Tonight’s recipe (hm, we’ve been doing a lot of squash soups lately…) is from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. Squash, pears, onions, and peppers are cooked until tender and then partly pureed; adzuki beans are stirred in, and then it’s all topped with some sauteed shiitake mushrooms.

[donotprint]
Chris says:

This soup reminds me that I want an immersion blender. This transferring half the soup to the blender thing is for suckas!

Lisa says:

Guess you’re a sucka then… looks good! Like butternut squash soup.

Chris says:

Acorn, but close enough. I like it; it’s got a nice sweetness from the pears.

Lisa says:

Hmmm, it’s like I’m eating dessert…

Chris says:

Oh yeah, I forgot that you don’t like sweet things for dinner. And this isn’t even that sweet, really.

Lisa says:

I know… it’s good, but I like savory.

Chris says:

Well I really like it — and the mushrooms are awesome.

Lisa says:

That’s totally true — I’d actually put more in and make it part of the soup.

Chris says:

Sounds like you’re trying to recreate the soup we made last week.

Lisa says:

Oooh, yeah! I liked that one a lot.

Chris says:

Thought so…

[/donotprint]

Acorn Squash, Pear and Adzuki Soup with Sautéed Shiitakes
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch thin slices
1 red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thin slices
2 tsp minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 acorn squashes, seeded, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 firm bosc pears, peeled, seeds removed and sliced into thin slices (roughly one inch long)
4 cups vegetable broth
15 oz can adzuki beans, drained and rinsed (about a cup and a half)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

4 oz fresh shiitakes, sliced in half (about a cup and a half)
2 tsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce

Preheat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the onions and peppers for about 10 minutes, or until onions just begin to brown.
Add the ginger and garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the salt, Chinese five spice, acorn squash and pear and cook for another minute, stirring often. Add the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, set the heat to medium-low to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Puree half the soup by transferring half the soup to a food processor or blender and then back into the rest of the soup.
Add the adzuki beans and lime. Cover and simmer on low, just until the beans are heated through.
While the soup is heating, prepare the mushrooms. Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the oils and sauté the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until they are soft. Add the soy sauce and stir constantly until the soy sauce is absorbed (about 1 minute).

Ladle soup into bowls and top with sautéed mushrooms.

6 Servings