Pumpkin & Pomegranate

After a long chilly & drizzly day I was craving soup. I crave soup a lot during the Autumn and Winter so this is no surprise. I sat at my desk at working taking inventory of my pantry and freezer at home.

Squash?

Check!

Fennel?

Check!

That was as far as it went ;-)

I was actually feeling really lazy and tired from a long day. I e-mailed my mom earlier to see if she wanted to share dinner. She made the greens, and I made the soup. Both were very good and filling, but I added a wee bit too much red pepper to the pot ;-) I suggest you add it only if you like it, and do it to taste. Don’t just add a whole teaspoon like I did. It wasn’t the heat, but it was just too overpowering for this soup. If it had been a Thai soup the heat level would have been very appreciated. I also used 3 different kinds of squash, but only because I didn’t have enough of one single variety to make a whole pot of soup. Mixing and matching works, but it would also be just as good to use one variety.

Roasted Squash and Fennel Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Delicata Squash
• 1 Carnival Squash
• 1 Golden Acorn Squash
• 2 Fennel Bulbs, sliced
• 7 Garlic Cloves, in their skins
• 1 Red Onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. Dried Thyme
• Crushed Red Pepper, to taste
• 1 qt. Vegetable Broth
• 1 C. Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt

Method:

1. Roast the squash, fennel, and garlic in the oven until each is tender.*
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, sautée the onion until translucent. Add the thyme and red pepper and sautée until aromatic.
3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.
4. Peel the garlic and add to the pot along with the squash and fennel.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and season with sea salt.
6. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the ingredients until creamy.

*I roasted my squashes whole in a 275° F. oven until they were soft. I then sliced them, removed the seeds and peeled them.
For the garlic, I wrapped the cloves in foil and roasted them along with the squash, removing them when the gloves were soft and sticky.
I pre-roasted the fennel, but it can easily be roasted along with the squash. You just have to remove it earlier.