BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CANNELLINI BEANS + GREENS

Is Thanksgiving really next week? No way.


I'm not sharing standard Thanksgiving dinner fare with you today. Instead I wanted to give you a mellow and simple fall soup recipe that could easily serve a crowd of friends and family over the long holiday weekend. You may just want to make a pot of it to have on hand for a soothing non-turkey meal - I love the indulgence of a Thanksgiving spread, but my belly also begs for healthy breaks and this soup does the trick.


We make a pot of beans a week around here and a portion of them always end up in a soup of some sort. P, the kids and I all enjoy the protein kick without the meat. When I found Alice Waters' recipe for White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup the fall flavors appealed to me, but I worried that the soup sounded a bit starchy. Trusting Alice, I went ahead and made the soup and it was delicious and really quite delicate and flavorful. The sweetness of the squash is so nice with the creamy beans and there's plenty of broth to lighten things up. I did add greens to the pot just to give the soup yet another texture and nutritional hit. I used puntarelle because that's what we've got sprouting in our garden. Next time I'll use chard - the tender leaves and mild flavor would be just right here. Keep in mind that you can easily adapt this soup to be completely vegetarian or even vegan by using a good veggie stock instead of the chicken broth.


What are your plans for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday recipes and traditions.

Recipe Note: 

• If you are using dried beans, be sure to soak them the night before. 

Italian Roasted Asparagus and Beets with Garlic-Bean Crostini

When I started Yummy Summer nearly a year ago, I wanted to create a place for sharing recipes. One of the most common conversations I have with friends and family is.....What have you been cooking lately that you really love? Any new ideas?

We all get into ruts in our own kitchens and it is such a joyous relief to tap into the repertoires of food-loving friends. I solicited recipes and many contributed to Yummy Supper in its nascent phase. With life being so busy for everyone, most of my cooking buddies barely have time to get supper on the table, let alone an extra minute to blog. On the other hand, I have found myself completely inspired by cooking new things, revisiting old favorites, and taking endless photos of it all.

Rachel is one of the best cooks I know. Her food is full of soul, love, health, and deliciousness. Anytime she shares a recipe, I know it will be good.

Rach sent me this recipe, and the next day I peeked into my box from Riverdog Farm and look what I found...

Here's Rachie's latest contribution... 

"Here's another recipe taken from Amy Coulter's One-Pot Vegetarian Dishes....  I follow Chez Panisse Vegetables' directions for roasting beets because I think it's easier than peeling them pre-roast, as Coulter suggests, but it does make the recipe two, rather than one pot.  Still, it's easy and yummy.  A great way to eat that lovely asparagus in season!

INGREDIENTS
adapted from Amy Coulter's One-Pot Vegetarian Dishes

• 1 19-oz can or 2 cups cooked cannellini beans
• 3 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons grated Romano cheese
• 2 crushed cloves garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 loaf Crusty Italian Bread (Bay Area GF folks, I suggest fresh bread from Mariposa Bakery)
• 1 large bunch beets, scrubbed and tops removed
• 1 lb. asparagus, tough ends removed
• 4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400.

In food processor, combine beans, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cheese, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Puree until smooth.

Roast beets whole in a covered dish with a splash of water for about 45minutes. Cook until tender when pierced with a fork.  When cool enough to handle, rub off the skins, halve and slice 1/4 inch thick.  Toss with 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar while still warm, allowing beets to sit for 10 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt to taste.

Brush slices of bread lightly with oil and bake on a sheet 5-7 minutes - until lightly toasted.  Shake crumbs off sheet.

Toss asparagus with 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt to taste.  Spread in a single layer on baking sheet and roast until tender about 10 - 15 minutes.

Set the bowl of bean puree in the center of a serving platter with beets, asparagus and lemon slices arranged around it. Our family eats this like an open-faced sandwich.  A little arugula is a nice addition, too."

Thank you Rach for this new recipe. It sounds so good! And another satisfying veggie-laden dish with no meat to be seen. Check out these other tasty recipes that Rachel submitted to Yummy Supper: Lentil Salad and Collard and Rice.

Cheers!

Kale and Butternut Squash Minestrone

I am loving my Riverdog Farm box. Their produce is so gorgeous and it has been surprisingly fun to have my vegetable selection predetermined by them (or by nature I guess you could say.) Instead of going to the market in search of specific ingredients to meet the needs of a particular recipe, the vegetables themselves take the upper-hand. Riverdog's kale and butternut squash were the seeds of inspiration for this hearty veggie stew.

If you've got the space and the weather, I highly recommend keeping a few pots of herbs around. The sage and rosemary came from our garden and I always pluck a few bay leaves from Tilden Park to dry at home. With your own herb pots, you can snip just enough for whatever you are cooking. You save so much money not buying packaged herbs and you gain a ton of flavor.



INGREDIENTS 
adapted from Alice Waters' Art of Simple Food

• 1 cup dried Cannellini or Borlotti Beans (or 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked beans)
• 1/ 4 cup olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, dried
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups water
• 1 14 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped (an unexpected treat from Riverdog)
• 1 large bunch kale, stems removed, and roughly chopped
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes ( about 2 cups)
• fresh ground pepper
• Parmesan, grated

Soak beans overnight in 4 cups water. Drain. Place beans in sauce pan and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Simmer for 2 hours or so. Add more water if the level gets low. Salt and set aside tender beans.

In a dutch oven or stew pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Add bay, sage, rosemary, garlic and salt. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Add chopped kale and tomato (add all the tomato liquid too) and cook another 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups water, simmer 15 minutes.

Add sun dried tomatoes and squash. Cook until tender about 10-15 minutes. When squash is tender, add the cooked beans. Add salt if necessary.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and ground pepper.

Cannellini Bean Soup with Wilted Greens

A hearty white bean soup is the perfect winter meal for me. P and I have tried many recipes over the years and have never found them satisfying. Finally, with this recipe from Alice Waters' always-brilliant Chez Panisse Vegetables, we have found the Cannellini bean soup for us. We had to share with you.

We used two different greens for our soup and doubled what the recipe called for. I bought some vibrant dandelion greens at Monterey Market and we grew these stunningly dark and delicate mustard greens in our backyard. It feels good to finally be able to eat something from our sleepy winter garden.




INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 small carrot, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cup dried Cannellini beans (or Great Northern Beans)
• one chunk of prosciutto
• 2 medium tomatoes (we used cherry tomatoes instead)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 bunch spicy greens: dandelion, mustard, arugula, turnip... (Waters only called for one bunch of greens, but I think this soup can handle two.)
  
• olive oil
• dozen sage leaves
• Parmesan cheese, shaved
  

Submerge beans in water and soak overnight.

In your soup pot, cook carrots, onions, and garlic with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of water. Stew until translucent. Add soaked beans, bay, prosciutto and cook a few more minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook a few more minutes. (Waters calls for the tomatoes to be peeled and seeded. We skipped this step and the soup was still delicious.)


Add chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/4 hour until beans are cooked through but not falling apart. (We needed to cook our beans longer than this because they were still underdone.)

Meanwhile remove the stems from greens and cut leaves into 1 inch strips. When beans are cooked, add the chopped greens, and simmer for another 10-20 minutes until greens are tender. Remove prosciutto and discard. Salt soup to taste.

While greens are cooking, in another pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and quickly fry sage leaves. Set them aside on a piece of paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Top the finished soup with fried sage leaves, Parmesan shavings, and freshly ground pepper.

Serves 6