Roasted Acorn Squash Soup & Spiced Carrot Soup
Both of these soups are delicious on their own, but when combined in the same bowl and swirled together, they make the perfect beginning to a winter supper or special holiday lunch. Garnish with dots of crème fraiche or carrot confetti (thin shavings of roasted carrots) – or both.
Ingredients
- FOR THE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH COCONUT MILK
- 2 acorn squash
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cans coconut milk I used full-fat
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR THE SPICED CARROT SOUP
- 10 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 ribs celery cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 cans vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. powdered ginger
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- Pinch of cloves
- Pinch of cayenne
- Agave or honey to taste
Instructions
- FOR THE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH COCONUT MILK
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds and roast on a well oiled cookie sheet or in a baking dish at 350 degrees until baked through and a sharp knife inserted into the squash gets no resistance when you stick it in there.
- While the squash is baking, dice the onion and sauté in a large soup pan or Dutch oven until translucent.
- When the squash has finished baking and is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add to the soup pan (you should have right around 6 cups of squash).
- Add the coconut milk and heat just until warm. Take a look at the consistency – if it’s super thick, add some water.
- Process the soup in blender or food processor until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan. Check for consistency again – you want a fairly thick and creamy soup, but not something that is so thick that if seems more like a vegetable puree. Add more some more water until you get the consistency that feels right to you. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately or follow directions for Rainbow Soup below.
- FOR THE SPICED CARROT SOUP
- In a large stockpot, combine the carrots, onion, celery, vegetable stock and salt & pepper. Add enough water to cover the vegetables by about 1 inch if you need to.
- Cook the vegetables over medium high heat until the carrots are tender.
- Allow the mixture to cool until warm, and then ladle spoonfuls of this mixture into a blender. Be careful! If it’s too hot you will have a soup explosion which is not desirable under any circumstances. Start at a low speed and work your way up to high, and blend until the vegetable mixture is super smooth. Pour pureed vegetables into a separate soup pot.
- Once all of the puree is in the new soup pot, check for consistency – add more vegetable stock if needed to get to your desired thickness.
- Add the garlic powder, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit you. Add agave or honey if you think the soup could use a little sweetness.
- Serve immediately or follow directions for creating the Rainbow Soup below.
- TO ASSEMBLE THE WINTER RAINBOW SOUP
- cups Roasted Acorn Squash and Coconut Milk Souo
- cups Spiced Carrot Soup
- OPTIONAL GARNISHES: ½ cup crème fraiche, ½ cup thin shavings or roasted carrots, herb or basil oil, finely chopped fresh chives
- Heat both soups separately over medium low heat until steaming. Check to make sure the soups are about the same thickness/consistency. You may need to thin one or the other with some broth, water, or coconut milk.
- Using two labels, pour the soups simultaneously into individual serving bowls, making sure the colors do not blend.
- Using a chopstick or wooden skewer, blend portions of one of the soups into the other to create an attractive design. Be careful not to blend the two together, just lightly swirl one color into the next.
- Garnish if you wish with crème fraiche, shavings of roasted carrots, herb or basil oil. Serve immediately.
