Recipe: Summer Squash Soup

by Amy Mei Wood

As we transition into fall, make this delicious soup using the last of your summer squash. It's easy enough for a weeknight meal and just autumnal enough to celebrate the coming of fall and the last days of summer. Even better, it utilizes multiple ingredients in your box this week!

Recipe

Ingredients: 1 large round summer squash 2 T vegetable oil Salt and pepper Garlic powder Bunch of thyme 2 T vegetable oil 1 leek, diced 1-2 carrots depending on size, diced 1 large orange pepper or 3 small orange peppers, diced 6 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup brown sugar Ground cloves Ground nutmeg  3 cups vegetable or chicken stock 1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Instructions: 1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the summer squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Coat the cut side and cavity with the oil and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place a sprig of thyme in each cavity, and lay the halves cut-side down on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, then let cool until easy to handle.  2.     Cook the leeks, carrots, pepper, and garlic in oil in a large pot over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the leeks and pepper start getting soft.  3.     Pull away the skin from the roasted squash, dice into large cubes, and add to the pot. Stir to mix all the vegetables.  4.     Add the brown sugar, cloves, and nutmeg, and stir to coat. Then add 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or enough to nearly cover the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium low, place the remaining bunch of thyme in the soup, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  5.     After 30 minutes, remove the bunch of thyme and discard. Using either a blender (after removing the pot from the heat and letting cool) or an immersion blender (can be done right over the stove), puree the soup until smooth. Return to low heat, and add cream. stirring until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.  6.     Serve with a dollop of cream and some parsley--enjoy!       Tips & Tricks: Veggies starting to pile up in the fridge?  If you're like me, you're reaching a point in the season where life activities are picking up and you're running out of time to eat all your vegetables every week before you get your next box. Take a weekend and get ahead of your cooking by prepping and storing all your fresh veggies in delicious meals that are easy to defrost and go weeks from now.  ·  Whip up a batch of soup, such as this summer squash recipe. Cool completely then store in take-out soup containers in your freezer. A few weeks later, let it thaw on your counter and reheat for an easy lunch.  ·  Shred your carrots and zucchini and mix with an easy batter for frying or baking as latke-like pancakes. Separate with a layer of plastic wrap or foil, and store in your freezer until you're ready to pull them out one-by-one to enjoy when you're too busy to cook.  ·  Abundance of tomatoes? Cook up your own homemade tomato sauce and keep serving-size portions in your freezer for an easy addition to future pasta dinners without needing to run out and buy store-bought.