Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

 

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup   https://www.acouplecooks.com/lentil-and-butternut-squash-soup/print/17435/

The truth is, I was looking for a soup to make so I could try out my new immersion blender.  Even though this soup didn’t call for one, I used it … and it was mahhhvelous!   It changed the texture to creamy in an instant.  It’ll save me from having to pour soups into the Vitamix to blend.  

This recipe is good, and does include lots of protein and greens, but in terms of taste, I did make quite a few changes.  I doubled the herbs, added a little coriander, celery and a parsnip, and didn’t have enough lentils, so I subbed in some split green peas.  Probably used more salt than called for, and did use lemon at the end.

As written below, these changes are reflected.  It seems this is a recipe worth playing with - will try adding spices from other recipes to add to the depth.  

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4.6 from 7 reviews

This hearty butternut squash lentil soup is a comforting and nutrient dense superfood soup, featuring lentils, kale, and leeks.

• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

SCALE

• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 carrots
• 3 large leeks or 1 large yellow onion (or a combination; 1leek and 1 yellow onion works well)
• (Optional - 1 celery, 1 parsnip)
• 1 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 cups diced; use frozen diced as a time saver)
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale or Swiss chard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt - may need more
• 8 cups vegetable stock (we used 6 cups broth and 2 water)
• 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils (if split green peas are used, cooking time will increase)
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• (2 tsp ground coriander)
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) - improves the taste

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic. Peel and chop the carrots into half moons.
2. Chop the leeks (watch the video!): chop off the dark green stems and the bottom roots, then slice each in half length-wise. Place each leek half cut-side down on the cutting board, then chop it into thin half-moons. Rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove any dirt.
3. Chop the butternut squash (watch the video!): Slice off the neck of the squash and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Peel the base. Slice the base in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice the neck into thin rectangles, then into long slices. Turn the slices the other way and dice. Cut the base into thin slices and then dice into small squares. 
4. Wash and chop the kale (watch the video!). You can also wait to do this step while the soup simmers in Step 6.
5. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil; add the leeks or onions and sauté until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add carrots (optional celery and parsnip) and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
6. Add the squash, vegetable broth, lentils, thyme, oregano, and kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils and butternut squash are soft (taste test a few). In the last few minutes, add the chopped chard and simmer until tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. If desired, stir in the lemon juice. 

Humble Potato Leek Soup

From The Heart of the Plate by Mollie Katzen

Simple and tasty - I had mushrooms and scallions that I wanted to use up, so I added those too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb russet potatoes, peeling optional, into 1 inch chunks

4 cups water

up to 1.25 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 packed cups (~2 lbs) cleaned leek rings, short of 1/4" thick

    (plus ~ 1/2 - 1 cup sliced mushrooms, and one large scallion)

Black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the potato chunks, water and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium-large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very soft, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place another saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute.  Add the OO and swirl, then add the leeks and another 1.2 tsp salt and cook.  Stir for a minute or two, then lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring for 5-8 minutes.  Cover and cook over low heat for another 5-8 minutes, or until the leeks are very soft. 

3. Add the potatoes and all their cooking water to the leeks, along with black pepper to taste.  Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the soup sit for about 15 minutes to develop the flavor. Somewhere in there, taste to adjust the salt. 

4. You can now reheat the soup and serve as is or puree some of it with an immersion blender and reheat.  Serve hot.  Note - I didn't  care for the way it looked, so I blended all of it, in batches, in my Bullet, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

Vegetable broth from scratch - FOK course

 

This was remarkably delicious.  The vegetables have absolutely no taste at the end, even the garlic and tomatoes. I salvaged the carrots, which also were pretty tasteless, but I hate wasting food.  So I had them with a mustard sauce that was leftover from a whole roasted cauliflower dish, also from FOK.  

The broth came to about 4-5 cups.  I made 1.5 times the recipe because I needed 6 cups.

I used the  broth to make the cabbage soup for the course (task 138) and it was very good.  Vinegar and pepper make it hot and sour.  

Ingredients:

• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 
• 1/2 head celery, chopped 
• 2 large onions, chopped 
• 8-10 oz leek, white and green parts, chopped 
• 3 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled 
• 1 tsp black peppercorns 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 qt cold water 
• 1/4 cup sun–dried tomatoes 
• 1 small handful of fresh parsley 
• a few sprigs of thyme 

Directions:

First, gather and prepare your mise en place.

To start the stock, add all ingredients to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Allow to gently simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

I let it go for 90 minutes, as the taste kept developing throughout. 

When it's done, let it cool for 15-20 minutes, then run it over a strainer and remove all the vegetables.  Most need to be discarded / composted, but I did use the carrots the next day, as I noted above.