3 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
1 leek, whites only, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
5 qts chicken stock
2 bananas, sliced
1 Tahitian vanilla bean
5 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
3 thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in 12 qt stockpot. Add squash and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add celery, onion, leek, and garlic. Stir often making sure not to brown too much. Add butter and sweat until all vegetables are semi-soft. Place bananas in an oven safe dish with 3 tbsp brown sugar evenly spread on top. Put into oven until sugar starts to caramelize (10 min at 375 degrees). Add bananas and sugar mixture to stockpot. Slowly stir for 2 minutes. Add 4 qts simmering chicken stock. While waiting for soup to come back up to a simmer, place thyme in cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni (coffee filter has same effect) and tie with butcher’s twine. Submerge bouquet garni in broth. Cut vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of your knife, scrape out inside. Place both filling and 2 halves of vanilla bean into soup. Also add cinnamon sticks, salt, pepper, and remaining brown sugar. Let simmer for 1 hour. Remove and discard bouquet garni, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans. Blend soup using a blender, adding additional chicken stock for consistency. Check for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste.

For the chipotle creme fraiche:
1 cup ruby port
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon chopped, canned chipotle chilies
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

For the soup:
Vegetable oil
2-2 1/2 pound kabocha squash, halved horizontally, seeded
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 (7.4 ounce) jars whole roasted chestnuts
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Make the chipotle creme fraiche: Combine port, red wine, chilies and tomato paste in heavy small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to thick paste, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; cool. Fold in creme fraiche. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.

Make the soup: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush baking sheet with oil. Place squash halves, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Bake squash until very tender, about 1 hour.

Scoop the squash from skins. Measure 6 cups squash, and transfer to a large pot. (Reserve any remaining squash for another use.) Add broth and chestnuts to pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup uncovered until chestnuts are very tender, about 30 minutes. Mix maple syrup into soup. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth; return to same pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Soup can be prepared one day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with chipotle creme fraiche.

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 onion, diced (about 11/4 cups)
1 carrot, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small butternut squash, diced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and carrot. Cook until the onion is tender, 4-6 minutes.Add the squash and enough water to cover by about 3 inches. Simmer, uncovered, until the squash and carrots are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the honey, cinnamon and allspice and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (Thin the soup with a little water if necessary.) Pour the soup back into the pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt. Reduce the heat to low and keep the soup hot until ready to serve.

1 dried chipotle chili, stemmed
3 cups drained canned black beans, well rinsed or 11/2 cups dried beans (see note)
1 cup water, plus more as needed
1/3 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/4 teaspoon chopped dried epazote, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt, to taste

Grind the chipotle chili into a powder in a spice grinder. Puree the ground chipotle, beans, water, oregano, epazote and cumin in a blender until smooth. Thin with a little additional water, if necessary.Bring the soup to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Season with salt. Reduce the heat to low, and keep the soup hot until ready to serve.

450 g Pumpkin
25 g Onion
2 Fresh chillies
4 Cloves garlic
50 ml Oil -sprig curry leaves
1 ts Salt
1/4 ts Black pepper
1/4 ts Turmeric
350 ml Thin coconut milk
100 ml Thick coconut milk
25 g Ground rice
1 ts Ground mustard -pinch curry powder
1/2 ts Lime juice

Wash the pumpkin and cut the top quarter off. Scoop out the flesh to within 2 cm of sides and cube. Put the shell on one side for using later. Slice the onion and chilli and crush the garlic. Heat the oil and fry the onion and chilli together with the curry leaves. When the onion is soft add the pumpkin salt pepper turmeric and thin coconut milk and cook until the pumpkin is’ done. Pour the thick coconut milk onto the ground rice mustard and garlic and add to the pumpkin mixture stirring as it thickens. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and spoon into pump- kin shell. Sprinkle with the curry powder and lime juice.

4 ounces chilled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 4 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices pancetta or 4 thick bacon slices, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 2 1/4-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
4 1/2 cups canned roasted-garlic chicken broth or low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
1 16-ounce bag frozen sweet white corn (unthawed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

Cut each cheese round into 8 wedges. Place eggs in small bowl. Place cornmeal in another bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, dip cheese into eggs, then into cornmeal, turning to coat. Press cornmeal gently to adhere. Place on baking sheet. Freeze 1 hour.

Cook pancetta in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes. Add butternut squash, broth and chilies; simmer until squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Mix in corn; simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer 3 1/2 cups soup to blender; puree. Mix puree into remaining soup in pan. Season with salt and pepper. (Pancetta and soup can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover pancetta; chill. Chill soup uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring pancetta to room temperature before continuing.) Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add frozen cheese; brown well, about 1 minute per side.

Meanwhile, bring soup to simmer. Mix in sage. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with pancetta and cheese croutons.

handful wild mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 asparagus spears, sliced
˝ chicken stock cube
1 cup water, boiling
splash Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
Saute the mushrooms in the oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the asparagus and fry for one minute.  Add all the other ingredients and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Serves 1.

For the soup
10 fl oz boiling water
2 carrots, grated
1 orange, juice only
1 handful fresh herbs, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp white wine
˝ onion, diced
For the basil-flavoured cream
4 fl oz heavy cream
2 tbsp basil, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
1. Place all the soup ingredients into a medium saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
2. To make the basil cream, whip the heavy cream until thick. Add the basil and season to taste.
3. To serve, pour the soup into a bowl, and spoon the basil cream on top, to garnish.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (15-19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 can (13 3/4-14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
10-12 ounces fresh spinach
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery and cook 5-8 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add beans, chicken broth, pepper, thyme and 2 cups water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, discard tough stems from spinach, thinly slice leaves. With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups bean-and-vegetable mixture from soup, set aside. In blender at low speed, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, blend remaining soup in small batches until smooth. Pour soup into large bowl after each batch.

Return soup to saucepan, stir in reserved beans and vegetables. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach and cook 1 minute or until wilted. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if you like.

Per serving: 252 cal.; 12 g pro.; 38 g carb.; 6 g fat (1 sat., 2 monounsat., 3 polyunsat.); 2 mg chol.; 963 mg sod.; 10 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 22 percent calories from fat.

2 flour tortillas, 8 to 10 inches
5 ounces smoked chorizo sausage links, coarsely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry sherry or chicken broth
˝ teaspoon chili powder
1 19-ounce can Progresso Vegetable Classics hearty black bean soup
1 4˝-ounce can Old El Paso chopped green chiles
1/3 cup shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend, 11/3 ounces
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 ovenproof custard cups with cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet. Place tortillas on microwavable plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 45 to 60 seconds, turning after 30 seconds until very soft. Center tortillas over cups, press into cups so top edges are even. Press folds against side of each cup to make bowl as large as possible. Bake on bottom oven rack 8 to 10 minutes or until tortillas are stiff enough to hold their shape.

Remove from cups and place on cookie sheet. Return to oven rack and bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until browned and stiff. Remove tortilla bowls from cookie sheet and place on wire rack.Meanwhile heat 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook and stir about 30 seconds. Add garlic, cook and stir 30 to 60 seconds longer.

Remove skillet from heat, stir in sherry. Return skillet to high heat and cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in chili powder, soup and green chiles. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Place tortilla bowls on individual plates.

Divide soup evenly among bowls. Top each with cheese, sour cream and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.