What’s in Season: Pumpkin Soup

You don't have to love fruits and vegetables to take advantage of the local farmer's market. Do it to support local business and farmers; do it if reducing your carbon footprint is a concern to you, or do it to try a new recipe using produce you can certain of its freshness and quality. This month's featured ingredient is everyone's favourite gourd the pumpkin. More than a Halloween decoration and a pie filling, pumpkins can be boiled, steamed, or roasted, and are an excellent source of beta-carotene. When used as a base for a soup, pumpkin adds a savoury smoothness that will warm you up on these chilly fall evenings, making this recipe a perfect meal to have before or after trick-or-treating.

Ingredients:

1 sugar pumpkin
1.4 L chicken stock
120 mL heavy whipping cream
7.5 g salt
5 g chopped fresh parsley
150 g chopped onion
2.5 g chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
5 whole black peppercorn

1.  Preheat the oven to 165 °C. Cut the pumpkin in half from stem to base, then remove the pulp and the seeds (save and roast them for a bonus treat). Cover each half with foil, and bake in the oven, foil side up, for one hour, or until they are tender.
2.  Scrape the pumpkin meat from the shell halves and puree it in a blender. Strain everything to remove any remaining stringy pieces, and set aside 4 cups worth of the puree. The rest can be stored in the freezer in freezer safe bags.
3.  On the stove, heat the chicken stock, pumpkin puree, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and peppercorns to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.
4.  Puree the soup in small batches using a food processor or blender. Return everything to the saucepan, and again bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, then pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Soup of the Day

Last Wednesday Ottawa was hit with another blast of snow and ice after a winter full of them. Hopefully, that was the last of the polar vortex, but just in case, I've decided to stock up and make some hearty soups for any remaining chilly nights. I've decided some on white bean and garlic soup and a basic chicken stock so I can make a quick chicken soup in the future, and some creamy goodness in the near future. So Old Man Winter, do your worse- but spring can hurry up and make an appearance anytime now.

Ingredients: White Bean and Garlic soup
2 cups dry white beans
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium yellow onion, diced and sautéed
3 slices French bread, coated in olive oil and toasted on both sides
1/2 head garlic
salt, pepper

1. Soak the beans in water overnight. After soaking, drain the beans, put them in a pot, fill it with water, bring it to a boil, and let everything simmer for at least 15 minutes.
• If you want your beans to be a less musical fruit, be sure to soak and boil your beans. A protein called phytohaemagglutinin causes all that farting and boiling the beans denatured this protein to produce a more silent meal.
2. Remove the beans from the water and put them in a food processor. Add whatever stock you're using, the onion, the French bread, the garlic, and the salt and pepper, then purée until everything is blended.

Ingredients: Chicken stock
1.8 to 2.3 kg. poultry parts (ie. chicken back, neck, and wing bones), or a 1.8 to 2.3 kg. whole bird
cold water
1 unpeeled onion, coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
8 black or white peppercorns
1 bouquet garni

1. Place the poultry parts in a stockpot, and cover them with cold water. Slowly bring everything to a boil.
2. Once at a boil, reduce the heat, simmer for about 30 minutes uncovered, skimming often. Add the vegetables and the spices. Continue simmering and skimming for about 3 to 4 hours.  Add water to cover everything only if necessary.
3. To cool, place the stockpot uncovered in the sink, partially immersed in ice water. Refrigerate covered. The fat that rises is a protective coating, so don't remove it until just before you reheat the stock for serving or use.
   
   Makes about 10 cups, and keeps for about 3-4 days refrigerated, and up to 6 months if frozen.

The recipes featured in this blog came from:

• Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food
• Joy of Cooking

Lunch with pop stars

Until that record deal comes through, this is as close to eating with Beyoncé and JT as any of us are going to get.

The Courthouse's Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

I've been wanting to make a soup for some time now, and when I came across this recipe on the Courtyard Restaurant's website, I figured this past weekend was as good a time as any. I was pleased with the results, I made a very creamy and flavourful soup. Because the recipe made more than what my family and I were willing to eat, I've pared down the recipe, all measurements are assumptions or approximations.

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic, roasted
1.25 heads cauliflower, roasted
2 onions roughly chopped
1.5 stalks celery roughly chopped
1.5 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
0.25 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1/4 L heavy cream

1. Add cauliflower and half of the onions to a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and toss with vegetable oil.  Spread evenly on parchment lined baking sheet and roast in a 450 degree oven until golden brown.  Rotate/toss cauliflower as necessary to prevent uneven browning and burning.
2. Place a head of garlic with its top cut off on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Cover with tinfoil, roast in 450 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes.
3. In a large pot add butter, celery, garlic, and the remaining onions until they become translucent.  Add the roasted cauliflower, onions and garlic to the pot, add water, cream and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until the vegetables are very tender. 
4. Use an immersion blender to puree, then pass through a sieve, or use a blender and blend in small batches.  Return the soup to the large pot and heat to desired temperature. 

Here's how it turned out:

Feel free to leave comments, as it's the only way I'll learn.