It’s terrible but it’s the truth. I almost didn’t attempt to veganize this month’s Daring Baker Challenge.
Daunting to say the least when a cake has a dozen eggs in it to somehow replace. (…And that’s not including the other two that were in the buttercream recipe.)

After making the original version I had to share. I mean, what’s the point of this site if everyone can’t share good food together?

I halved the recipe (because the other cake was enormous) and started in on my trials. I stuck to the traditional recipe as close as I could without those eggs but having had the other I had a general idea as to what I was after. This cake is very light without too much flavour. It’s a perfect canvas to add your own and it this case we, The Daring Bakers, were able to get creative just as long as we kept it light in colour. Again having the other version I knew what I liked and didn’t so choosing a flavour this time around was pretty easy. In my traditional version, I really wanted to go give it a Taste of Yellow in honour of one great and Daring Baker, Barbara of Winos and Foodies, who hosts the Livestrong event. For that I made an Earl Grey with a lemon buttercream so for this version I wanted to keep the citrus but add some kick with just a little brandy syrup, and boy did my little cake sing.

L’OPÉRA CAKE

JACONDE

1 Cup Ground Almonds
1/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1/2 Cup Cake Flour
1 1/4 Cups Soy Milk
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Line a 5 x 8 inch loaf pan with parchment then lightly spray with oil.
Add the dry ingredients together into a large bowl.
Combine the soy milk and the vinegar, then add to the dry.
Mix vigorously with a fork.
Once combined, consistency will be similar to a pancake batter.
Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the prepared pan to cover the bottom to the edges.
Bake for 5 – 7 minutes or until the top appears golden, begins to dry and the edges come away from the sides.
Loosen edges with a knife, if necessary and top with an additional sheet of parchment or waxed paper.
Flip pan to remove the cake, cooling on a rack to room temperature.
Reline the pan and repeat with the remainder of the batter, baking three cakes.

COGNAC SYRUP

4 Tablespoons Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1-2 Tablespoons Cognac

Add everything to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
(May be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge for up to a week.

ORANGE “BUTTERCREAM” ICING

2 1/2 Cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted
1/2 Cup Earth’s Balance Margarine, room temperature
Juice and zest of one large orange
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine half of the sugar with the margarine.
Add the orange zest and juice and mix on a medium-high setting.
Add the remainder of the sugar, half a cup at a time.
Once it has come together, then add the vanilla to incorporate.
Continue to up the volume with a higher speed until light and creamy.

ASSEMBLY

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Place one cake layer on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the second layer of cake and moisten again with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third layer of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

At this point a glaze of white chocolate may be made. I omitted this tradition but for a vegan white chocolate try this one from Bittersweet. Melt 7 oz of the chocolate with 1/4 cup of soy milk. Once it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Trim the edges 1/2″ to reveal the layers.
Garnish with additional orange zest, candied or not, if desired.

Clawing from the depths of a seemingly endless winter, spring has finally arrived.
Of course with about a foot of snow still remaining outside of my urban home and the prediction of 6 more weeks of crappy weather, it’s a little hard to believe. Thankfully with the double whammy of this beloved first day and an early Easter, I was compelled to fill my house with flowers and the scent of cinnamony Hot Crossed Buns.

I swear I don’t remember eating these since I was a kid – back when I pulled one flattened, from a lavender and yellow bag only to be thoroughly disappointed that the cross wasn’t pure icing. Hunks of candied fruit, maraschino cherries, raisins.
Mm, delicious.
Not.

With a certain need to perk up into spring, I set off to recreate my own version. I combined dried cranberries with my own candied orange peel, for something a little more to my tastes. I have to admit that the candied peel was a bit time consuming but fun none the less. I opted to do it the night before, but made enough for a bit extra, which was a good thing since my kids surprisingly mistook it for Easter candy and were caught gobsmacking the orange loot. For a two year old with an orange peel, that must say something. But my little Easter buns were golden and puffed and I couldn’t help but sweeten the paste for the crosses, just for old time sake. Served slightly toasted with some cold butter, I thought these would be perfect to celebrate the equinox and serve up with Sunday brunch.

