Here’s one for my vegetarian pals, or anyone who likes to incorporate an occasional meatless main course: a veggie-centric soup-and-sandwich combo made with fresh farmers market ingredients.
A couple of weeks back, I posted about five soup ideas featuring fall produce, and I briefly mentioned this one: roasted butternut squash soup studded with sautéed summer squash and zucchini. It showcases the range of produce available in south Louisiana right now. We can still get a lot of summer produce alongside the inaugural harvest of fall vegetables. This dinner takes advantage of both.
Farmers market three-squash soup
Serves 4
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4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery, leaves included
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 cups roasted butternut squash (skin and seeds removed)
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup half-and-half
2 yellow squash, diced
2 zucchini, diced
½ cup crumbled feta
Fresh basil or chives for garnish
In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil to medium high and add onions and celery. Sautée until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Place both roasted butternut squash and sautéed vegetables in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add about one cup of the stock to the processor and puree until the liquid is thoroughly incorporated. Return squash mixture to the pot, turn the heat to medium and whisk in the remaining 3 cups of stock. Add bay leaves, curry powder and thyme. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in half-and-half and turn off the heat.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and sauté the diced yellow squash and zucchini until soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
Taste, and correct with salt and pepper if necessary. When ready to serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and top with about 2 tablespoons diced sautéed squash, 2 tablespoons crumbled feta and chopped fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
Big ol’ fresh tomato bruschetta
Serves 4
4½-inch thick slices good quality sourdough or Italian bread
1 garlic clove, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced crosswise into discs (Ponchatoula farmer Eric Morrow tells me he should have fresh tomatoes until the first week of December.)
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella
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Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place bread slices directly onto oven rack for about 5 minutes or until slightly crisp. Remove from the oven. Turn on the broiler.
Place slices on a cookie sheet and rub each slice with the peeled garlic clove. Drizzle a little olive oil onto each slice, then top with sliced tomatoes. Add a pinch of dried oregano and salt and pepper. Top with shredded mozzarella. Slide slices under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and author of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey. Reach her at hungryforlouisiana.com.