Orange is the New Soup

Last week I wrote about my college friend John who hated white food, and today I’m writing about what could be my favorite food color—orange. Fall is undoubtedly my favorite season, and soup probably my favorite thing to cook. The methodical chopping and preparation of all the vegetable, the fragrant sautéing them in butter or oil, the magic that happens as it all simmers and comes together to reach the perfect amalgam of flavor, texture and temperature. Soup makes everything better, even if only for a short time. It doesn’t have to be chicken soup to soothe your spirit or soul.

There are plenty of orange, hard-skinned squashes, and most of them make great soup. I find acorn squash too watery for soup, but all the rest, including pumpkin are dense and perfect for a rich, velvety soup. There is nothing wrong with roasting your squash or pumpkin first. That will add sweetness and intensity, but I didn’t want that for my red lentil and squash soup.

I have a friend who believes that anything she likes (food-wise at least) will go with anything else she likes. If that is your culinary philosophy you probably benefit from using recipes. I love the haphazard-ness of soup, the idea of tossing a variety of things that will balance each other, and bring out hidden flavors or attributes of those everyday ingredients. I find that sage adds a subtle depth that works especially with the orange colored family. Carrot-sage soup is one of the best examples of this, but it works well in this recipe too.

If you’re a fan of Indian food you’ll know red lentils. If you’re not familiar with them, to make this soup, please don’t substitute with green lentils or you will be disappointed. The flavor, color and texture are quite different so if you can’t find red lentils yellow split peas would be the best swap (green will give you an ugly soup). I got my red lentils at Trader Joe’s so they’re not hard to find.

Like all soups, this one can be a jumping off point for you. Add some crushed red pepper, or curry when you sauté the onion for some extra spice and heat. To dress it up or make it richer stir in four to eight ounces of heavy cream at the end. For company fry some sage leaves and garnish each bowl with a little sour cream or crème fraiche topped with the sage.  If you want a chunkier soup, chop the squash a little smaller, but don’t purée it. As always, I invite you to make it your own, and let me know what you did and how it worked.

Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

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Ingredients

• 1lb red lentils
• 1 Medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1)
• 1 sweet onion (peeled and chopped)
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Heat ghee or oil in a soup pot on medium heat Add onions and cook until translucent, about five minutes

Step 2

Add squash and mix well, continue cooking for ten minutes, stirring occasionally to keep squash from sticking Add stock and simmer, covered for thirty minutes

Step 3

Add red lentils, and sage, and cook. covered for thirty more minutes. Taste soup for seasoning, add salt or pepper if needed Puree until smooth