Autumn Soups?

It's that time of year again. I'm craving something seasonal, but pumpkin and other squash soups always seem to turn out watery and bland or kind of weird.

Any good foolproof recipes?

Or any non-squash Autumn soups?

This is the one I make most often:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE

3 leeks (white portion only), cleaned and sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 Tbs. butter or margarine (1/ 4 cup)
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth
3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced
1 – 1 1/ 2 tsp. salt
1/ 4 tsp. dried thyme
1/ 4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/ 4 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk

In Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, melt butter and saute the leeks and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients except milk. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Cool until lukewarm. In a blender or food processor, puree soup in small batches until smooth; return to pan. Add milk, stir until smooth and heat through (do not boil). Add salt to taste. Can be sprinkled with chopped chives or parsley before serving. Makes about 3 quarts.
Notes: One large onion can be substituted for the leeks. You can replace 2 Tbs. of the butter with 2 Tbs. olive oil. The milk can be anything from skim milk through half-and-half. My friend uses canned evaporated skim milk and also white pepper instead of regular black pepper. Since it makes a lot, you can freeze it after soup is pureed and before milk is added. Then after defrosting, add milk.

This is my husband's favorite:

ROASTED GARLIC SOUP WITH PARMESAN CHEESE

26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)
Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.
Serves 4.

Note from RR: I usually just cut the tops off 2 or 3 (depending on size) whole bulbs of garlic instead of the 26 garlic cloves in the first step and use ½ tsp. dried thyme if fresh is not available. Don’t leave out the lemon wedges.

Sorry Elise, but this is a favorite of mine:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Grand Marnier.

Cut the squash in half, brush with butter, put brown sugar in the cavity, roast until brown and done, about 1 hour. Let cool. Scoop out the squash from the rind and put into a stock pot. BARELY cover with chicken stock and use a potato masher to mix it all together. Boil a few minutes (S&P to taste) then add the Grand Marnier. I used to sell 5 gallons a day when I made this at the restaurant!

Another good fall soup (I just made chicken veg so we have to eat that first) is Italian lentil! Brown some bacon or pancetta (finely minced). Add lentils, diced onion, diced carrot, diced celery, chicken stock. Cook until the lentils are done. Remove from heat. Add 3 huge handfulls of raw spinach and stir it in. Add a handfull of grated parmesan. Sit back, eat and enjoy! I love soup!

I make this soup a lot in the colder weather, but it's not to your taste if you don't love veggies.

I cook a handful of chopped onion in some butter, not till brown, just til soft and cooked. I add two cups of beef broth, a cup of chopped carrots and a cup each of frozen lima beans and brussel sprouts. bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cover
in about five minutes you have a wonderful, nourishing soup.
I like to serve it in big soup mugs with french bread that has been toasted and spread with butter and swiss cheese.
very good!

My father-in-law has been very ill the last 3 months or so and my mother-in-law has been so stressed with caring for him, that I have been taking them meals. He is diabetic and in congestive heart failure and need soft foods, so no sugar, no fat, low sodium is the theme, and soup is it! He really loves these two, I am working on more, I may try that lentil one!

Roasted Butternut squash soup
2 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeded
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
6 cups non-fat, low sodium chicken broth (I love the 365 brand at whole foods)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
Roast butternut squash in baking pan with some of the chicken broth on bottom in oven until soft, in the meantime, saute onion,celery and carrotts in 1/2 cup broth at a time (kinda like making risotto) until soft using about 5 cups of broth. Puree veggies leaving alittle texture, add roasted squash, puree some more, add rest of broth and orange juice plus cumin, simmer some more. (You can add salt and pepper now to taste)
Serve with a spoonful of fat free yogurt or fat free sour cream

I do the same above but with carrots instead of butternut.

Chicken soup
4 chicken breasts, bone in but remove all skin and visable fat
onions (with skin on), celery, carrots (with skin on), 2 garlic cloves (skin on)
Cover the above with water and simmer a long time until the chicken falls off the bone and is dark in color
Strain veg from broth, chop chicken finely and save
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
6 cups non fat-low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of "soup mac" teeny-tiny pasta
2 TB Chopped fresh parsley
In the meantime, saute onion,celery and carrots as with the butternut soup recipe, puree veggies. Add cooked chicken broth plus rest of canned,bring to a boil and add pasta. When pasta is done , add chicken and parsley.(salt and pepper to taste)
Enjoy!
KB

These all sound so good! I can't wait to try them!

