Butternut Squash and Bean Soup

When you have the triumvirate of soup vegetables in your fridge (carrots, leeks, and celery), you make soup. Simple as that.

I also had a butternut squash. So that went in too. And some cooked black-eyed peas. If I’d had a potato or celeriac or spinach or chard, I would have diced it up and thrown it in as well.Be warned, an entire butternut squash is a very sweet thing, so if you don’t like sweet soup, only use half of it. It’ll save you some chopping. If you have a food processor that can dice everything for you, consider yourself lucky. Personally, there are days when all I want to do is chop. There’s something so satisfying in staring at all those little cubes you just formed with a knife and cutting board. Yes there’s something nice about puréed soups where they’re thick and creamy (with or without cream) and satisfying, but when I look at a diced vegetable soup I see all the work that went into it and I appreciate the soup more. Strange? Maybe. But there’s also the texture! Your mouth doesn’t get bored. You’re not a baby or someone who can only eat pudding and apple sauce and broth. You’re lucky enough to be able to chew and press your teeth through a softened but barely cooked carrot. You can still taste the character of it. Then a piece of squash, then a crescent moon of celery. Then a small but pungent piece of garlic that didn’t get quite as minced as the others. So here’s to chopping. And if you don’t feel like cheers-ing to that, then here’s to food processors and immersion blenders…

Butternut Squash and Bean Soup

1 tsp olive oil

2 leeks, white parts only, sliced lengthwise into strips 1 cm wide, then soaked in a bowl of water to remove dirt. Then chop crosswise into 1 cm x 1 cm pieces (or whatever size dice you want. It doesn’t have to be perfect)

2 carrots, peeled and diced (the 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm cubes, approximately)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, cut in half or thirds lengthwise, then into 1 cm x 1 cm pieces (or into crescent moons, as you wish)

1 butternut squash

1/2 cup red wine

2 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water (or 4 cups broth)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme (or 2 branches fresh thyme)

2 cups cooked beans (black-eye peas, kidney beans, navy beans, black beans, etc.)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot add the leeks, carrots, garlic, and celery, and cook until softened (about 6 minutes). Add the butternut squash cubes and stir and cook for 30 seconds or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the vegetables start to stick to the pot. Pour in the red wine and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the remaining ingredients except the beans.

Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until squash is tender (about 12-15 minutes). Stir in the cooked beans to warm them.

Serve with a slice of lemon if you want to cut through the sweetness. Grated cheese on toast is also a great accompaniment because of the salt and crunch.