hot soup season is here yet again; another summer has passed, and a new season full of possibility is to come. i'm a big fan of the "in-between" seasons of spring and autumn, as they are a beautiful tip-toe into the more intense hots and colds of summer and winter. even as we're getting less direct light here in our tiny brooklyn apartment, there's an increased sense of ease - mornings are a bit more slow as i'm not ripping the covers back to cool off, but rather peeling them slowly, as to not have a rush of cold air come at me at once. we've taken the ac unit out of the window (yay for more light! but eww for the spider's nest chilling just outside our window that was hidden by the unit - luckily frank took care of that!), and i've already put summer clothes away, and replaced them with sweaters, scarves, hats - all the cozies! our pup, quint - who hails from LA - is seeing fall for the first time, crunching the fallen leaves playfully as he trots on his walks. and there are plans in the works to sew him a little dog sweater to keep him from his morning and evening shivers when the temps are at their lowest.
we're still looking at high's in the mid-70s this week, and a few hot peppers are clinging to dear life on our fire escape garden, but as soon as a pot of soup is made, the line between summer and fall seems a bit more clear. and i'm curious, what marks autumn for you? because for quite some time i've marked the fall season with same old pot of honeycrisp butternut squash soup; so, this year i've broadened my squashy soup repertoire to include this one here. i've made it a few times so far, tweaking it each time until the consistency and flavors were just how i envisioned. i've used different varieties of winter squash, as well different alliums, various herbs, fennel seeds, fresh fennel, ground ginger, etc., so the recipe below highlights what i thought tasted best. all-in-all, soup is a lovely, and forgiving dish, and adding a little of this, and a little of that, turned into a hearty autumnal flavor bomb of a soup!
wishing you all a good one! xo
kabocha squash, fennel + ginger soup w/ spicy coconut cream (v + gf)
inspired by this recipe
just about any variety of squash works well here, just be mindful that if it's smaller than a kabocha squash you will need to adjust the amount of liquid, seasoning, etc. if you do not have fresh fennel or fresh ginger on hand, fennel seeds and ground ginger can be used in their place. also, if you prefer to use vegetable stock, reduce the amount of salt added in the recipe.
| makes roughly 6 cups |
ingredients
- 1 kabocha squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 large leek (or 2 small), white and light green parts sliced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb, cored and sliced (reserve some fronds for garnish)
- 1 knob of fresh ginger (about 3/4 of an inch big), peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 5 cups filtered water (alternatively you could use low sodium vegetable broth - see notes above)
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup spicy coconut cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
spicy coconut cream
- 1 can organic coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- a couple pinches of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
garnish
- leftover spicy coconut cream
- poppy seeds
- fennel fronds
instructions
- preheat oven to 375° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. rub a good amount of olive oil over cut side of squash; place cut side down on baking sheet and place in oven. cook squash until fork tender - about 50-65 minutes. let the squash cool until it's ready to handle. scoop squash out into a bowl and set aside
- in a large soup pot, heat olive oil and coconut oil over medium heat. add sliced leeks and oregano, and sauté until leeks are soft; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. add the fennel and ginger, and cook for about 5 minutes - until fennel is soft and ginger is fragrant. add the kabocha, bay leaf, water, salt, and pepper - stir
- turn the heat up and bring soup to a simmer, cook for roughly 30 minutes, stirring every so often. remove from heat and stir in 1 cup spicy coconut cream (instructions below)
- in batches, puree soup in a blender, or food processor, until smooth. transfer soup back to the pot and bring to a low simmer, stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning (adjust if necessary)
- serve soup with a dollop of leftover spicy coconut cream, poppy seeds, and chopped fennel fronds
enjoy!
spicy coconut cream
- whisk the coconut milk a bit if separated; then stir in the lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and pepper. taste and adjust accordingly