A Tale of Two Soups

I feed myself soup
everyday
huddled by the hot plate
alone in the bakery,
bracing against the snow
falling wordlessly
outside.


a gentle bowl of buttery gold
or red ablaze
velvet vegetables and fire
against my lips.
I clutch it
so close,
carving new corners 
of the place 
with my eyes ahead
and steady
as I eat below them.


absorbed in my next motion,
warmth 
and waves of aroma
crash over me
like colors 
on a canvas.


the bowl is a rest in the score
that I often 
overlook.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Makes about 2 quarts
(Adapted from Chow)

Ingredients

Butter or olive oil for sauteing
1 large onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
8-10 sage leaves
4 lb butternut squash 
1 1/2 quarts vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: heavy cream or brown butter to finish

Method

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Cut the stem off of the butternut squash and then cut in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and stringy innards.  Place the squash flesh side down on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for about 1 hour until very soft.  Let the squash cool.

In a stockpot, sauté the onion, apple and sage leaves in a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil over medium low heat until soft and translucent.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

Scoop the butternut squash flesh away from the skin and add to the stockpot.  Cover with vegetable stock, bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let the soup cool slightly and puree in a blender or food processor.  Rewarm the soup if necessary and finish with a bit of heavy cream or brown butter if desired.

---

Creamy Tomato Soup
Makes about 2 quarts

ingredients

4 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
4-5 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 potato
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme
28 oz canned whole tomatoes
1 1/2 quarts vegetable stock
Optional: 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

method

Peel and dice the onion and carrot, dice the celery and garlic cloves.  Melt the butter in a stock pot and add the vegetables to the butter.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  
Sauté over low heat for about 10 minutes, making sure the vegetables don't brown.

Peel the potato and boil it until completely soft.  Cut into chunks and add to the pot of sautéed vegetables.  The potato will help thicken the soup.  Add the tomatoes with the juice and vegetable stock to the pot.  Tie the bay leaf and thyme together with twine and add to the soup.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes a bit.

Remove the bouquet bundle and then puree the soup with a stick blender or in a blender or food processor (be sure to cool the soup slightly first).  Reheat the soup and add cream off the heat if desired.