Hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup from Kale Junkie

K made this soup and we've loved and made it a bunch ever since.  I want to share it because it's a great soup that HAPPENS to be vegan/vegetarian as written.  (And actually, it's also listed as dairy-free and grain-free as well, but I'd check your broth/bouillon to be sure.) Sure, we often add parmesan and/or ham/sausage but those are easy to put on the side if you're bringing for a potluck. I'll put the original link but also put it here with notes and so I can easily find the ingredients!

https://kalejunkie.com/hearty-tuscan-white-bean-soup/

• ¼ Cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
• ▢1 Small Onion, diced
• ▢2 Medium Shallots, chopped
• ▢4 Cloves Garlic, mashed
• ▢2 Carrots, chopped into coins (or smaller if you'd prefer - I usually do)
• ▢2 Celery Stalks, diced
• ▢3 15 Ounce Cans Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢2 Bay Leaves
• ▢1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• ▢5-6 Cups Vegetable Broth [I use Better Than Bouillon's vegetable.]
• ▢½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
• ▢¼ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• ▢3 Cups Fresh Spinach [We have also used kale but cut/tear quite small. It's sturdier and gives more texture but make it little so it's not overwhelming/difficult to eat.]
• 
  

Instructions 

• To make this soup, start by heating the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, on the stove, over medium-low heat.

• Next, dice the onion, garlic, and shallots and add them to the hot oil. Stir and sauté them for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

• Then, wash and chop the carrots and celery and add them to the pot. Sauté for another 7-10 minutes – this is really important to ensure that the flavors build.

• Prepare the beans. Rinse and drain the cannellini beans, and add them to the pot along with the bay leaves, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper.

• Bring the soup mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

• Next, remove the cover to pull out and discard the bay leaves.

• Then, blend the soup. Transfer two cups of the soup to a high-speed blender and blend until it's thick and creamy. [I just use our stick immersion blender until I'm happy with the consistency.]

• Once the soup is blended, return it to the pot and stir generously.

• Finally, add in the spinach and stir until it's wilted. [If you're using kale, it'll need a little longer/more heat to soften.]

• Once the soup is done, transfer it into bowls. Garnish it with fresh chopped parsley, if desired, serve with crusty bread, and enjoy!

We will often cook some sausage in with the onion or add little ham pieces in at the end. Parmesan is also delicious on it! I'm bringing this to Lent soup supper at church on Wednesday and I'll bring diced ham and Parmesan to have on the side for people to add as desired, but I will label it that the soup itself is vegan and grain-free.

NOTE: Double for crockpot, but 4 for nesco!

Jamie Oliver's Leek and Potato Soup

We like this classic soup found in Cooking Light magazine (Jan/Feb 2010), even though it's a brothy, not creamy version. Pusher, maybe it'll work for you... or at least provide a starting point for experimentation.

2 leeks (about 1 lb.)
6 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (Of course, I used Better than Bouillon; if you were vegetarian, you could sub in your favorite veg broth.)
2 Tbl. olive oil
3 c. coarsely chopped onion (about 1 lb.)
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. cubed, peeled Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

1. Remove roots, outer leaves, and tops from leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Immerse in cold water; swirl. Drain.*

2. Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. [Ok, maybe it's just me, but I'd start the broth heating and then work on the leeks to save time.]

3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, carrot, celery & garlic. Partially cover, and cook 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender; stirring occasionally. Add hot broth and potato; return to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in pepper and salt. Serve chunky or puree with an immersion blender or in a blender. Yield: 8 servings (serving size; about 1 1/4 c.)


Calories: 130; Fat 3.6g (sat 0.5g, mono 2.5g, poly 0.4g); Protein 3.4g; Carb 21.5g; Fiber 2.9g; Chol 0mg; Iron 1.3mg; Sodium 443mg; Calc 42mg


*I like to clean/wash my leeks by cutting off the roots, removing the tough outer leaves, and trimming the top very green parts off. Then I do cut them in half lengthwise as stated in this recipe, but then I pop them in a sink of water and/or rinse them out as needed. I find that washing/rinsing them like this, almost as a half-a-scroll, gives the water a chance to get into the leek, but it's not as hassle-some as cutting them all into bits first. THEN I cut them crosswise into slices.

