A plethora of soups

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Parsnip Pear Soup

You're going to puree everything anyway, so don't worry about how you chop it.

canola or olive oil, for cooking
a blob of butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 ripe pear, chopped (don't peel it)
1 tsp. curry powder
6 cups chicken stock
2 lbs parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 small thin-skinned potato, chopped
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each pepper and nutmeg
1/2 cup half & half

In your soup pot set over medium-high heat, heat a drizzle of oil and spoonful of butter and saute the onion and celery for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the pear and curry and cook a few more minutes.

Add the stock, parsnips, potato, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are very tender. Remove the bay leaf and puree with a hand held immersion blender (or transfer in batches to your blender) until smooth, adding the cream at some point. Serves 6.

Tuscan Baked Bread Soup
adapted from Saveur, Issue #46

canola or olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 celery ribs, thickly sliced
2 thin-skinned potatoes, chopped
1 large bunch swiss chard or kale, ribs removed and leaves torn or
coarsely chopped
1/2 small savoy cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
1 796 mL can plum or diced tomatoes, undrained
1 L chicken or vegetable stock
3 thick slices day-old country-style crusty white bread
1 19 oz (540 mL) can white kidney or navy beans, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a good drizzle of oil over medium heat and saute the onions for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, chard and cabbage. Add tomatoes and stock, cover, and cook for about an hour, until everything is soft.Tear the bread into chunks and add it to the pot, along with the beans. Cool completely and refrigerate.

The next day, preheat oven to 375º. Heat the leftover soup in the casserole in the oven, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 hour. For the last 30 minutes, do not stir; let soup brown lightly. If you like, top it with some Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Ham & Lentil Soup

1 ham bone, with lots of meat left clinging to it
1 chopped onion
3 chopped carrots
half a bunch of celery, chopped whole from the leafy end, including the leaves
1 cup dry green or brown lentils
1 L beef or chicken broth
1 L water
1 bay leaf

Simmer everything in a slow cooker set on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the ham bone and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper (if needed) before serving.

Roasted Beet and Butternut Squash Soup

canola or olive oil, for cooking

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

2-3 beets, tops trimmed

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 cups orange juice

1 L chicken or vegetable stock

1/2-1 cup half & half (optional)

sour cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450F. Spread the squash out on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Wrap the beets individually in foil. Place the sheet in the oven and the beets directly on the rack; roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and turning golden on the edges.

In a medium pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat and saute the onion for a few minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and roasted squash. When they're cool enough to handle, peel and chop the beets; add to the pot along with the orange juice and stock and simmer for about half an hour.

Add the cream, puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender and season with salt to taste. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream. Serves 6.