Indian Spiced Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

So, it's clearly soup season around here! This soup is simple, warm, delicious, and healthy, and (because this is the true test of a great soup) even better the next day. This is straight from Rachael Ray. She says it serves 4 as a first course, but I think that making the whole recipe is easily 4 full meals, if not a bit more. Of course, these days we like to eat it over rice, which makes it go a bit further...

Ingredients:
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/2 t turmeric
salt and pepper
2 c chicken of vegetable stock
1 (28-oz) can fire roasted tomatoes*
1 cup plain yogurt
Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

*note about the tomatoes: on the show, Rachael used crushed fire roasted tomatoes, but at my store they only sell diced fire roasted tomatoes (which are actually a new addition to the tomato aisle, thank goodness). I just popped them in the food processor for a couple seconds once I was done with the chickpeas and it comes out splendidly.

1. Heat a medium pot with the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Grind the chickpeas and onion in food processor. Add to pot and cook 5 minutes to sweeten onion.

3. Season the chickpeas with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir in stock, then tomatoes.

4. Simmer soup 5-10 minutes to combine flavors. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and warm pita for dipping.

Caramelized Butternut Squash with Kerchief Pasta

Mmm, mmm, mmm. I planted sage specifically for this recipe, and I have seriously made it as often as Jason will let me this winter! This is from last fall's Williams Sonoma catalog. Also I don't believe in making my own pasta, so I just use good quality bowtie pasta. And, seriously, make the whole box, because it is even better leftover.

Ingredients:
9 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 kabocha or butternut squash, 2 1/2 to 3 lb., peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. finely diced shallots
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbs. minced fresh sage
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lb. fresh pasta sheets, cut into 2-inch squares (see related recipe at left)
1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Directions:
In a braiser over medium-high heat, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until browned underneath, about 6 minutes. Stir the squash and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Add the sugar, broth, salt and pepper, cover and cook until the squash is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the squash is dark brown and glazed, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the squash mixture to a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 6 Tbs. butter until light brown spots appear, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots, nutmeg and sage and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the squash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the squash mixture and toss to combine. Transfer the pasta to a warmed large, shallow bowl and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Serve immediately and pass the remaining cheese alongside. Serves 4 to 6.

Split Pea Soup

This is my new favorite thing to make, especially since the weather is so frightful right now! If the idea of split pea soup makes you nervous, you probably haven't tasted it yet. I am a bonefide garden pea hater, and I love pea soup. So tasty and filling and bacony. Give it a try!

I got this recipe from the Williams-Sonoma "Soup" cookbook. It serves 4, so be prepared to double it if you want lots of leftovers--the first time we had it, we only ended up with a half-serving for lunch the next day.

1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c dried green or yellow split peas, picked over, rinsed, and drained
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
6 sliced bacon
2 T finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 t finely chopped fresh marjoram or 1/4 t dried marjoram
1/2 t finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 t dried thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and saute until just slightly softened, 3 minutes.

2. Add the split peas, stock, 2 slices of bacon, parsley, marjoram, and thyme. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until peas are tender, 50-60 minutes. Discard the bacon.

3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, fry the remaining 4 slices bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to draim. When cool, crumble and set aside.

4. Coarsely puree 2 cups of the soup in a food processor and return to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, return the soup to medium heat, and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.