Now that the summer is gone, fall is deepening and there is a tendency to pull inward. Since most of my garden tasks are finished, my focus is no longer outdoors and I can start my fall cleanse. Sort of like spring cleaning, but this is more of an emptying process. Getting rid of all the dead weight hanging around my house and especially in my kitchen.
I’ve cleaned out the pantry, getting rid of all the dribs and drabs that aren’t enough to make a meal. I’ve defrosted my freezer and taken stock of all that’s there from the summer garden. We have plenty of food to keep us fed all winter, but for heaven’s sake – just how much blanched kale can a family eat? I’m actually organizing myself to make a list of what we have and am creating menus.
The answer is soups. Yes, soups and more soups. They not only warm and nourish the body but there is something soul-warming and environment-enriching about a soup bubbling away on the stove. It also gives me license to bake bread because, you know, soup needs bread.
Even though I have plenty of time to cook elaborate recipes, the inclination just isn’t there. I want to simplify my life, including my cooking. So, I share with you this basic start to any soup – mirepoix.
The French term means sauteed mixed vegetables (soffrito in Italian – means softly fried). The traditional mix is onion, garlic, celery and carrot. But add whatever you want. Once you have this mixture, it’s simple to turn it into just about any type of soup, from cream to brothy, to beany to chowder. Best of all, most of us have these ingredients in the crisper anyway so it’s not necessary to make a run to the store.
Mirepoix soup base
Chop a small onion, a small carrot and a couple of stalks of celery. Saute gently in two tablespoons of olive oil until somewhat soft but not browned. While sauteeing, add seasonings and herbs to allow them to “bloom” in the oil. This process releases the flavors to infuse your soup.
If you are making a cream soup or bisque, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour and slowly stir in about two cups of milk or stock. Or, puree white beans and add to the soup. If making a broth-based soup simply add stock and perhaps noodles or rice. Other possibilities – browned sausage, cabbage, kale (I have lots), lentils or other beans, tomatoes, tortellini.
Pumpkin bisque
Pumpkin Bisque for two
- 1 T. unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 celery stalk, diced
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 3/4 c. diced, peeled pumpkin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 fresh sage leaves
- 1 quarts stock
- 1 t. sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 T. sherry
Wrap the bay leaf, thyme sprigs & sage leaves together into a bouquet garnish using cheese-cloth, so that it can be removed easily at the end of the cooking time.
In a stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery & onion. Cover & cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 7 – 10 min.
Add the pumpkin, herbs & stock & bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover & cook for 20 min, or until the pumpkin is tender & cooked through. Remove the bouquet garnish. Purée the soup with a blender until no lumps remain. If necessary, pass the soup through a sieve. Return the soup to the pot and add the sherry. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt & freshly ground pepper. Serve in warmed soup bowls with croutons or a swirl of cream.
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