Why are you sorry, Lleechef???

Lleechef, Grand Marnier would be a great addition to butternut squash. I'd like to try it.

I made lentil and barley soup last weekend and always add about a cup of beer to the broth. It just seems to go with the lentils.

Autumn Minestrone



6-8 Portions
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes

Minestrone:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sticks of celery, sliced into small even pieces
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
300g pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and diced into small cubes
100g button mushrooms, diced
300g zucchini squash, diced
2 tbsp oregano, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1.2 litres of boiling chicken or vegetable stock
400g can of diced plum tomatoes
400g can cannellini bean
150g cavolo nero or kale, finely shredded and diced
150g very small pasta eg. gnocchetti
2 tbsp pesto sauce
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
maldon (sea) salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Serve:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g pesto sauce
100g freshly grated parmesan


Method:
Minestrone: Place the olive oil in a very large saucepan or casserole container over a moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan and cook them gently for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and transparent. Stir in the potato, pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, bay leaf and oregano and gently cook them for a couple of minutes, stirring them regularly with a wooden spoon.
Pour the boiling stock into the pan and stir in the plum tomatoes. Bring the mixture to the boil then reduce it to a slow simmer and leave it to cook gently for 30 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the cannellini beans and the cavolo nero or kale. Continue to cook the minestrone for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are hot and tender.
Bring some water to boil in a separate saucepan and add the pasta to it. Cook the pasta until tender then strain it and set it aside.
Add the cooked pasta to the soup and stir in the pesto and parmesan, stir the soup so that all the ingredients are well combined.
To Serve: Season the soup to taste and serve the soup drizzled with a little olive oil. Place extra pesto and parmesan on the table for diners to add to their taste.

See below for conversion tool:

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/weights_and_measures/index?p=weight_and_mass

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

It's that time of year again. I'm craving something seasonal, but pumpkin and other squash soups always seem to turn out watery and bland or kind of weird.

Any good foolproof recipes?

Or any non-squash Autumn soups?

I'm not sure you'd call it an Autumn Soup, but I make a version of Cream of Cauliflower (Creme Du Barry) soup from Craig Claiborne's "New York Times Cookbook". His recipe doesn't call for any cream or butter and uses rice (I use Texmati) as a thickener. I garnish with some pieces of roasted cauliflower, but I think the soup would lend itself to being a base for any number of roasted veggies such as squash. Some folks add cheese. If you like cauliflower, give it a try. pb

Try this, if it sounds interesting to you:

Roasted Vegetable Soup

4 Servings

This delicious, vegetable-filled broth can be served by itself or used as a base for other soups. The vegetables used in this soup are often just added to soup liquids for cooking. This recipe oven-roasts them first, enhancing their flavor. Your kitchen will fill with the aromas of the roasting vegetables evoking old-fashioned, home-style meals. Comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients:

3 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups water
1/4 cup dried mushroom pieces (Italian porcini, if possible)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black or red pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the carrots, celery, and onion in a small (8 x 8 inch) nonstick pan or dish with the olive oil. Toss to coat the vegetables. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. Remove pan from oven, add the garlic, and toss again. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are browned.
3. Remove pan from oven, add 1 cup of water and stir to loosen any vegetables that may be stuck. Pour this into a pot with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and black or red pepper, and serve or use as the base for other soups, stews, or pasta dishes.

Nutritional Information per serving:
92 calories
5 g total fat (1 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
12 g carbohydrate
2 g protein
3 g fiber
150 mg sodium

Grand Marnier does sound like an awesome add in! Cant wait to try it myself! Thanks Lisa!!

We enjoyed some Cheese-Beer-Sausage Soup in Wisconsin last week. It was great on a cool night. I googled the title and came up with about 10,000 recipes! We took a couple of those and played with them a bit to make a reasonable copy of the thick, cheesey, beery soup that tasted so good that nite. Check the thread on this site for Beer-Cheese Soup and cut back on the chicken stock a bit, add more Beer, and forget the Roux as it thickens perfectly without it. We used a package of 6 Hot Link Hillshire Farms Sausage for the meat entry. 4 hours in the Crock-Pot did the trick.