Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

Soup weather is totally upon us, & the grocery store has been practically bursting with all kinds of squash.  My first adventure with acorn squash  tasted even better as lunch the next day.

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

adapted from an Emeril recipe I found here

 

2 acorn squash, halved & seeds removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

1 green apple, peeled, cored, & chopped

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

4 cups vegetable stock

1.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly rub squash with olive oil, & place cut side down in baking dish.  Add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish.  Roast squash approximately 45 minutes.  Let cool.

2.  Heat olive oil in in soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onions, & cook until beginning to brown.  Add carrots & apple, & cook another 10 minutes. 

3.  Add vegetable stock to soup pot.  Season with ginger, allspice, salt, & pepper.  Scoop roasted squash into soup pot.  Simmer at least 20 minutes.

4.  Remove from heat, & puree until smooth.  Return soup to pot to reheat, if necessary.

Serve with fresh bread.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Roasted Pepper Rigatoni

The last CSA share had a huge bag of peppers that I'm finally at the end of, & now, I'm definitely missing the weekly bag of fresh vegetables.  I've realized that I have to stop at the grocery store more often these days.  But here's what we made with those last peppers.  The original recipe calls for only red bell peppers, but I had some small red peppers, a green pepper, some Hungarian wax peppers (which can be a little on the hot side), and a poblano pepper.  Using all of those, the dish had a spicier taste than when I've made it before.  Either way, it's one of David's favorite meals.

Roasted Pepper Rigatoni

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta.

1/2 lb rigatoni (I'm sure you could substitute another short hollow pasta, but rigatoni is best)

2 cups fresh bread crumbs 

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

peppers (enough to get about 2 cups of peppers after slicing)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1.  Heat oven to 400°F.  Lightly coat whole peppers with olive oil, & place on baking sheet.  When oven is heated, roast peppers until skin is slightly blackened.  Cool, remove seeds, & slice long-wise.

2.  Spread almonds on baking sheet, & toast in oven until fragrant & golden brown, approximately 5-10 minutes.  (Keep your eye on these; they can burn fast when you're not watching.)

3.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, & cook pasta until tender, approximately 8-10 minutes.  Drain, & return to pot.

4.  While cooking pasta, place toasted almonds in food processor, & pulse until they are finally chopped with the texture of bread crumbs.  

5.  Add 3/4 cup olive oil to cooked pasta along with the bread crumbs, toasted almonds, & roasted, sliced peppers.  Toss to combine.

Add fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4.

White Bean Soup with Greens

I'm a little behind with posting recipes because I went to Switzerland for 10 days.  There we ate mostly bread, cheese, & chocolate.  Not a bad life.

Anyway, this is a quick soup that I made many times last winter & cooked up for the first time this year with some Swiss chard from the CSA share.  You can use any green, really, so I just use whatever is handy.  Highly recommended to be eaten with fresh bread.

White Bean Soup with Greens

I think that I originally got this recipe from a Mark Bittman something, but by now, I just have it memorized.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small onion, chopped
1 large can whole tomatoes, with the juice

2 cups stock (I used veggie; chicken stock would also be fine or water if you have to)

1 can white beans (I like cannellini beans the best)

large bunch of leafy greens (Swiss chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc), stems removed & roughly chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

1.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.  Add garlic & onion, & saute until just starting to turn golden.

2.  Add tomatoes, stock, & beans.  Bring to boil; then, reduce heat & let simmer about 20 minutes.

3.  Add chopped greens & cook until wilted.

Serve with some toasted fresh bread brushed with olive oil.

Serves 3-4.