Butternut Squash Chowder

My mother puts Martha Stewart to shame. Every time I go home, whether it's for Thanksgiving dinner or for a random weekend, when my mother cooks, she goes all out. Beautiful, seasonal, organic ingredients, healthy preparations (mostly), and decorations that are almost as lovely as the food.

This soup was my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. And, frankly, I was a little troubled by the bacon ingredient, but when my mother asked me if it was ok, I wasn't going to ruin everyone else's soup just because I happen to be a vegetarian. BUT, you could easily make this soup without the bacon and it would still be delicious. In fact, I might just try to do a veggie-friendly version this week. But it was really, really yummy, and a perfect fall-inspired starter for a traditional Thanksgiving meal!

Butternut Squash Chowder

INGREDIENTS:
4 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chopped fresh sage, plus small sage
leaves for garnish
4 tsp kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 jar (32 oz.) butternut squash puree
1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towellined plate. Set aside.
2. Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bay leaf, chopped sage, the 4 tsp. salt and the 1 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
3. Add the wine and simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.
4. Add the butternut squash puree and bacon and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
5. Ladle the chowder into warmed bowls and garnish with sage leaves. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

This is a Williams Sonoma recipe -- you can find the original recipe here.

Thai Lemongrass Soup

It must be because the weather is getting colder (or maybe because I have a cold that has been prolonged indefinitely since I ran the marathon two weeks ago), but I have been craving soup quite a bit lately.

So, back I went to the Thai market I discovered yesterday, this time in search of fresh lemongrass. Of course, they had it -- seriously, this place is phenomenal. Moreover, the people working there are really friendly and very patient when I ask silly questions like, "this is lemongrass, right?" or "how much of it should I use if I'm making lemongrass soup?"

I literally used every leftover vegetable in my fridge to make this soup, and it turned out great. You could also throw in chicken, tofu, or noodles, if you want to make it more of a meal.

And I was about to write, "If you don't have lemongrass, you can substitute..." But, really, if you don't have lemongrass, why on earth are you trying to make lemongrass soup?

Thai Lemongrass Soup

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups vegetable broth
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
1" square of fresh galangal, grated
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1/2 of a 10 ounce box of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 can water chestnuts, sliced

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a simmer.
2. Add onion, lemongrass, galangal, nam pla, and water chestnuts, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add peppers and mushrooms, simmer 5 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4-6.

Carrot Leek Soup

This would be a great Thanksgiving recipe! I spent about an hour today roaming around the Union Square farmer's market and picking up some fresh, locally-grown vegetables. Not surprisingly, there was an abundance of root vegetables. It's hard to imagine much is growing above-ground this time of year (although several stands did still have tomatoes). But I bought a bunch of carrots because I love them as snacks... and then I saw the leeks. Epiphany!

This turned out even better than I hoped. The saffron and cocoa gave it tons of flavor, and the pepper gave it a subtle spicy aftertaste. You could finish this off with a half-cup of cream stirred in, if you wanted, or a drizzle of olive oil over the top. I just added a teaspoon or so of sour cream, and it was perfect!

Carrot Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of carrots, peeled
1 small white onion
1 leek, washed with leaves discarded
3 cloves garlic
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp chili powder (or more, to your preference)
1 bay leaf
Generous pinch of saffron threads
Pinch of black pepper
Sour cream, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice carrots into 1/4" round pieces. Chop onion into 1/2" pieces.
2. In a large saucepan, bring vegetable broth, carrots, onion, leek, garlic, and spices to a gentle boil.
3. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Strain the soup, collecting liquid in a large mixing bowl.
5. Pour solids into a food processor. Discard bay leaf. Puree until smooth.
6. Pour puree from the food processor into the mixing bowl with the broth. Mix until blended.
7. Pour soup into bowls, garnish with sour cream, and serve.

Serves four.