Fall Soups From the Beginning

It's always easy to buy a soup premade, but there is just something really special about making one from scratch. And the bottom line is that it is ridiculously easy.

Today I am having a group of ladies over from my church and I wanted to make a few soups that really captured the season of autumn. I had a few different squashes on hand in the kitchen. I also purchased a few great finds at our local farmers market here in Tacoma's Proctor District (I was surprised to find it is still open this late in the year...how delightful!). The items I speak of are beautiful organic carrots, purple kale and a spicy Thai chili-garlic paste. I was able to develop a few gourmet recipes around these ingredients to make two yummy, yummy soups.

First...

TOMATO FETA SOUP with TORTELLINI and PURPLE KALE

This is a slow cooker recipe, so bust out the crock pot!

Ingredients -
6 cups broth (vegetable or chicken work best)
1 large can stewed tomatoes, sliced up
4-6 medium carrots, sliced up
1 small sweet onion, chopped up
1 green pepper, chopped up
2 cups small heirloom tomatoes, whole
1 small bunch of purple kale, chopped up
1 c. feta or more if you like, crumbled
12 oz dried tortellini...any kind you like
sugar to taste (you may need up to a cup and a half)
salt to taste
Italian herbs if you like, to taste (basil is a good choice)
balsamic vinegar to taste

Pour broth into slow cooker. If you plan to leave it on all day, set it to low. If you only plan to leave it on for part of the day, set to high. Add carrots, onions, green pepper and tomatoes. Cook about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Add sugar, salt, herbs and balsamic (I usually add about 1/2 cup). Stir. Add kale.

Cook for another 2 to 3 hours on high, or 4 hours on low. If you aren't going to be home or available to monitor the soup, throw everything in but the tortellini and feta (they kale may be a little soggy if you do this, fair warning).

About 20 minutes before serving, add the tortellini and feta. Serve once the tortellini is cooked. Pairs well will Italian breads.

Second...

AUTUMN SQUASH with SPICY THAI CHILI

I cooked this one in a dutch oven, but you can use a regular large pot.

Ingredients -

an assortment of fall squash...I used 2 medium sized acorn squash and one large butternut squash
1/4 cup butter
1 can coconut milk
3-4 cups water
cinnamon to taste
ginger to taste
spicy thai chili paste to taste
brown sugar to taste, between one and two cups

Preheat oven to 400 degrees C. Slice squash in half. Place on baking sheet and season with cinnamon and ginger spice. Bake for about an hour or until the outer skin looks and feels like paper that peels right off. Let squash cool about 30 minutes.

Slice squash into chunks and throw into pot/dutch oven with butter. Place on medium heat until it starts to simmer...simmer for about 3 minutes or until the soup looks like a good combination of mushy and chunky. Stir in water, switch heat to low and cover. Keep it on low heat for about an hour. Add brown sugar, more cinnamon and ginger to taste, as well as salt if you like. Add coconut milk. Then add Thai chili to taste...be careful not to add too much, so only add a little at a time. If you want a real twist, also add lemon grass when you add the water.

Enjoy!