Roasted Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Do you have any idea how to make soup?  It seems like it should be easy.  Just throw some things in a pot and presto- soup!  At least that’s how it always seemed to me.  Why should soup be any more difficult?  After all, I’ve seen dozens of soups blended to victory on Iron Chef.

Perhaps that is why my first foray into soup making went poorly.  Though that might be generous; more honest would be to say it went nowhere.  I thought I could make a beef soup without a recipe.  I was so sure of myself after watching Iron Chef and having learned to make steak and potatoes.

Well, tossing some spices, some steak, and some water in a pot, does not soup produce.  Just some weakly flavored water and boiled meat.

Though I have always been interested in soup, for some reason I never bothered seriously looking at a recipe.  When I did, I often thought, ‘too complicated’ and surrendered to store bought soup again. 

This recipe isn’t very hard at all.  It is loaded with delicious vegetables and could just as easily be made vegetarian by dropping out the bacon and switching from Chicken Stock to Vegetable.

It all starts with a mirepoix- a fancy French word for chopped carrots, celery, and onion (green onion is this case) sautéed with butter.  Throwing this in a pot on low heat, giving it a quick stir every so often, allows the vegetables to cook without caramelizing and gives them a chance to release lots of natural sugars and other tasty things.

The squash, the headliner of the recipe, gets whacked in half, deseeded, and thrown in the oven and forgotten about for an hour.  For being a star the squash is very undemanding.

Eventually the fancy pancy mirepoix is looking translucent and ready for the next stage.  The party expands with the introduction of some bright red roasted peppers, a nice ripe tomato, and chicken stock.  Just scoop in the squash afterwards and everything is ready!

The soup just needs a quick blend and some salt and maybe a few herbs if they are handy.

But why stop there?!?  What the soup really needs is some heat, a little spice to warm the tummy and make you smile.  So here is where I add some spicy Cayenne Pepper, Smoked Paprika, a dash of Red Pepper Flakes, Hawaiian Sea Salt, good heap of Pepper, dash of Ginger, and a good shake of Cinnamon.  – If the soup is still missing something I turn to my friends Tabasco, Tapatio, or Sour Cream.

Now, blend it all together till smooth.  Put some in a mug.  Sprinkle some cheese.  And eat!