There are two squash/pumpkin soup recipes in the book already but here I add anther suggestion. I had many volunteer pumpkin and squash this year (I didn’t plant any from seed- they grew out of our compost pile with imported manure from a local farm) and so I am using these vegetables up as fast as I can before they begin to show signs of becoming too ripe. So far I have used them in soups, stews, breads, and pudding.
Roasted Pumpkin and Pepper Soup- serves 4
Wash 2 red and/or yellow peppers (remove labels) – and hold with tongs over a gas flame, or directly on your grill or on a broiler pan to broil inside your oven with the door slightly ajar. Turn frequently to get bubbling on skin all over. Once they are blackened all around, put in paper bag or in bowl covered with plastic wrap so that the enclosed steam will help to remove the skins. Let cool. Cut around the stem and if possible pull out the whole seed knob with it. Gently scrape away the charred skin and remove any seeds that remain. Do not rinse with water or you will lose flavor. These can be made the day before if you like.
note: If you like roasted peppers as much as I do, and use them in everything from salads to sauces to soups, you may want to do up a bunch of peppers at once. Slice the flesh of the cooked peppers when cool and store them in oil in the fridge- they will keep up to 2 weeks. Blot off the oil before using to avoid consuming any extra saturated fats. The oil itself can also be used sparingly for extra flavor when you want some of that smoky sweet essence. Roasted peppers also come bottled in water but they taste twice as delicious when home made.
Ingredients for soup:
2 whole roasted peppers
1 baked squash or pumpkin
1 yellow or white onion
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon dried sage
4 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, nut or rice milk or combination of broth and milk
salt and pepper to taste
Split a pumpkin or squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Roast at 275-300 degrees in baking dish with a half inch of water in the bottom for at least an hour or until soft and the flesh is somewhat browned. Let cool before using.
In a heavy bottomed soup pot, add 1 peeled and sliced yellow or white onion. Saute over medium high heat in 1 teaspoon oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove 3 cups of roasted pumpkin/squash scraped from the peel, and add that and the 2 whole roasted peppers with sage and add liquid- I like ½ broth and ½ nut or rice milk, but you can use all broth if you like. All milk is a little bit more rich if you want that. Blend with stick blender or in food processor or strong blender. Reheat gently. Salt and pepper to taste. (Serve with chopped and broiled or sauteed turkey bacon and a salad for complete meal for 2.)
Leftover baked pumpkin/squash pieces can be eaten in other soups and stews, put in quick breads or mashed and served liked potatoes- or try 1/2 squash/ 1/2 half potato mashed together.