Soup of the week x 2

As penance for not posting in over a month, I offer 2 new soup recipes.

This week's soup was Sunday Supper Soup.

Skill Level: Easy-Medium (depending on if you make your own meatballs)
Serves: 6
Cooking time: 2+ hours (including simmer time)

3/4 lb turkey or beef mince
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp chopped parsley
2 cups water
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed beef broth
1 large can tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup frozen peas, zucchini or string beans
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1 bay leaf

Prepare meatballs by combining meat through parsley. Shape into balls. In large saucepan, saute meatballs until browned. Drain off fat. Set aside. In same saucepan combine rest of ingredients. Bring to boiling and simmer on low, covered for at least 30 minutes. Add meatballs and simmer for a further 20+ minutes.

Adjustments: I used store bought beef meatballs because I did not have time to order groceries to get the turkey meat delivered. Yes, I have my groceries delivered. That's what happens when your local grocery store is smaller than your house and you have no car. But back to the subject, the meatballs turned out fine but I definitely want to try turkey meatballs next time. Also, I used onion gravy mix not soup, because again, that's what I could get. It was good, not onion-y enough though. And my meatballs never brown properly without breaking up into non-meatball shaped blobs so I lightly browned them then gave up and put in all the liquid (I substituted veggie broth for the water) and let the meatballs boil for 20-30 minutes, THEN I added the rest of the ingredients and let it all simmer on low for like an hour. I didn't put any peas/zukes/etc in because I forgot but we're not really pea people anyway so I'll put zucchini in next time. But not til 20 minutes before serving because I don't like them mushy.

Results: Very yummy. It was a nice tomato-y twist on pot roast. It went really well with the homemade wheat rolls. Nice warm, hearty soup for these cold, gray winter days.

For Christmas Eve dinner we had soup. Mostly because it's my family's tradition but also because I was feeding 11 people (8 of them being guys so I needed lots of easy food) and I just love soup. Obviously. We had Italian Wedding Soup and Roasted Winter Squash Soup. Both are far from the traditional Clam Chowder I always had as a kid on Christmas Eve but I have a feeling that of the 11 people eating, 3 of us would have liked that one. So without further ado...

Roasted Winter Squash Soup

Skill level: Medium
1½ hours | 1 hour prep
SERVES 4 -6

2 lbs butternut squash (acorn, or other winter squashes, etc)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
4 cups chicken stock
salt & fresh ground pepper

Heat oven to 400. Cut the squash in half, seed it, and quarter it. Brush well with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place cut side up in a baking dish and roast until squash is soft and browned at the edges, 45 minutes-1 hour. When squash is tender throughout, scoop flesh from skin and set aside. These steps can be done ahead of time and frozen for later use. Cook onion in butter over medium low heat until soft. Onion should be sweated, not cooked till brown or caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced to nearly dry (about ten minutes). Combine the herbs and spices (thyme through fresh parsley) in a cheesecloth bundle/bouquet garni, add it to the pot. Add the squash pulp to the pot. Gradually add the chicken stock to desired thickness (you may not need all 4 cups), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer soup for 20 minutes. Remove cheesecloth bundle/bouquet garni, and puree soup with hand blender or food processor until it is the desired consistency.

Adjustments: I doubled the recipe but since I hadn't bought enough squash I filled the rest of the requirement with pumpkin. We were a little short on time so we cooked the squash in the microwave rather than in the oven. It looked dry but it was just fine. I didn't buy white wine because I'm cheap and not that gourmet. I used chicken broth instead which doesn't reduce as much as wine but works just as well. For those of you who do not know, when cooking a savory dish, chicken broth is the generally accepted substitution for white wine. There you go, you learned something today. I did not "mash" the garlic into a "paste" so much as use a garlic press which worked just fine. And lastly, I let it all simmer for an hour and a half before removing the herb bouquet to puree.

Result: A-ma-zing! Seriously. I always say I don't like squash but this was heavenly. The herb bouquet left the most delicious flavor and it was smooth and thick without being creamy. Everyone loved it. I think the reason I loved it so much more than the squash soup I tried last year is because it was more savory than sweet and although it didn't have enough pumpkin to taste pumpkin-y, it cut down the squash flavor. Yum. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it...