Roasted Squash Soup by: Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Exec. Chef Butter Restaurant

Serves 4-6

4 pounds mixed Winter squash (from Hubbard to Butternut varieties), washed
4 tbsp. unsalted butter 
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
3 tbsp. Molasses
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves 
2 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups skim milk
The zest from 1 orange
2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp, garlic oil
Equipment: Blender or food processor

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Place the squash on a flat surface and split them in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and arrange in a single layer on 1 or 2 baking sheets.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter completely over medium heat. Wait until it starts to turn a light brown color. Remove from the heat and immediately distribute the butter into the cavities of the squash halves. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and Molasses as well.
4. Season the insides with salt and pepper. Finish by covering with the ground (dry) ginger, fresh ginger and the ground cloves. Fill the bottom of the tray(s) with the water (should be about 1 inch high) to create steam while the squash bakes in the oven. Cover the tray(s) with aluminum foil and seal the edges tightly.
5. Place the tray(s) in the center of the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 2 hours. To check for doneness, pierce one of the halves with the tip of a small knife. The knife should slide in and out easily. If at all firm, bake the halves and addition 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Carefully peel back the foil. Set aside to cool.
6. In a medium pot, combine the cream and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash taking care not to take any skin with it. The skin can give a bitter taste to the soup. Add the flesh directly to the cream mixture and stir to blend. Turn the heat on low. Add some of the orange zest, the Worcestershire Sauce and the garlic oil. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning. If the soup lacks sweetness, add a little Molasses. If it lacks salt, add a little salt or Worcestershire Sauce.
7. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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"Gills' Bountiful Vegetable Soup" by: Sheila Sachs

Bountiful for sure, and bursting with basil—this vegetable soup has a Mediterranean kick thanks to the pesto topping, which fancifies it as well.

INGREDIENTS -- SERVES 10

SOUP
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced into discs
1 medium rib celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
4 medium new potatoes, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1⁄4 teaspoon summer savory (or 1⁄8 teaspoon marjoram and 1⁄8 teaspoon thyme)salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes
2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob (or 1 1⁄2 cups frozen)
1⁄4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1⁄2 cup elbow macaroni
1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped

BASIL PESTO MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 1⁄4 cups olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted

PREPARATION
SOUP: Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add stock, bring to a simmer, and simmer 1–2 minutes.

With the soup base at a simmer, add potatoes, tomatoes, summer savory; salt to taste and simmer for 30 minutes. Add squashes, corn, and beans and simmer 5 minutes. Add macaroni and simmer until pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and basil. Season with additional salt, if necessary, and pepper to taste. Serve with basil pesto dollop.

PESTO: Puree basil and garlic with olive oil in a food processor. Blend in salt, cheese and nuts. (This will yield more than you’ll need, but pesto can be frozen and will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.)

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"Country Lentil Soup" by: Eileen Campbell

This hearty soup can be satisfying for lunch or dinner. Soups made with legumes are sources of fiber.

Tip: If you prefer, when puréeing soups you can use an immersion blender and blend the soup right in the pot. This will save you some cleanup time, but the result will be less smooth.

• Blender
1 tbsp vegetable oil 15 mL
1 cup diced onion 250 mL
1⁄2 cup diced carrot 125 mL
1⁄2 cup diced celery 125 mL
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 L
1 cup dried red lentils, well rinsed 250 mL
1⁄4 tsp dried thyme 1 mL
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 125 mL

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot andcelery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, lentils and thyme; bringto a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Remove from heat.
2. Working in batches, transfer soup to blender. Purée on high speed untilcreamy. Add up to 1 cup (250 mL) water if purée is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to saucepan to reheat, if necessary.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.

Makes 8 servings

Nutrients
PER SERVING
Calories 117
Fat 2 g
Carbohydrate 19 g
Fiber 4 g
Protein 4 g

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"Beef or Lamb Stock" by: Martha Bayne

I don’t make a lot of meat stock, but my local butcher (see page 176) gave me this pro tip: Try roasting half the bones before you brown the other half. It’s an additional step, but you’ll get more depth of flavor that way. Note that lamb has a much stronger flavor than beef—err on the side of less meat if you’re working with lamb.

INGREDIENTS MAKES 8 CUPS (2 QUARTS)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
4 pounds beef or lamb shanks
2 pounds bones, with marrow
1⁄2 cup dry red wine
8 cups water
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves

PREPARATION

Remove meat from shanks and chop into large chunks. Set aside, and then roast about half the bones on a cookie sheet until browned, if desired.

Heat the oil until shimmering in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until soft. Transfer vegetables to a big bowl. Add meat and bones to pot in batches (don’t crowd the pot) and brown for 5 minutes per batch, or until meat is cooked relatively evenly on all sides. Remove meat and bones to bowl full of veggies.

Add wine to pot and cook, scraping gook from bottom of pot and incorporating, until liquid has reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Return meat, bones, and vegetables to pot; cover and reduce heat to low. Sweat all for about 20 minutes, until the juices run from the meat. Turn heat up to high; add water, salt, and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer at least 2 hours, longer if you like. Skim foam from surface occasionally.

When done, strain and discard meat, bones, and vegetables. Let cool and skim fat before using.

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