Soup season

We've had a cold spell down here for the last couple of weeks, and only now is it warming back up to a normal 70 degrees. I'm being slightly facetious, which is required of you when you live in California, because "cold" means 55 degrees. But I want you to know that because Trevor and I are toughing it out and not turning our heat on, it has been a steady 65 degrees in our apartment and maybe colder during the night. Thus, among a bevy of other layers, I've been wearing socks to bed, which I am totally against. That alone makes my case, I think.

Anyhow, with all the cold and all the rain we've been having, I've been in the mood to make soup and more soup. I thought I'd post a few of my favorite recipes for the rest of you, since your winter is going to last another month or two. Bwah hah hah...



Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

——————————

I got this recipe from my sister, who got it from the Food Network. She copied it directly from there, which makes the typo about the salt and pepper near the end even funnier. But the soup is absolutely delicious. A little involved, but totally worth it. I made some adjustments for Trevor's diet, and it's just as good made with turkey sausage, white rice (which I made in the rice cooker with chicken broth), and no corn.

The next fave is a Russian soup that I learned how to make in Poland... and which ironically comes from the all-American allrecipes.com. It's called Sweet Russian Cabbage Soup. There's a sweet and sour element that makes it quite delicious. (I won't post the recipe here; just click on the link.) It's very easy and very tasty.

Lastly, here's another from my sister and allrecipes.com: Best Italian Sausage Soup. A few words about this one, however. I usually use smaller pasta because fettuccine is hard to eat in soup, as are whole tomatoes, so I use diced. Turkey sausage does not work as well for this soup, and I also like it best using red cooking wine (surprise, surprise) instead of a grape juice-rice vinegar substitution. But either way, it's also quite good.