Winter Soup

So, did you have a big "Nor'easter"? Well, I did. When I look at the big pile of snow in front of my house or better yet the sheet of ice on my sidewalk, it just plain old makes me shiver! I decided to do something about this. At my 4th cooking lesson, I made Spiced Squash, Pear, and Fennel Soup. This soup was extraordinary. It was so good that it and the lentil soup are my favorite soups. You know, the Lentil soup that I begged you to try.  Yes, now I am making you try this! This is this good. I let my aunt try some of this soup, and she said "Wow! The flavors are so complex!" I am sure you are saying "What does that mean?" But after you taste the squash and pear flavors, the last flavor in your mouth is a citrus flavor thanks to the orange peel (!) in this soup. In fact, this soup is so good that I am eating it while I am posting. That never happens. One thing I did in advance was while the squash was roasting, I cut all the vegetables (and trust me, there are a lot!). After, I just had to put the vegetables in in the soup. One way I ate this soup was with crusty bread. It was really good and I used the bread like a spoon, scooping up the soup with the bread. Make sure, you roast the squash before cooking it because it boosts the vegetable's flavor. It also makes it easier to peel. 

These are the vegetables after I chopped them all while my squash was roasting

So...here is the recipe that I am insisting that you try. Please, just try the soup. I am sure that it will become one of your favorite soups too!


Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup (Around My French Table)
Makes 6-8 servings

• About 3 pounds of squash, such as Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Acorn, or Butternut (If you are using peeled squash, count on 1 1/2 pounds)
• About 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• 1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 spring onion or 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, tough core removed, and sliced
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly slices
• 1 large garlic clove, split, germ-removed, and sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper
• 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 2 strips orange or tangerine peel, pith removed (pith is the white part underneath the skin)
• 1-2 lemons

                                                       OPTIONAL:

• Creme fraiche or heavy cream (for serving)
• Toasted salted pumpkin seeds (for serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. If you’re using a whole squash, cut it in half, scoop out the innards and rub the exposed flesh with a little olive oil. If you are using peeled and cut squash, just toss it with a little oil. Sprinkle the squash with a pinch of salt and put it on the baking sheet, and slide it in the oven. Whole squash will need to roast for 60 to 75 minutes, cut squash for about 45 minutes. With either, trust your knife, not the clock: when you can pierce the flesh easily, it’s ready to come out of the oven. As soon as the squash is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into cubes, about 2 inches on each side.

This is my squash before I roasted it

3. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat, then stir in the onions, Spanish and spring (or shallot). Season lightly with salt and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions start to soften but not color. Add the fennel, celery, garlic and a pinch more salt and cook, stirring often, for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but still pale. Stir in the ginger, cumin, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then add the roasted squash. Pour in 5 cups of broth, increase the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the soup simmers gently; add the pears and the orange peel. Partially cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pears and squash are soft enough to be mashed with the back of a spoon.

These are onions cooking

4. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or a food processor or use a soup-wand (also known as an immersion blender). Taste for salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick for you, stir in up to one more cup of broth and reheat until hot.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with a little lemon juice, or serve lemon wedges. Garnish with the cream and pumpkin seeds, if you like.

This is the soup fresh out of the pot

This is one way to enjoy the soup--with crusty bread