Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

There's something about this time of year up here, when Fall quietly begins to change her tune, and you wake up one morning and realize that its on the verge of Winter.  Something about this time of year, when the rain is perpetual, and the sky is gray, and the temperature outside makes you shiver, that makes me want to make soup.  I love this time of year, it's Soup Season!  This year, my goal is to try to make a different soup every time, and I'm striving to capitalize on the bounty of Autumn with my flavours.  Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the humble Butternut Squash.  Most of its life in my kitchen has been in the form of 'slice it in half, butter the cut sides, roast until soft, eat out of the skin' -- not much variety.  So tonight, I took inspiration from my mom, and branched out.  It is a simple soup, but in its simplicity, there is a richness and complexity of flavours. 

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
2 small butternut squashes, seeded, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy whipping cream (or milk)
salt & pepper to taste
6 slices of bacon, cooked to crispy, then chopped -OR-
     bacon bits

Directions:
Squash Prep -- Cut off the both ends, then slice squash in half long ways.  Spoon out seeds. Peel with potato peeler.  Dice into 1" pieces.
Place in 9x13 casserole dish with onions and garlic.  Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, mix to coat.
Bake at 425 for about 20-30 minutes, stirring at least twice, until squash and onions are very tender.
Meanwhile, warm broth in large soup pot over low heat until squash mixture is done.
Add squash mixture to broth, increase heat, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Once all the chunks have been pureed, blend in cream. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, but do it in small batches.  Be very careful, as the hot liquid will release hot steam when the blender is first turned on.  Hold the lid on with a towel to avoid a mess, and potential injury.  Blend in a little cream with each batch, to help cool it a bit.) 
Increase heat to medium, bring back to almost a boil.
Serve hot, with crumbled bacon on top.
Warm crusty French bread goes very well with this soup!

Zesty Beef and Vegetable Soup (Crockpot)

 I'm going back in my archives today, trying to figure out how many recipes I have planned on posting and haven't done yet.  Today is my day to try and get caught up.  I made this soup in December (!) and it was really good.  Its probably best to wait until the weather gets cooler to try this one, because its definitely a 'warm your core' type of soup.  But don't forget about it, because its really worth making! 



Zesty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients: 
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups pre-shredded coleslaw mix  ~OR~
shred your own-- 1/2 each red/ green cabbage and 2 carrots
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 (9 oz) package frozen cut green beans
4 cups hot-style vegetable juice (or regular, + a few generous splashes of Tabasco-style hot sauce)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:
* In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned and onion is tender.
* In a crock-pot, combine meat mixture and all remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.
* Cover, and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.

Complete the meal with corn bread, if you like.

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Almond-Romano Pesto

Its trying desperately to snow outside, and my face is still glowing from the warmth of this delicious soup.  This is a hearty, yet surprisingly light soup with nutritional goodness in every spoonful.  Chocked full of veggies and then pureed, I would put this into the "Sneaky Chef" category of underestimating the sheer volume of green goodness inside.  There is just a hint of a kick to it, which makes my spicy-food loving husband even happier to have a 'vegetarian' meal.  Piping hot, crusty, French bread would have made an excellent accompaniment to this 'warm-your-bones' soup.  The fresh herb pesto is the finishing touch to this lively recipe. 

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Almond-Romano Pesto*
Ingredients:
6 c. vegetable stock [I used chicken, because that's what I had on hand]
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme [I used 1 tsp dried thyme, ground]
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 large potato, peeled and diced
4 broccoli stalks (2 cups of florets reserved) [I used one large head of broccoli]
1/2 lb spinach, stemmed [I used 1 box baby spinach]
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
pesto:
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, stemmed
1/2 c. toasted, sliced almonds
2 garlic cloves [I used 4]
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese
1/4 c. olive oil
salt/ pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat stock and keep it warm while preparing the soup.  Heat oil in a soup pot over medium -high heat and saute the onion until translucent.  Add garlic, salt, thyme and chile flakes, and saute until golden.  Stir in broccoli and potato; cook for several minutes. Add warm stock to cover, bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the broccoli and potatoes are just tender.
Stir in the spinach leaves and turn off the heat.  Cover and let the soup rest until the spinach wilts, then puree until smooth.  Reheat the puree, add cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring back to a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a hard boil.  Add salt and reserved broccoli florets and blanch until just done and bright green (about 1 minute).  Strain immediately and plunge into a bowl of ice water.  Let them cool off, then strain and spread on a clean, dry towel to drain.  Set aside.
To prepare the pesto, place the parsley, almonds, garlic and cheese in a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add the olive oil and puree, stopping short of making it completely smooth.  Blend in salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the soup hot, with a swirl of pesto in each bowl, and garnished with broccoli florets.  [Note: my pesto did not 'swirl', it just plopped to the bottom of the bowl, so I mixed it in before garnishing...]

* Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz, 2001.

Thai Dragon bowl

Branching out in the flavour department last night, I made a new recipe from the Rebar* Cookbook.  I made a vegetable stock with what was on hand, and it turned out pretty good.  I kept the solids from making the stock, and plan to puree them to 'thicken' a future soup using the remaining stock.  Even with making the veggie stock from scratch, this soup was ready in under 2 hours, which is pretty good for Rebar recipes (they tend to be a bit labour-intensive).  The flavours were great, rich and full, and out of the ordinary for my standard spice rack.  I had to make several substitutions, which I don't like to do the first time I try a recipe, but was having trouble finding some of the ingredients.  For instance, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves.  I'm sure there are specialty markets somewhere around here that carry things like this, but none of my local grocery stores do, and I wasn't about to make special trips all over town.  So I made do, and guessed as to what kind of flavour they would bring to the mix.  I'm going to post the recipe, as written, with my changes in [brackets] behind.  The recipe has suggested additions, and I indicated which ones I used in [brackets] as well.  I'm also going to post the recipes for the Asian and vegetable stocks at the bottom, in case you want to try them.  

Thai Dragon bowl
Ingredients:
8 c. Asian or vegetable stock
3 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and minced (use bottom 4" of stalk, cut off  root end of stalk, peel away outer layer, smash with side of knife, like garlic, then mince)
3 Tbsp minced ginger or galangal [I used jarred minced garlic, not fresh]
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red curry paste [I ended up adding much more, about 1 Tbsp- but do it gradually, to taste]
1 oz palm sugar [I used about a tsp of brown sugar]
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c. fish sauce
1 c. coconut milk (optional) [I used light]
juice of 1 lime [didn't have lime on hand, used about 1 Tbsp Key Lime juice]
1/3 lb rice noodles, medium width
1/2 block x-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
4 kaffir lime leaves, stems removed & finely shredded [I used a handful of my lemon verbena leaves...]
6 oz. snow peas, trimmed
1 bunch scallions (green onions), minced
4 tomatoes, diced [I used canned tomatoes, left over from another recipe, drained]
1/4 c. minced cilantro
1/2 c. Thai basil leaves, torn [I used 1/2 mint, 1/2 regular basil- couldn't find Thai basil]

Dragon Bowl additions (probably not recommended to try all at once):
~ replace Thai basil with fresh mint [yes, see above]
~ add chopped bok choy or baby bok choy leaves [yes]
~ top with a stack of bean sprouts [will do next time]
~ replace red with home-made green curry paste [recipe available upon request  :-) ]
~ sprinkle with finely sliced Thai bird chile rounds
~ add sliced oyster or shiitake mushrooms
~ garnish with fried shallots, garlic or lotus root rounds
~ add whole prawns (shrimp) or scallops [yes, tiger prawns]

Directions:
1) Heat the stock to a simmer and add the minced lemongrass, ginger, and garlic; simmer 15 minutes.  Strain the stock through a sieve to remove the solids and return the liquid to the pot.
2) Stir curry paste, sugar, soy and fish sauces into the broth and simmer 5 minutes.  Add coconut milk, if using, and lime juice.  Taste and correct the seasoning to your liking [here's where I added more curry paste].
3) While the broth is simmering, add the rice noodles, tofu and baby bok choy [optional] kaffir lime leaves; cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.  Halfway through this time, add the snow peas and prawns (if using raw).  When the noodles are cooked, add all of remaining ingredients (and prawns, if using pre-cooked).  Serve immediately in large bowls with lime wedges, sambal oelek, fish and soy sauce on the side.

