Butternut Squash Soup

November 8, 2009.   I made this for Abby the first time she came up to the house.   I'd had some squash from the CSA sitting around, and wanted to make something good for a cool day.    Looks like today is another of those, though the butternut are no longer in season.   Nutmeg and Sage go amazingly well with winter squash.
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2 small/medium butternut squash, halved & seeded
4 cloves of garlic, crushed & peeled
olive oil

Rub each squash half with a garlic clove, drop the clove into the seed cavity, then brush with olive oil.  Roast at 425F for 30 minutes, and then rotate the pan and roast an additional 20 minutes at 350F. Set out to cool.

1/2 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, bias cut
3 medium/small carrots, quartered & diced
2 cloves garlic
olive oil to coat bottom of soup pot
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered thyme
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg
10-15 small-medium fresh sage leaves, chopped
2oz heavy cream
4 cups water
sea salt & pepper to taste

Put onion, celery, carrots, and garlic into a pot with olive oil to sweat, with just a little salt. While the vegetables cook, rough-chop the garlic that was roasted with the squash, and then use a spoon and the back of a knife to scrape the meat from the skin of the squash. When the onions were nice and translucent, add the squash and the water. Then added the herbs & spices, and the cream last. Simmer slowly for an hour or so.

Serve with grated parmessean and toasted ciabatta bread, with a little bit of butter.

Potato Soup

From December 21, 2008.   Potatoes and cream in soup.   It's a good soup that will "stick with you".

For some additional interesting flavor and texture, 5-10 minutes before serving, add ~8oz of imitation (or real) crab meat, or a few chopped-up stalks of broccoli (or both).  
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1T butter
2T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced

~2lbs of golden potatoes, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 cups water

2-3T fresh parsley, chopped
black pepper to taste
1 vegetable bullion cube.

2oz cheddar cheese, grated
2oz monterey jack cheese, grated

In a large pot, got the oil & butter just up to the smoke point, and then added the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and a dash of kosher salt, to help extract water. Sauteed all of those for a bit, and then added the potatoes, water, and cream (in that order). Ten I added the seasonings, and sprinkled the cheese into the pot while stirring. Brought it back to a low simmer and cooked on medium low for about 45 minutes.

Minestrone

From October 26, 2008.   I cooked this for my father and grandmother when they came to visit.  It's a fantastic soup, and it reheats well.   You could probably cut the simmer-time back to 30-45 minutes and have it for a weeknight meal, but it really is better with that extra time.

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Sautee these in 2-3 T of olive oil, and 1/2T of butter, with 1/2t of salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped

Once the vegetables are bright and the onions are translucent, add:
28oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can garbonzo beans
water to rinse both cans out + some more to get it to soup consistency
1 vegetable boullion cube
the leaves from 3 basil plant tops
a large handful of fresh spinach (2-3 oz)
1T dry parsley
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t dry rosemary
1/4 powdered oregano
1t dry marjoram
30 grinds of black pepper
1/2 t liquid smoke
1/2 t apple cider vinegar

Bring it all to a boil, and simmer for a couple of hours, for the flavors to meld.   Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh cornbread from the oven.