Butternut squash, Kale and Pancetta soup

Nothing I like more than a comforting, warming, delicious chunky soup this time of year.

It makes use of seasonal vegetables (squash and kale) and I love the flavor combo of smokey, salty pancetta and creamy cannellini beans. This recipe can also be kept vegetarian by switching chicken stock to vegetable stock. For a vegan option, I would substitute butter for olive oil, and pancetta with a teaspoon of miso or half a teaspoon of marmite.

Try this soup, you will love it!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):

- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced relatively finely (about 1/4 inch cubes)

- 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 bunch of kale, remove the stalks and grossly chopped

- 1 cup onion, diced finely (1 medium onion should do)

- 1 cup carrots, diced finely

- 1 cup celery, diced finely

- 4 oz cubed pancetta

- 1 sprig of fresh thyme (dry works fine too)

- 2 tbsp butter

- 12 cups liquid (I used 8 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water)

RECIPE:

- in a deep stockpot, melt the butter and fry the pancetta over medium-high heat until crispy and golden

- add the carrots, celery and onion (this flavor base is also called a mirepoix) and the sprig of thyme.  Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta drippings have been deglazed from the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes)

- after 5 minutes, add the cubed squash, stock and water and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is almost cooked through

- add the kale and beans, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is cooked to your taste

- Enjoy!

Butternut squash soup and sage brown butter drizzle

After a nice and cozy afternoon spent decorating my Christmas tree and playing around in the first snow flakes of the season, I was happily tired and I was not in the mood for a full fledged cooking session.
Rather, I was craving a quick and easy hearty creamy soup. I had a butternut squash and a few sage leaves lying around (Thanksgiving groceries leftovers) , and came up with this in a matter of minutes.

So easy, give it a try!



Ingredients (for 2):
for the sage butter:
- 10 sage leaves
- 1/2 stick of butter (4tbsp)
- salt
for the soup:
- 1tbsp butter
- 1 shallot (onion works fine), finely chopped
- 1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced  in 1-inch cubes
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer to keep this recipe vegetarian)

Recipe: 
- make the sage butter first: melt the butter in a pan and fry the sage leaves until brown and the butter is a beautiful golden brown.

Drain the leaves on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Reserve the butter in a small bowl.

- in a large soup pot, melt the butter and fry the shallot until soft and translucent.

- add the butternut squash and broth and bring to a boil. Cook until the squash is fork tender (about 20 minutes).

- with an immersion blender, puree the squash until creamy and smooth.

- serve with a slice of cereal bread, sourdough or (in my case) a whole wheat grilled tortilla. Drizzle the sage butter with a teaspoon on top of the soup. Decorate with a couple of fried sage leaves.

Bon app!

Winter roots and squash gratin

So..... Today I am going to a late "Halloween/day of the Dead" potluck dinner with my colleagues. I decided to tweak a french staple: the Gratin Dauphinois.

I decided to use whatever winter veggies were sleeping in my fridge, and ended up using potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips and turnips.

This recipe is dead simple. No pun intended ;)

Here goes:

INGREDIENTS (about 10 servings as side dish, 6 servings as vegetarian entree):

- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 huge turnip (same size as a rutabaga)
- 1 medium yukon gold potato
- 1 medium parsnip
- 1 small carton of whipping cream (I would normally use heavy cream, but that's all there was left at the supermarket today)

- a splash of milk
- about 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (it really does make a difference to use this nutty-flavored delicious cheese in stead of cheddar or mozzarella. If you can, splurge! -it's not that expensive-)

- grated nutmeg (fresh is better, but already ground is fine too)

- salt, pepper

RECIPE:

- preheat the oven at 350F (~175C).
- wash, peel and quarter all veggies.

- using a mandolin, cut the vegetables in thin slices (~2mm thick).

Be very careful with the mandolin and protect your fingers with the guard. I promise that this is really the ONLY way to go with a mandlin. I recently discovered what it feels like to be a veggie going through that blade, and I do not recommend it... Lost the fingerprint and sensitivity on my right ring finger :(

- Put the vegetables in a thin layer on the bottom of a dish. Add salt, pepper, a little bit of nutmeg and some cheese.

Add another layer of veggies, salt, pepper and cheese. No nutmeg on that second layer. Then repeat layers only adding nutmeg every other layer (I find that if I add nutmeg on every layer, it becomes overpowering). Finish with a nice layer of grated cheese on top.

- Pour the cream and milk on top of the veggies.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

- Enjoy!