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

Yes, yes, I know - another recipe from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002. I can't help it - it has a lot of yummy ones in it. I needed a recipe for soup that used chicken broth and leftover chicken from a whole one I'd made earlier in the week. As a bonus, I used up the leftover not-crispy-like-it-was-supposed-to-be Potatoes-Anna I'd made the day before instead of chopping & peeling new potatoes. AND I happened to have a package of 3 bacon slices in the freezer, which totally isn't enough for a meal, but perfect for this recipe!

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

2 [or 3!] bacon slices
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces [or sub in leftover chicken or turkey]
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [I used broth from our basic one-pot chicken, which had been cooked with sweet potatoes so it was especially lovely and rich!]
1 3/4 c. chopped peeled red potato [or if you've got leftover cooked potatoes, chop them up and use those.]
2 1/4 c. frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. 2% low-fat milk
3/4 c. (3 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese [sharp gives more flavor]
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble; set aside. Add chicken [if raw], onion, bell pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; saute 5 minutes. Add broth and potato [if raw], and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add corn; stir well. [If you're using leftover chicken and/or potatoes, I'd add them at this point.]

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; add to soup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheddar cheese, salt and black pepper. Top with crumbled bacon.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 c.)
[If made as originally described...]Calories: 306 (22% from fat); Fat 7.5g (sat 4g, mono 2.2g, poly 0.6g); Protein: 25g; Carb 33.7g; Fiber 2.9g; Chol 58mg; Iron 1.6mg; Sodium 376mg; Calc 193mg

Irish (Lamb) Stew

I have been assured that what makes Irish Stew so awesome is its simplicity. So this is really straightforward, and I must say, it's pretty damn good that way.

3 lbs. lamb, cubed
1/2 cup onions, sliced
6 medium potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 or 3 white turnips, peeled and cubed

Lightly dredge lamb in flour, salt and pepper. Brown in cast iron pan, transfer to soup pot. In same cast iron, cook onion until softened and golden, transfer to pot with lamb. Add boiling liquid just to cover. (If I get a bone-in piece of lamb, I do a quick stock for this part by breaking the bone open and boiling it with onion, celery and carrot then straining; otherwise you can use broth or even — per the recipe — water.) Cover pot, simmer on low for two hours. Add veg, cook 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Thicken if necessary, but I just try to adjust the heat on the veg-cooking part to reduce the liquid to the appropriate thickness.

Beef and Guinness Stew

I made this recipe from the current (March 2010) Cooking Light magazine last night. It was good, but I got a little much oil in when I was going to cook the onions, so it was a tish oily. The raisins add a touch of sweetness, I think, but it is a bit of a surprise when you come across one in your stew. I didn't cook it as long as they recommend (and didn't boil the meat at all - doesn't that make it tough/dry?) and it was still great. I like my vegetables not completely mush, so didn't boil the last 10 minutes either. Still, allow for the afternoon to make this, then just turn it down to low and let it simmer 'til you want it.

Also, I'd bet you could saute the beef, then throw it all in the slowcooker & leave it cooking low & slow for a long time. If you try that, let us know how it turns out.

