Cooking Day: Leek and Kabocha Soup
I was really worn out most of today, but spurred by the cries of ten thousand vegetables in my crisper I got up and made a big batch of kabocha-leek soup and a big helping of quinoa. (The latter hardly counts as cooking as the rice cooker handled it.) I also chopped rutabagas, parsnips, and beets for roasting but was too tired to actually roast them today. The odds and ends of all the veggies did end up simmering for a veggie stock, though.
I should not have bought and roasted FOUR kabocha, even if they WERE small. Luckily I had enough leeks to balance 'em. I ended up only using three in this recipe and it still made a boatload of soup. I did make sure not to use chicken stock so I can feed it to Angie later, since I somehow sensed that I would have lots. It will freeze well. I'm going to prep the last squash by cutting it up into chunks and freezing that; I like it plain and in recipes so it will work well for it. (I find that the butternut squash cubes I get tend to mush out too quickly; this is firmer so may work better after being frozen.)
Leek and Kabocha Soup
Melt butter into the olive oil and add the leeks and salt. Cook on low heat until they soften but do not brown.
Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20-25 minutes; you want the squash to fall right apart when poked with a fork. It should be subtly sweet but not too reminiscent of pumpkin pie. Season to taste.
Puree. Optionally it will be even creamier if you stir in some half and half, cream, or coconut milk at this point.
Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley, shallots, toasted walnuts, or a drizzle of walnut or olive oil.
Makes 20 cups. Cut down to a third to make a normal amount of soup (about 6-7 cups).
According to my meal planner it comes out to 71 calories per cup: 1.4g fat/0.4g saturated fat, 111mg sodium, 13.7g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 4.2g sugar, 1.6g protein.
I should not have bought and roasted FOUR kabocha, even if they WERE small. Luckily I had enough leeks to balance 'em. I ended up only using three in this recipe and it still made a boatload of soup. I did make sure not to use chicken stock so I can feed it to Angie later, since I somehow sensed that I would have lots. It will freeze well. I'm going to prep the last squash by cutting it up into chunks and freezing that; I like it plain and in recipes so it will work well for it. (I find that the butternut squash cubes I get tend to mush out too quickly; this is firmer so may work better after being frozen.)
Leek and Kabocha Soup
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (just use oil if you want to make it vegan)
- 6 cups leeks, chopped (I had three bunches of leeks so I just used the white and pale green parts; sometimes I use the dark green leaves but this makes a stronger, coarser flavor)
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or just use salted butter)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 17-18 cups (3 small squash worth) of kabocha squash, pre-roasted until still firm but slightly yielding; you can eat the peel but I peeled it and used the peel for veggie stock
- 3 quarts vegetable broth (or chicken broth or even water; I use low sodium)
- fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp. mace, ground (you can use nutmeg if you don't have mace, and maybe add a pinch of ground coriander seed)
- 1/4 tsp. cloves, ground
- small handful chopped parsley
Melt butter into the olive oil and add the leeks and salt. Cook on low heat until they soften but do not brown.
Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20-25 minutes; you want the squash to fall right apart when poked with a fork. It should be subtly sweet but not too reminiscent of pumpkin pie. Season to taste.
Puree. Optionally it will be even creamier if you stir in some half and half, cream, or coconut milk at this point.
Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley, shallots, toasted walnuts, or a drizzle of walnut or olive oil.
Makes 20 cups. Cut down to a third to make a normal amount of soup (about 6-7 cups).
According to my meal planner it comes out to 71 calories per cup: 1.4g fat/0.4g saturated fat, 111mg sodium, 13.7g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 4.2g sugar, 1.6g protein.