SOUPES D’AUTOMNE
As the variety of vegetables bursting with natural flavor tapers
off after summer, soups can tend to get a bit more complicated and
hearty: people don’t mind something a little heavier, and
more things need to be added whereas one glorious flavor had sufficed
before. Still, my favorite soups are the simplest. And fortunately,
the fall greenmarkets are not completely depleted of delicious vegetables
that don’t need much help. There is a wealth of ripe peppers,
and now the little chilies begin to appear, for those who like it hot.
Parsnips can be made into a velvety base you’d swear was laden
with cream. The soup that most says fall is squash, although
the recipes work as well with either the last of the summer squash
still coming in or the first of the winter squash just beginning to
appear.
Buttersquash Soup
Serves 4
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large pieces.
1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1⁄2 pound red-skinned boiling potatoes (about 2 or 3), peeled and cut into
1⁄2-inch cubes.
6 cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Put the squash, onion, and potatoes in a large pot. Add the water.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover. Simmer gently, stirring
occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
2. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon, and purée
in a food mill or food processor, using the cooking water to thin
it out to the consistency desired. (If you’re preparing soup
ahead of time, use all the cooking water, since the soup will thicken
as it stands.)
3. Just before serving, add to the heated soup the butter, and season
with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more, and serve.
JUST BEFORE SERVING, YOU CAN ADD FRESH PARSLEY FOR COLOR, OR 1/4
TEASPOON GRATED NUTMEG, OR BOTH. A SWIRL OF CRÈME FRAÎCHE
OR SOUR CREAM WOULD BE NICE, TOO.
Excerpted from French
Women for All Seasons by
Mireille Guiliano
Copyright © 2006 by Alfred A Knopf, Inc. All rights reserved.
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