Also, who'd'a thunk my girls would go nuts for raw parsnips! I gave 'em a taste so they could see what it was like & they begged for a bowlful. *shrug* Go, nonstandard veggies! :)

Beef and Guinness Stew

2 Tbl. canola oil, divided
1 Tbl. butter, divided
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. salt, divided
5 c. chopped onion (about 3 onions) [I did 2 small-med ones & it was less than 5 c., but fine.]
1 Tbl. tomato paste [Thought I had some in freezer, but couldn't find. Squeezed in a little ketchup instead.]
4 c. fat-free, less-sodium beef broth [For me - 4 c. hot water & ~4 tsp. beef Better-Than Bouillon - it's great stuff!]
1 (11.2 oz) bottle Guinness Draft
1 Tbl. raisins
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. (1/2" thick) diagonal slices carrot (about 8 oz.) [about 4 good-sized carrots]
1 1/2 c. (1/2" thick) diagonal slices parsnips (about 8 oz.) [1-2 parsnips, discovered my girls love raw parsnip, so I had less for stew!]
1 c. (1/2") cubed, peeled turnip (about 8 oz.) [1 medium]
2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley [Oh, guess I forgot this one.]

1. Heat 1 Tbl. oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp. butter to pan. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef w. 1/2 tsp. salt; dredge beef in flour. Add half of beef to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 Tbl. oil, 1 1/2 tsp. butter, and beef.

2. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and beer, sraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return meat to pan. STir in remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, raisins, caraway seeds, and pepper; bring to a boil.

3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. [I skipped this boiling step for time & because I thought it would make the meat tough.] Add carrot, parsnip, and turnip. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil; cook 10 minute or until vegetables are tender. [Again, I didn't boil mine as I don't like veg that are completely mushy.] Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 8 servings (about 1 c.)


Calories: 365; Fat: 19.4 g (sat 6.8g, mono 8.6g, poly 1.7g); Protein: 25.3g; Carb 18.8 g; fiber 3.6 g.; Chol 62 mg; Iron 2.6 mg; Sodium 454 mg; Calc 52 mg

Ratatouilli

This is yummy and makes a lot. Uses one eggplant!

1 Eggplant
4 Zucchini
1-2 onions
3-4 Green Peppers
1 Jalapeno
3 cans Diced Tomatoes (Italian Style - Basil, Oregano, Garlic)
1 can small Black Olives
3-4 cloves Garlic Minced
2 T. Chicken base

Saute garlic in Olive Oil. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 1-1.5 hours until tender. Top with Parmesan Cheese

Chicken & Corn Summer Chowder

This is my first recipe post and I've been sitting on this soup for awhile now, I didn't know if I'd be breaking rules by posting soup in the breakfast month. However, Big D has now had this soup and has demanded that I post it to Recipeeps.

I keep reading Tweets, Facebook statuses and Blogs about spring arriving in the Midwest, so I thought perhaps you'd all like to try this chowder that we make year round here! It's not nearly as heavy as the chowder's I'm used to having back home. I'm a soup lover and this one is now in my top ten!

2 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons flour
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (from a 2 ½ - 3 lb. roasted chicken)
3 cups sweet corn (approx kernels cut from 3 ears of corn)
¼ - ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Topping:
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges
Freshly ground black pepper


In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders and meat starts to brown. Add onion, reduce heat to medium, and cook until soft (about 3 minutes). Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, until flour smells cooked (you should get a whiff of baked piecrust) but hasn’t started to brown (about 3 minutes).

Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to keep mixture simmering and cook until potatoes are barely tender (about 5 minutes). Add chicken and corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream to taste. Heat through (about 2 minutes).

Serve in soup bowls, garnished with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, fresh lime juice, and pepper to taste

Ratatouille

This is between a soup and a stew. It will cook down. We usually serve it in a bowl. It makes a HUGE batch and lasts along time.

Ratatouille
1 Eggplant
4 Zucchini
1-2 onions
3-4 Green Peppers
1 Jalapeno
3 cans Diced Tomatoes (Italian Style - Basil, Oregano, Garlic)
1 can small Black Olives
3-4 cloves Garlic Minced
2 T. Chicken base
Saute garlic in Olive Oil. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 1-1.5 hours until tender.
Top with Parmesan Cheese

Crockpot - Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 C Salsa
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pound chicken breasts cut into cubes
2 C frozen whole kernel corn
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 soup can water
1 tsp ground cumin
4-6" tortillas cut into small strips
1/3 C fresh cilantro leaves
Stir salsa, soup, chicken corn beans, water, and cumin in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked through
Stir the tortillas, 1C cheese and cilantro into the cooker. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more. Serve with additional cheese, sour cream, and I like Frito chips.

