It’s soup season! Last night as I was walking home with a cold rain and harsh wind blowing I realized that pretty soon it is going to snow. Luckily, Mike and I had lots of leftovers of this soup to keep us warm. If the ingredient list seems a little long it’s because there are lots of spices in here. I actually did not intend on posting this recipe because I was just planning on making the Squash-and-White Bean Soup from this cookbook. However, when I started to cook I realized I was deviating from the recipe quite a bit. Instead of leaving chunks of squash and celery I blended the “base” of the soup to a creamy texture. And while I love the taste of winter squash and white beans, I had black beans in the fridge that needed to be used.
The real highlight of this soup is the garnishes. I recently discovered Harissa and have a jar of it in my fridge to use up. I knew the taste would go perfectly with this soup so I drizzled about a 1/3 of a teaspoon in the bowl just as I served it.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced (depending on how spicy you like your soup)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon of allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1/2 pound spinach (bite sized pieces)
- 2 and 1/2 cups cooked black beans ( or 1 28 oz. can drained and rinsed)
- Harissa (to taste)
- Feta cheese (to taste)
- Crusty bread
- Make the stock (if you have none on hand)
- Combine the oil, squash, onion, celery, jalapeno, ginger and garlic in a large soup pot. Cook over medium-high heat until softened for 7-10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the vegetable stock, chile powder, thyme, allspice, salt, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender blend the soup to a smooth texture. Add your ancho chilli powder and taste for salt.
- Stir in the spinach and beans and cook for about 10 minutes more.
- When serving add some harissa as garnish with a bit of crumbled feta. Serve warm with crusty bread.