Apple Squash Soup

• • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 2 butternut squashes (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 8 red or golden apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 5 cups water, plus more if needed
  • Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
  • 
    
  • Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add squash, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
  • Add apples, salt, cumin, coriander, ginger, cayenne, black pepper, stock, and the water (just enough to cover). Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
  • Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth, and return to pan. Heat over low, thinning with more water if necessary. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls; garnish with diced apples and sour cream if desired.

  
  

  Serves 12.

Curry Carrot Soup

6 tablespoons butter
3 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 cups chicken broth
6 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Heat butter in a 12 qt (large!!) Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 1-2 tablespoon salt (remember, this is a big batch of soup), and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, carrots, and 9 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. Do not fill the blender more than halfway since you are pureeing hot liquid that will expand!  To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape: Remove the cap from hole in lid, and cover lid with a dish towel when blending.  Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Serves 12!  Leftovers can be frozen.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup for the slowcooker/crockpot (12-14 servings)

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained  (or sometimes I use one can of dark red, one can of light red)
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock or one of those "liter" packages without MSG.
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I use Newman's Own with garlic or basil)
8 ounces rice pasta (we like Tinkyada)

Brown beef in a skillet.  Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.  Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.   During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.