Use Danielle’s pro tips to make this soup extra savory

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When it comes to fall and winter, sweetly flavored squash and root vegetables are in full swing at the farmer’s market. Butternut squash, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, cheese pumpkins, kabocha squash and other varieties like delicata and acorn squash are what you’ll find for most of the season and they are a great addition to any Thanksgiving table — especially when a cook’s alchemy turns them into savory soups.

When I was in college in Washington, D.C., one of my favorite soups was made like this: Roast acorn squash, scoop out seeds, place in pot with veggie broth and spices and blend with hand blender.

I still think roasting some of the vegetables ahead of time imparts a wonderful flavor, especially when the orange flesh takes on some deep caramelization. But for those of us who scorn cleaning multiple pots and pans while cooking, confining the process to one pot makes the cooking process way simpler.

Here is an easy soup recipe to warm you up as the holiday season begins.  I’ve included some handy tips to help you along the way.

Butter: Unsalted butter allow your soup to take on a creamy, velvety texture.

Sweating: When you see the word “sweat,” that technique means heat up your aromatics, usually onions and/or other vegetables over a lower heat so that their liquids begin to release. When sweating, you do not want to develop color on the vegetables unless the recipe indicates that. A great way to sweat onions, for example, is in butter over low heat with a lid over the pot. Occasionally lift the lid and stir the mixture to ensure no color has developed on the bottom of the cooking surface.

Deseed later: Cut seeded squash in halves or quarters and rub the outside with oil. You can roast them and then easily remove the seeds and flesh from the skin rather than spending loads of time peeling and scooping.

Easy curried fall vegetable soup
Serves 8-10

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups chopped yellow onion

5 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)

60 oz. assorted root vegetables (sweet potato, butternut squash, turnips, parsnips, carrots, etc. 

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp. mild curry

½ tsp. ground coriander

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

easy curried fall vegetable soup, what's cooking, Danielle Rehfeld
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