I have not made this yet but it came from a good friend in our cooking club. Thought I would give it to everyone right away to try.

Crockpot - Taco Soup

Taco Soup
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 cans whole kernel corn, undrained
2 cans ranch-style or chili beans, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
Crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas, warmed
In a Dutch over or large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, beans and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Place tortilla chips in soup bowls; ladle soup over chips. Spinkle with cheese. Serve with warmed tortillas.
(I often put the browned beef and all other ingredients in my crockpot and let simmer in there.)

Crockpot - Potato Chowder

Potato Chowder
8 cups diced peeled potatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cans (14 ½ ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
½ pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
snipped chives, optional
In a slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired. Yield 12 servings (3 quarts)
I added some extra pepper, parsley, and oregano.

Harira

This recipe is slightly adapted from Emeril on Foodnetwork.com. I thought his version could use more of the warm spices and less cilantro. (Of course, I'm not a big cilantro fan, so maybe I'm wrong about that. :-)) Anyway, it smells lovely, makes good winter comfort food, and has lots of good-for-you ingredients. I'll definitely be making it again. (It also makes quite a lot and I suspect it would freeze pretty well!)

Harira (Morroccan Chicken, Chickpea, and Lentil Stew)

1/4 pound dried chickpeas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (including juice)
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 pound dried green lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Split Pea Soup

This started with the classic Joy of Cooking, but I think I've got almost more notes written on the sides of it than the length of the recipe itself, so it's rather highly adapted. As you can tell, it's a very adaptable, forgiving, non-exact recipe!

1 c. split peas
4-6 c. chicken broth (or water + chicken bouillon*)
1-2 c. chopped ham and/or a bone and/or whatever leftover ham you've got
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
spices as desired - maybe some rosemary, a bay leaf, pepper...
a couple of carrots, sliced into coins
a couple of potatoes, diced into middlish small chunks
some oil/butter


1. Rinse the peas and make sure there are no stones or junk. Simmer them in a big pan with the chicken broth for like an hour, or until they're soft. Pour most of the soup in the blender and blend until smoothish. You could do it all, but I like a little texture. If you've got one of those immersion blender thingies, it'd work great. Stir in the Worchestershire (for the umami, you know) plus any spices you'd like. If it seems a little thick, just thin it down a bit with water or more stock.

2. In a separate pan, (at any time during this process), saute up the carrots until tender, set aside, and do the same with the potatoes. If you've got leftover roasted or baked potatoes (or carrots for that matter), just cut them up and use those instead with no need to cook 'em.

3. Once the peas are blended, add in the carrots, potatoes, and ham pieces, and put on low heat at least until heated through, but you can let it simmer for hours. If you've got a ham bone, I'd throw it in now and just let it all simmer for a long time, later taking it out and trying to cut off some of the meat.




I've also done this in the slow cooker, putting the peas and broth in on high for a few hours (4?) or until they were so mushy I didn't even have to blend them. Then I added in the pre-cooked carrots and potatoes and ham and turned it to low and let it simmer until supper.


*I now swear by "Better than Bouillon" after using it at my mom's because it actually tastes like soup not just salt.

Homemade Egg Noodles

Once again, here's a recipe I got from my mom, but I've adapted it a little bit here and there. Fall is just such a "soup" time for me, so I thought I'd share this one. Diplowhat, maybe these will work for you since you can't find your thick, frozen egg noodles out there. Mr. Kluges loves these noodles in homemade chicken noodle soup.

Note: These need to be made at least a day ahead of time to allow for drying time, but can easily be made weeks ahead and kept in the freezer until needed. 1 batch of noodles is usually enough for 2 batches of soup. This are not a recipe to do if you're in a hurry because the rolling out takes a fair amount of time, as does laying out the noodles to dry.

