleepruett3433]

U make everything seem so fast and easy. I’m going to try making vegetable soup w just water. I love lentils but thought it was hard to make

[@oldgypsytap]

What a treasure is Jacques!!!!!

[@milesdyson7311]

I’ve made his lentils and the cabbage wrapped sausage rolls. They are great

[@mammam4827]

There is jst no one who can make the best even out of some basic things like u do.

[@dlarta7265]

Been watching him for decades. Just terrific

[@manthony777]

Where is the daughter now? She was very shy.

[@AngelusBrady]

I'm not exactly sure what Claudine's profession is, but she is still often by her father's side whenever he does public appearances and is frequently over at his house.

[@manthony777]

@@AngelusBrady , They didn't get along very well when she was on with him in her twenties. I felt badly for her.

[@eugenesedita]

Which book is this episode recipe in, please?