Basic Vegetable Stock:
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion
2 leeks, greens only
1 garlic bulb
4 carrots
4 celery sticks [leaves included]
1-2 apples
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp coarse salt
few sprigs fresh thyme, parsley and/or sage
20 c. cold water

Directions:
1) Peel and rough chop the onions, leeks, carrots and celery.  Separate the garlic bulb and smash the cloves with the flat of your knife. quarter the apple(s).
2) heat oil in large stock pot and add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, salt and bay leaves.  Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add all the remaining ingredients, including the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain and cool if not using immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to  3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Asian soup stock:
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
1 leek
4 celery sticks
4 carrots
 1/2 bunch scallions
1 garlic bulb
2 stalks lemongrass
1 Tbsp coarse salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp whole Szechuan peppercorns
20 c. cold fresh water
2" piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

Directions:
1) Roughly chop the onion, leek, carrot, celery, and scallions.  Separate the garlic cloves.  Cut off the top half of the lemongrass stalk, remove outer layer and discard. Chop remaining stalk in to 3" long pieces.  Use the flat of knife to smash the garlic and lemongrass.
2) Heat oil in stop pot and add chopped veggies and salt.  Stir to coat and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except the ginger slices, and set to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to ow and simmer for 45 minutes, adding ginger halfway through.
3) Strain and use stock immediately, or cool and refrigerate up to 3 days or 2 months in freezer.

* Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz, 2001.

"Creamy" Roasted Veggie and Chicken Chowder

I made this chowder a couple days ago, in an attempt to use up some veggies that were verging on unusable.  I made it up as I went along, and the end result was a tasty chowder that Alistair said was even better the next day.  It seems mildly labor-intensive when I started describing it to my mom, but it wasn't really that much work... I wish I would have written it down when I made it, because now, I'm going on memory.  I imagine you could use a variety of vegetables with similar results, based on what you have on hand-- be creative!  :-)

"Creamy" Roasted Veggie and Chicken Chowder

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn, on cob
1/2 a spaghetti squash, pierced with fork, dabbed with butter/ oil
1 head of garlic, top 1/2 inch cut off
2 bell peppers (any color), whole
2-4 shallots, diced
4 stalks of celery (with leaves), diced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
salt/ pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450, place corn, squash, garlic (sprinkled with oil), and peppers on a baking sheet with a lip (to avoid juices spilling over), and roast for about 30-45 minutes, turning regularly, until peppers skins begin to turn black, and corn gets 'roasted' looking.  Meanwhile, boil chicken in 4 cups generously salted water, and saute shallots and celery over medium heat until well-done and soft, remove from heat and set aside. 
When chicken is fully cooked, remove from water with slotted spoon, leaving water-turned-broth in pot.  Chop up the chicken and set aside. 
*When corn is roasted, remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, cut corn off cob with sharp knife and place cobs and bay leaf into broth and bring to a boil.  Set corn aside with chicken. 
*When peppers have turned mostly black, remove from oven and place in aluminum foil tent to rest.  When cooled, remove skin and stems/ seeds, chop and add to shallot mixture in pan.
*When garlic is done, squeeze out of skins into shallot mixture in pan.  Stir to combine.
*When squash is tender, use a knife to cut (like an avocado half) before spooning out of skin.  Add to shallot mixture and stir to combine.

* The corn, peppers and garlic will most likely be done at about the same time, squash may need a little extra time.
Once you have combined all the roasted veggies in the shallot pan, remove corn cobs and bay leaf from broth, pour into another container (I used my 4-cup measuring cup), leaving about an inch of broth in the pot.  Add shallot mixture to pot and stir well.  Use an immersion blender (or transfer to regular blender) to liquefy this concoction into a 'creamy' base, adding more broth as needed.  (Return to pan) Stir in chicken and corn (don't blend!), season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring the entire chowder to a gentle boil.  Simmer for about 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy the tastes of Fall!  :-)

(keep remaining broth for use in another recipe if you want!)

