Seasonal Soup

As evidenced by my many posts on the topic, i LOVE soup. There is just nothing like curling up with a big steamy bowl of a comforting soup. Even better is when I can use super seasonal ingredients in them. I decided that this fall and winter I will attempt to work my way through every kind of winter squash I can reasonably get my hands on. Butternut squash is a no brainer; I love it, and use it in everything. Tonight, my squash of choice was acorn squash. I got some inspiration for this soup by poking around some various recipe search engines and coming up with something that worked for me. As usual, I served this with a green salad and homemade lemon vinaigrette and some toasted Italian bread. You'll be happy to know this soup recipe is quick, nutritious, and large; be ready with your Pyrex because you will have leftovers!


ACORN SQUASH AND BEAN SOUP
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-2 leeks, washed and chopped (don't use the tough outer green parts)
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
-5 cups vegetable stock or water
-a bouquet garni* of a few parsley stalks, a few sage leaves, a thyme sprig, a bay leaf, and a few black peppercorns
-1 16 oz. can canellinni beans, drained

-Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
-Add leeks and cook for 7-8 minutes, then add garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3-4 minutes.
-Add the squash to the pot, and cook for about 5 minutes.
-Pour the stock or water in the pot over the vegetables. Place the bouquet garni in the liquid and stir.
-Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the drained beans, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the squash is fork tender.
-Remove the soup from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Put the soup back on the heat to bring up to temperature, and serve, garnished with chopped parsley.

*A note about the bouquet garni. We've all seen the pictures of the cute little bundle of herbs tied up in twine. There is a shortcut. I use loose leaf tea filters. These are just little porous bags you'd normally steep your tea in, but I've found they are perfect for stuffing with herbs and simmering in soups and sauces. Just take out and throw away (or better yet, compost) the package when you're ready to finish the dish. Way easier than trying to tie up a bunch of herbs so none fall out!