When smoke gets in your soup: Warming flavors for cold weather

In cold weather, I perk up simple suppers with a bit of smoke - that delicious flavor addition we associate with the grilling days of summer. I would happily enjoy smoked or grilled foods every day. Ditto for homemade soup. Melding the two together proves a match.

Here are two soups with subtle smoke flavors from smoked proteins, such as ham, turkey or fish. Sure to beat the cold-weather blues no matter where you live.

In our family, a leftover holiday hambone tucked away in the freezer means a pot of split pea soup later. A smoky bone, with plenty of meat still clinging, transforms the lowly pea into a satisfying one-pot meal that's part soup/part stew. Lacking a hambone, I'll purchase smoked ham