Curried Chickpea Soup

I seriously wish you could smell this. You know those evenings, when you're out on a walk around dinner time, and you walk by someone's house and the aroma of their amazingly flavourful dinner is drifting through the neighbourhood and you think, "how come my dinners never smell that good?" You know those nights? Well, last night, as I was walking to the front door of our building after running to IGA for cilantro and Naan, I had that very thought, and as I stood for a minute trying to distinguish the smells, I realized it was probably mine! Spicy curry combined with the sweetness of coconut with a serious kick. I had left the soup lightly simmering with the exhaust running while I was gone (since it was so close, and Alistair was home). When I walked in the door, my suspicions were confirmed. What an incredible aroma!
You HAVE to try this one! Special thanks go to my big sister, Alli, for introducing some curry recipes to our family cookbook, giving me the inspiration to venture into the realm of Indian cuisine.
[sidenote: this recipe also comes from Rebar*, but I made several modifications-- I'll post the recipe as it is, with my changes in brackets behind]



Curried Chickpea Soup with tomatoes, ginger and cilantro

Ingredients:
8 cups vegetable stock [I used chicken broth- would probably only use 6 c. next time, as it ended up a bit more soupy than I had hoped]
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 tsp salt [sea salt]
2 bay leaves
8 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp minced ginger [generous]
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 red pepper [yellow- that's all I had- red would have been nice, to add more colour]
6 ripe tomatoes [1 c. canned diced tomatoes, drained]
1 tsp cumin seed [powder]
1 tsp coriander seed [powder]
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cracked pepper [couple of turns on the pepper grinder]
1/8 tsp turmeric
3 c. canned chickpeas [+ ~2c. more, separated]
1/4 c. prepared mango chutney [generous]
1/2 can coconut milk [whole can]
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced [+ a few leaves whole for garnish]

Instructions:
Place garlic, ginger, jalapenos, pepper and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until the vegetables form a rough puree. Set aside.
Heat oil in soup pot [medium high heat] and add onion, 1 tsp salt and bay leaves. Saute until onions are soft and golden.
Grind cumin and coriander seeds [or use powder]. Add these and all remaining spices to the sauteed onions and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
Add vegetable puree and another tsp of salt and simmer until small blobs of oil pool on the surface. [Remove bay leaves]
Add 3 c. chickpeas and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook several minutes, then add chutney and coconut milk.. Using a potato masher [or metal spatula], gently mash the chickpeas against the bottom of the pot to break them up slightly and thicken the soup. [Add remaining 2 c. chickpeas and leave whole.]
Simmer and season to taste with salt and cracked pepper. Add chopped cilantro just before serving.

* Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz, 2001.

Tortilla Soup with Avocado, Corn and Asiago

This delicious vegetarian soup comes from a cookbook called "Rebar"* that I bought because of a recommendation by my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law. The recipes in this cookbook are fresh, vibrant, and hearty. Although the recipes included are predominantly meat-free, you would be "hard-pressed to notice that anything is missing!" Everything I've tried so far has lived up to this statement. These recipes usually have an extensive ingredient list and do require a bit more work, but the outcome is phenomenal and full of healthy goodness. This will be a long entry, because I actually made the vegetable stock from scratch. In hindsight, I would probably sacrifice this step next time in the name of practicality, of both time and money. I think a good vegetable stock from the grocery store would be perfectly acceptable. The soup has so much flavour of its own, you would not lose much from a pre-made stock. I also considered making this a chicken tortilla soup in the future, in which case I would probably use chicken stock.

Now, on to the recipe!