Homemade Egg Noodles

2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 - 1/4 c. water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, then make a well in the center. Add the 3 yolks and 1 egg to the center and mix - first with spoon, then with hands to thoroughly mix in the egg. It will end up kind of crumbly.

Gradually add the water 1 Tbl. at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. (Once you've made it a few times, you can do a little more at once at the beginning, but too much water will wreck it beyond repair, so be careful.) Add only enough water to form dough into a rough ball.

Turn dough onto a well-floured (or well-floured, cloth-covered) board or table. Knead about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover, let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 2-3 parts and roll out one part at a time until it's paper thin, keeping remaining dough covered. To make it easier to cut into strips, gently fold the rolled-out dough sheet over into thirds. Cut the dough the short way into narrow strips (1/4" or LESS). Shake out the strips and place on a towel or wire rack or floured cutting board to dry. Repeat with remaining dough. Mom says to let them dry about 2 hours; I say 4 hours to overnight.

When dry, break strips into smaller pieces if desired. Store in a baggie in the freezer until needed. No need to thaw before using.

To use: Add to boiling or nearly boiling soup and cook to desired doneness. This past week I made soup in the slow cooker and added them to that about an hour before it was supposed to be done and that worked fine. Mom's recipe says you can cook them in 3 quarts boiling salted water 12-15 minutes, then drain thoroughly if you don't want to cook them in soup, but I've never tried that. If you do, let us know how it goes in the comments, ok?

Note: These noodles swell up a LOT when cooked, so cut them thinner than you think you should at the beginning and they'll probably be nice and thick once cooked. If you have leftover soup, don't be surprised if the noodles soak up even more of the broth and it gets a little more casserole-y and the noodles get even bigger.

Wednesday Fun #6 - Favorite Soup

Brrr! It's getting cold out. Just the right kind of weather for soup! I made wild rice soup already this week and I think I'll be making chicken soup with homemade noodles very soon! (Because Pumpkin and I made the noodles yesterday and it's one of Mr. Kluges's favorites.)

What's your favorite kind of soup on a chilly fall or winter day?

(That is, if you like soup, 'cuz not everybody does, you know.)

Butternut Squash Soup with Curried Horseradish Cream

Pusher was talking about squash on her blog, and it made me remember that I'd previously posted a recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Curried Horseradish Cream. It's such a fall food that I thought I'd repost it here. Enjoy!

It's sounds spicy, but it's really not (or not the way I make it - you could of course up the spices yourself). Don't skip the horseradish cream - it adds a lot in terms of richness and flavor.


Butternut Squash Soup with Curried Horseradish Cream
(serves 6)

1 butternut squash
1 cooking apple
2 Tbl. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tsp. curry powder
3 3/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2/3 c. apple juice
salt & pepper
curry powder, to garnish

Curried Horseradish Cream
4 Tbl. double cream [Regular cream is fine.]
2 tsp. horseradish sauce
1/2 tsp. curry powder

1. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and chop the flesh. Peel, core and chop the apple.

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan [or Dutch oven]. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the curry powder. Cook to bring out the flavor, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock, squash, apple, and sage. [I usually add the sage later with the apple juice since it's fresh, but I'd definitely add in ground/dried now if that's what you're using.] Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the squash and apple are soft.

4. Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream. Whip the cream in a bowl until stiff, then stir in the horseradish sauce and curry powder. Cover and chill until required.

5. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. [Or just mash in the pan with a potato masher if soft enough - much less cleanup!] Return to the clean pan [I don't know if they expect you to wash it before putting the same stuff back in, but that' s just crazy.] and add the apple juice, with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently, without allowing the soup to boil.

[You could probably keep it warm on low in a slow cooker, but I've never tried. If you do, and it works, leave a comment and tag it, ok?]

6. Serve the soup in individual bowls, topping each portion with a spoonful of horseradish cream and a dusting of curry powder. Garnish with a few lime shreds, if you like.

Enjoy!