Oh my, really soup weather here in Portland. Rained really hard yesterday and more forecast today after this drizzly morning. I went out and unclogged a downspout, put a tarp over some outdoor furniture, swept the branches and leaves from the bike lane in the street in front of my house. When the kids come downstairs I'll set them to building a fire. The next job is to make another big pot of soup. I'm thinking albondigas soup with lots of garlic and mint today. This is one of those soups that can be made with stuff that is usually hanging around the house. You need a little of this and a little of that, and the list is a bit flexible. (Base of the soup starts with stock, white wine, and water; a couple pounds of beef soup bones with the meat trimmed off and chopped up. That will cook for a couple hours, then all those solids will be strained out. Next will be aromatics - onions, garlic, carrots, celery - with some tomatoes and mint. The meatballs are a miss-mash of freezer finds - italian sausage, plain pork sausage, minced beef liver, uncooked rice, with garlic, onions, red pepper, and lots of mint. It will smell nice as it simmers. Add some uncooked rice 20 minute before serving. I wanted a redder color so I also added some beet juice.) What is everyone making, if it is a soup day for you? This post was edited by johnliu on Sun, Sep 29, 13 at 16:29

I have two good ones for butternut squash which would also do for fresh pumpkin: BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP 4 Servings - 1 TBS olive oil 1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, peeled and seeded 1 medium leek, trimmed 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 medium carrot 1/2 TBS fresh grated ginger 1/2 TBS fresh chopped thyme 1/2 teasp dried sage 1 small apple, peeled and cored 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice 1/2 - 15oz can cannellini beans chopped fresh chives sea salt and FG black pepper 1. Chop the leeks, using only the white and light green parts. Dice the butternut squash, carrot and apple into 1/2 inch cubes. 2. Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a large saucepan, then add the squash, leeks, onion, carrot, ginger, thyme and sage. Cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly soft, then stir in the apple. 3. Pour in the stock and apple juice and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 4. Pour half the soup into a blender or food processor (I used a stick blender) and puree (pur) until smooth. Return the puree (purée) to the saucepan, add the beans and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat until hot and bubbling. Adjust seasoning and serve sprinkled with the chopped chives. Source: Adapted from - Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-light Cookbook ****************************************** ROASTED GARLIC & BUTTERNUT SOUP 6 - 8 servings (My own recipe. I always make too much!) 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash - after baking there should be about 2 cups of mashed squash 1 lg Spanish onion - peeled and cut into 8 chunks 1 medium leek - washed & chopped, including best-looking top green leaves 1 teasp cumin 1 head of garlic - sliced across top to expose cloves 2 - 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth 200 ml (about 3/4 cup) light cream or half & half olive oil fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste homemade garlic croutons (optional) & chopped flat leaf parsley Utensils needed: oven or toaster oven and roasting pan or tray, frying pan & lid, blender or food processor, large heavy saucepan with lid. 1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 300F 2. Split, quarter and seed butternut squash, and arrange on roasting tray together with cut chunks of onion and head of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast 1 hr or until all is golden and tender, including garlic. 3. Clean and chop leek, including top green leaves. Sauté in a little oil for in frying pan 5 minutes. Then add 2 cups of chicken broth, turn down to simmer with lid on until tender - about 12 - 15 minutes. 4. When butternut etc is cooked, scrape it from skin and place in food processor along with the onion, cumin, and some pepper. Squeeze the garlic cloves - which should be soft and buttery - from their skins and add to food processor. 5. Add some of the rest of the chicken broth and process to a puré. Gradually add the leek and liquid from pan. Process until all is smooth, adding more of the chicken broth as needed. 6. Place the mixture in the saucepan and gently heat. Add the rest of the broth as needed for the desired consistency.. Add the cream, reserving 2 TBS for swirling as a garnish when served. Check the seasoning - adding salt and pepper as needed. 7. Serve with a swirl of cream, chopped parsley and small homemade garlic-flavoured croutons. SharonCb

You can substitute pumpkin for winter squash in any recipe that you have. Here is a good main course one if you like spicy. Clare Thai Pumpkin Curry with Citrus This vegetarian curry offers an array of bright colors - orange, yellow, and red - infused with citrus accents. You'll love the delicious taste of this curry, as well as its healthy combination of vegetables, including pumpkin or squash, yam/sweet potato, carrots, yellow bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Add chick peas as a protein source, then finish the dish with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and nasturium flowers for a gourmet curry recipe that's as beautiful as it is delicious. Makes a perfect vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe, but is equally yummy any time of the year. ENJOY! Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: �1/2 small pumpkin (or subsitute 1 acorn squash, butternut, or any other orange squash except spaghetti) �1 small or 1/2 large yam or sweet potato, peeled and cubed �1-2 medium carrots, cut into thick slices �1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces �1 cup cherry tomatoes �1/2 can chick peas, drained �2 Tbsp. grated orange rind �CURRY SAUCE: �3-4 cloves garlic �1-2 fresh red chillies (or substitute fresh green chilies, OR 1-2 tsp Thai chili sauce) �1 can coconut milk �1 tsp. tamarind paste (or substitute 1 Tbsp. lime juice) �2+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (use wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets) �1 Tbsp. brown sugar �juice of 1/2 lime �juice of 1 medium orange �1/2 tsp. turmeric �1 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or substitute apple cider vinegar) �1 Tbsp. ground coriander seeds, 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, and 1 tsp. fennel seed �1/3 purple onion, sliced �GARNISH: �handful of fresh basil leaves �optional: 1 Tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds and a few nasturium flowers (or other edible flowers) Preparation: 1.To make the curry sauce, place all sauce ingredients together in a food processor (or blender if you don't have a processor). Process well. Set aside. Prepare pumpkin or squash by cutting it open and scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Either save the seeds for roasting, or discard. Cut the pumpkin/squash into cubes, slicing off the skin. You will probably only use 1/3 to 1/2 a pumpkin for this recipe (save the rest in the refrigerator for cooking later). Prepare the rest of the vegetables plus the orange rind. 4.Place the pumpkin (or squash), yam, and carrots in the wok/frying pan together with the curry sauce over medium-high heat. Stir well. When the curry begins to boil, reduce heat to medium, stirring occasionally. Allow to simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Add the bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, and orange rind, stirring to incorporate. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Do a taste test for salt and spice. If not salty enough, add a little more soy sauce. If not spicy enough for your taste, add more fresh chilli (or chili sauce). If too sour, add a little more sugar. To serve, scoop into a large serving bowl, or portion out on individual plates. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and pumpkin seeds, then top with several nasturium flowers (if using). Serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice (white or brown), and enjoy this colorful and fragrant Thai dish!

Thanks for the recipes, folks. I don't care as much for the homogenous Campbell's Tomato kind as well as one that I've made for a long time. Ole joyful's Tomato Soup recipe Heat about 1 cup canned tomatoes in a pot, adding about 1/4 tsp. baking soda and stirring to cut the acidity, so that it doesn't curdle when adding the milk. Add salt and pepper as needed, plus spices that you choose: thyme, rosemary, basil, sage, etc. Heat about 1 cup regular milk in a different pot, perhaps slightly more than the amount of the tomato, but you can vary the quantities to suit your taste. When both are warm, pour the contents of one into the other - I'm not sure which into which, but one way leads to less curdling, I hear. I like the idea of adding some cream. What level: 6%? 10% 18% (almost certainly not 35% whipping). I like the identifiable white of the milk and the red of the tomatoes ... and I like the taste better than of the soup from the can. ole joyful