Soup Season is Upon Us!

The weather is a little cooler here in California, not cold yet, but cooler.  I had the beginnings of a good soup in the fridge.  Fennel bulbs from Eatwell Farm along with a red kuri squash and a pumpkin that arrived in this week's box.  I also had a plethora of onions that needed to find their way into some kind of dish.  Having to make room in the freezer I took out a half gallon of frozen chicken broth, defrosted it.  Meanwhile, I seeded and halved the pumpkin and squash, liberally slathered them in olive oil and placed the halves on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  Into the oven they went for 1 hour at 350F to roast until soft.  While the squashes were roasting, I set to dicing vegies - fennel bulbs, fronds and all diced, onions diced, 3 large carrots diced and a few cloves of garlic.  Once the squashes were cooked they cooled until easy to handle.  I removed the baked flesh from the skins and mashed it with a  potato masher.  Now, ready to start the soup.  2-3 TBSP of olive oil in the soup pot to which I added the onions and garlic then a generous pinch of salt, some cumin and tumeric stirring to blend.  I also added a TBSP or so of Italian seasoning.  Add the fennel, carrots and whatever other vegies you like in your soup.  Let it all sweat covered under low heat for 5-10 minutes.  Next, add the chicken broth, raise the heat and bring to a boil and add the pumpkin. Simmer at low heat for about 1 hour.  Puree the soup using either an immersion blender or a regular blender. Enjoy with a hunk of fresh baked bread - YUM! I love soup season.