Basic Vegetable Stock
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion
2 leeks, greens only
1 garlic bulb
4 carrots
4 celery sticks (I included the leaves too)
1 or 2 apples
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp coarse salt
few sprigs fresh thyme, parsley, and/or sage (I used all 3)
20 c. water

Directions:
Peel and roughly chop onions, leeks, carrots and celery. Separate the garlic bulb and smash the cloves with the flat of the your knife. Quarter the apple(s).
Heat oil in a large stock pot and add onions, leeks, carrots, celery, salt and bay leaves. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add all the remaining ingredients, including water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain and cool if not using immediately. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
8 c. vegetable stock
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, finely diced
1 Tbsp salt
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp minced oregano (I bought fresh, but it didn't 'mince' very well, so I chopped it... will use dried next time)
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
3 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
chipotle peppers in sauce, pureed to make 2 tsp
4 corn tortillas, yellow or blue
2 avocados, diced or sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed
asiago cheese, shaved with a potato peeler
1 lime, cut into thin wedges (I juiced the lime and sprinkled juice on over top of avocados of garnish)

Directions:
Heat the stock in a smaller pot and keep it warm on the back burner while preparing the soup. In a heavy-bottomed large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tsp salt and saute until translucent. Stir in the garlic, oregano, half the minced jalapenos and another 1 tsp salt; saute for 5 minutes.
Pour the hot stock into the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Int he final 5 minutes, stir in the corn, red peppers, the remaining salt, liquid smoke, and chipotle puree. Simmer until the corn is tender. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the tortilla strips, slice each tortilla in to long strips 1/4" thick. Toss gently with a light coating of oil, a pinch of salt and chili powder (optional). Spread the strips out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 until crisp (about 5 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool until ready to serve.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and divide the diced avocado, cilantro leaves and asiago shavings among the servings. Arrange 8 tortilla strips in a teepee in the center of each bowl. Serve immediately with a bowl of lime wedges on the side. (I guess to squeeze into the soup, hence I did it ahead of time and just added it.)

* Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz, 2001.

Taco Soup and Black Bean Dip

Tuesday night was Mexican night! I'm not sure why I keep making fresh batches of Taco Soup, because it always makes so much. Alistair and I will eat it for close to a week, and then I still end up with enough to freeze. I already have 2 large yogurt containers of taco soup in my freezer, but I keep forgetting to use them! Anyway, each time I make it, it turns out a little different, and Tuesday was no exception. Thanks to my sister, Alli, I have a fantastic supply of dried beans, so this time, I used a mixture of these instead of canned ones. Also, I don't always make an appetizer, but I was really craving some of my Aunt Wendy's black bean dip, so I decided to make that too. Unfortunately, the stainless steel bowl was not the best choice, for photography purposes... but you get the picture! (sorry, bad pun.)

Taco Soup:
Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger, browned with chopped onion
2 packages taco seasoning
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1-2 cans water (use tomato can)
2-3 cans (or equivalent) variety of beans (drained and rinsed): dark red kidney, black beans, pinto beans, great northern, etc... (whatever you have on hand/ prefer) my mom's recipe only calls for kidney, but I like the variety of a mixture.
about 2 cups frozen corn
chopped up bell peppers
1 can sliced olives (with juice) [in my house, they have to be a topping because A doesn't like them...]
a few splashes of hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions:
Brown the hamburger with the onion. Add taco seasoning and mix until the meat is well-coated. Add the tomatoes, the rest of the ingredients, and enough water to make it a soup-like consistency. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1-20 minutes, to allow flavours to intertwine. Serve over tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, green onions, anything else you typically add to tacos! :-)

Black Bean Dip:
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed, reserving cooking liquid
1/2 cup reserved black bean cooking liquid
1 1/2 Tbsp. oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz goat cheese (chevre)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Tabasco-style hot pepper sauce, to taste
salt
1 small green onion, including top, for garnish

Directions:
In a food processor, process beans with 1/2 c. bean liquid.
Heat oil in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, cover and cook until onion is soft, but not brown (4-5 minutes).
Add chili and garlic, cook 1 minute.
Stir in beans.
Cook over low heat until beans are hot.
Crumble in goat cheese (reserving 1 Tbsp for garnish). Add Monterey Jack cheese.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheeses are melted.
Add hot pepper sauce and salt to taste.
Garnish with goat cheese and onion.

Serve with tortilla chips.