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Vegetarian recipe from "The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between"
So I’m wandering the farmers’ market, crunching leaves underfoot, smelling that wonderful fireplace smell, and admiring all the glorious produce.
And I’m thinking that nothing, but nothing, goes better with a snap in the air then a bowl of warm comfort. But, you know, outside of a very few soups, I’m not really a soup maker. Solution? Clearly, to turn to a cookbook.
And what book would an almost vegetarian turn to? Why one with the word flexitarian in the the cover. Of course!
Flexitarian. What a silly word. It just means almost vegetarian, which I think (of course!) is a far better phrase. But, hey, the concept is the same, which is why I picked up a copy of Peter Berley’s book The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between ($30). And I’m sure glad I did.
Here is the recipe I grabbed. Delicious? Indeed!
Vegetarian recipe: Roasted Squash Potage with Spiced Crème FraîcheSoup
3 pounds winter squash (Kabocha, acorn,or butternut), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
Freshly ground black pepperBouquet Garni
A small handful of celery leaves
3-4 fresh sage leaves
1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
3 whole clovesSpiced Crème Fraîche
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt or kosher salt
Cinnamon, preferably freshly ground, for sprinkling
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnishPreheat the oven to 400 degrees.
For the Soup
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with the oil and season lightly with salt. Spread the squash out and roast, turning several times, until tender and lightly caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.While the squash is roasting, in a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Stir in the ginger and garlic, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice and lowering the heat if necessary to keep the vegetables from browning, until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat if the squash isn’t done.
For the Bouquet Garni
Bundle the ingredients in a square of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine.Add the stock or water, apple cider or juice, and roasted squash to the soup, stirring well. Add the bouquet garni and raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the Crème Fraîche
In a small bowl, combine the creme fraiche or sour cream with 5 or 6 gratings of nutmeg, several grinds of black pepper, and a pinch of salt.Discard the bouquet garni. Pass the soup through the fine holes of a food mill or puree using an immersion blender or, working in batches, in a regular blender. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup if necessary.
Garnish each bowl of soup with a dollop of spiced crème fraîche, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of parsley.
Same great taste for a lot less work
That is a glorious soup. But it’s a lot of work, isn’t it? So I wonder if there are any other recipes, ideal for this time of year? I bet there are. And I’ll make it my job to find one and post it by this Monday. Hey, it’s a great excuse to go back to the farmers’ market!
Comments
3 Responses to “Vegetarian recipe from "The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between"”
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October 30th, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
What a great Fall soup, it really speaks of the season. Didn’t sound all that hard, maybe the hardest part is waiting for it to cook!
November 20th, 2007 @ 11:34 pm
My favourite homemade soup recipe is my own variation on a lentil soup recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I tried a Greek variation, called Fakes (fah-kehs) and liked it a lot, while my husband likes the less Greek kind. It has so many great benefits: the ingredients are inexpensive, it tastes great left over (almost better), is incredibly filling and hearty and contains no meat products. It’s also very healthy and full of protein thanks to the lentils. I love that I can get a huge bag of lentils for a few dollars and make soup six times from it.
First, measure out about three cups of brown lentils and rinse them well. Put them in a pot big enough to hold soup for four people and cover with water about an inch above the lentils. Heat to boiling and boil for ten minutes. Drain the lentils and set them aside.
Next, saute some garlic and onions – if I’m making a big pot of soup to serve two to four and have leftovers, I use maybe a half of a cup to a cup of minced onions (depends on how much you like onions) and one to two tablespoons of minced garlic. Saute in a pan with a tablespoon or so of olive oil until tender.
When that’s done, add the lentils and five or six cups of liquid. That part is really up to you based on how brothy you like your soups. As long as you are using at least a cup or two more water than lentils, the lentils will cook just fine. If the soup is starting to look dry, add some more liquid. I use a vegetarian imitation chicken boullion, but you can use vegetable stock, real chicken broth or just water and the taste shouldn’t be too different. I usually do half water and half flavoured liquid.
Add to the pot two or three tablespoons of tomato paste. Again, the amount is up to you depending on how much you like tomatoes.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and for a Greek flavour, use a little less tomato paste and add oregano, bay leaves and rosemary. Just remember to take the bay leaves out before serving (or using ground bay leaves instead).
I usually cook my soup for about forty-five minutes. You can bring it to a boil once the liquid is added, but pre-boiling the lentils makes it possible to just simmer it after adding liquid. I usually just taste test it to see if it’s done, rather than count on a specific amount of time. If the lentils are nice and tender, it’s probably done.
This soup is wonderful with fresh homemade whole wheat bread. To be Greek about it, drizzle with olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar. I really like mine this way, while my husband prefers it without. I do sometimes mix in a little extra olive oil before serving, though (anyway, it’s the vinegar that he really doesn’t like).
I know this isn’t in great recipe form, but since I’ve been making it for awhile and so frequently, I don’t use a recipe anymore…I just do it from memory and throw it together. My husband is a big meat eater and he absolutely loves this soup. He also loves white bread, but will devour half a loaf of my homemade brown bread while eating this soup. It’s a winner especially when it’s cold or dreary outside.
We used to buy canned lentil soup for two dollars a can – two cans would feed two of us. Now I can make a big pot for probably around two dollars and it could easily feed four or five.
My biggest gripe with vegetarian soups is usually that they are so watery and not hearty at all, but this one defies that tradition.
November 21st, 2007 @ 10:46 am
I’m so chilly here and reading this recipe and already feeling warmer, so I’m imagining how wonderful it would be if I were enjoying it instead of just reading about it and now I’m thinking I will, I will.
So thanks for posting!
Cheers.