Soup Arsenal

It is good to have a soup arsenal. A list of soups that you can make without consulting the recipe, soups that you are itching to make at the first hint of cold weather, and soups that consistently make you feel warm and full and satisfied. Soups that you like so much that you don't mind eating them for the next three weeks because you made such a huge pot.

This soup is going into my arsenal. I have survived almost three weeks of eating this soup, and as of this afternoon, I am still not sick of it. I fact, I kind of want it for dinner too...

I especially love roasted soups. Put a bunch of stuff onto a sheet pan, throw it in the oven for an hour, buzz it through the food processor and viola: creamy, healthy, thick, complex, soup. Its like magic.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Pear, and Shallot Soup

Adapted from Eatingwell.com

2 pounds peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cubed

5-6 shallots, peels and quartered

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken stock

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

crumbled goat cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine pears, squash, garlic, shallots, carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper, together on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss to coat evenly with the oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to caramelize, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Working in batches, adding vegetables to food processor with enough chicken stock to aid blending. Blend until smooth and pour into large soup pot. Add any remaining stock, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls with crumbled goat cheese on top.

Get cozy, its going to be a long, cold winter :-)

Fall = Soup

As soon as fall started appearing around here, I got excited to start making soup. Maybe a leeetle too excited. I just really like soup okay?

I also really like cauliflower, especially when the word 'creamy' is involved. And the word 'bacon'.

This velvety soup is so comforting, and extremely easy. Pureed cauliflower, shallots, and chicken stock, thickened with a bit of cream, and topped with some prosciutto-toasted bread crumbs, this soup is hearty and fairly healthy. You could easily cut out some of the butter and the cream, and I suppose the prosciutto, but then you would really just have creamed cauliflower, and that's no fun. But, whatever mixes your meatloaf I guess.

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto Breadcrumbs

adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

4 tablespoons butter

4 medium-large shallots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets

5 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

6 ounces prosciutto or pancetta, chopped into small bits (the original recipe called for chorizo, I couldn't find any, but prosciutto worked beautifully and tasted great)

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

In a large heavy pot, melt the butter and add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute until the shallots have softened and have slightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes. Add the cauliflower, chicken stock, and white wine and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork-tender.

Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. In small batches, puree the cauliflower mixture in a food processor, or you can use an immersion blender right in the pot. Make sure to puree it thoroughly, it may separate if the cauliflower bits are too large and heavy. I let each batch process for at least 30 seconds.

Pour soup back into empty pot, and place over medium-low heat to heat it back up. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While this comes back up to temperature, sauté the prosciutto in a small non stick skillet over medium heat until it becomes crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the panko and toss with the prosciutto. Toast, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are brown and crispy.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the prosciutto mixture. Serve immediately.

Cheers!