Butternut-châtaigne soup: sublimely douce

One of the concerns that we had when Juliette and I decided to go All Organic Vegetarian was flavor, and it's a valid concern, given the rep that an all-vegetable diet has had. Lingering memories of back-to-nature Sixties cookery, of plates of brown rice and red beans served with chunks of dense wheat germ bread are not easily erased. So, from the start of our adventure, we've insisted on flavor, and this soup delivers.

The butternut squash has a naturally sweet taste, not at all unlike that of the American pumpkin, a variety of the squash family that we miss here in the Pyrenees, where the closest thing to be found is the potiron or the buternut -- which we prefer. So, if you're thinking about a soup like this but don't have a butternut squash on hand, pumpkin will do.

The process for creating this soup is much the same as for the potiron-châtaigne soup we cooked a couple of weeks ago. Saute an onion in your braising pot, then add the chunks of butternut squash and let simmer on the slowest fire until the squash has softened. If you need to add liquid, use a vegetable broth or just water.

After you have cleaned the châtaigne, chop a good cup of the meat until you have mostly tiny lumps and add to the liquid in the pot.

For spices, Juliette adds toasted sesame seeds, miso, curcumin, celery salt, dried ginger, and a dash of cayenne. All of these ingredients are certified organic and available from the organic grocery down in Claira. The miso may seem like an odd addition, but we've grown to appreciate the warm and mellow, almost woodsy undertone of miso and use it many ways, not just for an oriental taste.

(more to come)