I eat with my eyes first. This soup was born out of a beautiful orange and green kabocha squash, tender young fennel with long grassy fronds and deep red peppers.
BT's Kabocha Squash Soup With Fennel And Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
Ingredients:
For Soup:
One medium sized kabocha squash (acorn or pumpkin are good substitutes)
1 medium leek - white and light green parts only
3 small young fennel bulbs
2 medium carrots
2 small ribs celery and leaves
1 small potato
1 ripe fruit (pear, persimmon, apple, quince)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red chili
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 teaspoon fresh turmeric - grated
1 teaspoon fresh ginger - grated
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lemon - juice and rind
Fennel fronds
1 small bunch mint
1 small bunch fresh parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
6 cups (1.5 l) filtered water
For Roasted Red Pepper Coulis: (optional)
1 large cubanelle red pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
For Soup:
Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C.)
Pierce skin of squash in several areas around stem
Place squash in baking dish and roast for 45 minutes
Remove squash and let cool before removing skin and seeds
Reserve roasted squash
Thoroughly clean leek and rough chop
Seed and chop fruit
Peel carrots and potato and rough chop
Dice celery
Rough chop fennel
Cut chili in rings - include veins and seeds
Add oils to heavy gauge cocotte and put flame on medium
Add coriander, both gingers and turmeric to pot
Sauté 1 minute
Add leek, fennel, celery and chili
Sauté 2 minutes
Reduce flame to low
Add garlic and fruit and salt and continuing sautéing until contents are entirely wilted
Boil water and add to pot
Add squash, carrots, potatoes, fresh thyme and bay leaves
Bring soup to boil
When soup is boiling, lower flame and let simmer for 20 minutes
Remove soup from heat
Discard thyme and bay leaves
Purée soup with wand blender
Wash mint and fennel fronds and parsley
Remove stems
Zest lemon
Squeeze lemon juice
Combine juice, herbs and sugar in a small bowl and blend for 2 seconds - rough chop
Add herb mixture to puréed soup
Add several grinds black pepper
For Roasted Red Pepper Coulis:
Set pepper over open flame and char (until skin is black) on all sides
Place pepper in plastic bag and leave for 5 minutes to soften outside peel
Using your hands, roll the pepper inside the bag back and forth until peel is removed
Deseed and stem the pepper and add to bowl
Add garlic and salt and purée
Drizzle oil into pepper mix
Place in jar and refrigerate
To Serve:
Serve soup cold, at room temperature or hot
Add labne, herbs, red pepper coulis
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
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