HOT CROSSED BUNS

1 1/2 Cups Soy Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Vegetable or Safflower Oil
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1/2 Cup Warm Water
2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour, plus more, if necessary, for kneading
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Crystalized Ginger, crushed (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
3/4 Cup Candied Orange Peel, chopped

Hot Cross Paste

3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons Water

Heat the soy milk and stir in the sugar to dissolve.
Add the salt and oil and cool to a lukewarm temperature.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let sit until it bubbles.
Measure out the flours and spices into the a large bowl or one of a stand mixer.
Stir the yeast and with the motor running, add it along with the warm milk to form a dough.
Add the cranberries and chopped peel.
Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, turning the dough out with the additional flour, if necessary to a board to completely work in the fruit.
Lightly grease a large, clean bowl and let the dough rest and rise until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
After the rise, roll the dough into an 18 inch long tube, then cut it into 18 pieces.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and roll each piece into a ball and evenly place them in six rows of three.
Cover and let double in size again.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Mix up the paste mixture and lightly indent each bun with a knife with a cross, then pipe the paste over.
Bake until golden; about 10 – 15 minutes.
Glaze with reserved sugar syrup from candying the oranges or with heated, strained apricot jam.

CANDIED ORANGE PEELS

5 Oranges, any kind
3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Water

Soak and scrub the oranges in warm soapy water and rinse well.
Cup the tops and tails from the oranges, then peel.
Cut as much of the pith as you can without getting too crazy about it.
Slice the peels into strips and add them to a sauce pan with enough cold water to cover.
Once the water begins to boil, drain and repeat 2 – 3 times to reduce the bitterness.
Dissolve the sugar in the one cup of water and bring to a low boil, heating 230ºF.
Once the sugar syrup reaches the magic number, reduce the heat to just a simmer and add the blanched peels.
Soak the peels in the simmering syrup for 35 – 40 minutes, or until they are translucent.
If you’re finding it irresistible, infrequently spin the pan but try not to stir it since it will create sugar crystals.
Remove the peels, separate them and lay them out on a cooling rack to dry. (Or be sure to toss them in sugar first, if they’re just for snacking.)
Reserve the syrup for other uses. (Like sweetening cocktails, iced tea or as a glaze.)
Once they are cooled, store the oranges in granulated sugar until ready to use.

Mmmm.

Hopefully this is the post worth waiting for. Since being whisked off for a quick French get away, I ate my way through all of Montréal’s renown food samples.

Squeaking a flight through a crazy snowstorm, even for Québec standards, safe at home I brought out my sack of goodness from a small approvisionnement de cuisine shop, still wet from the cookie sized snowflakes that were tumbling down around me. In it, my newly treasured Madeleine pan…

Madeleines are one of my most favourite things. Yes, Proust would be proud. I love these delightful tea cakes so much I named my first born after them. Really.

I couldn’t have been more excited while tredging my better half through this snowstorm to make it back to a little shop I’d originally peered through the window of as this recipe serendipitously came together.

You see, most of Northeastern Canada and U.S.A produces everyone’s supply of maple syrup, and it’s at this time of year, when the temperatures are at their crazy best that the maple sap begins flowing. Thankfully for where I’m at, Québec is one of the number one producers of the stuff – so imagine my pure delight, as I was picking up a few morning groceries, to discover Maple Flakes, even being Canadian I haven’t seen this stuff in the flesh and it hits me that these are where the French Petite Madeleine meets French Canadian. I have certainly found what I have been trying my hand at veganizing these “invasions of the senses” for.

MAPLE MADELIENES

1/4 Cup butter (or to make it vegan, lactose free margarine), melted
1/2 Frozen banana, thawed and pushed through a sieve to puree.
1/3 Cup Soy milk
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Cup All Purpose Flour, sifted
1/4 Cup cornstarch, sifted
1/4 Cup Sugar,
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Sift dry ingredients together.
Add juice to the soy milk and let rest.
Melt butter/margarine and let cool.
Beat banana and sugar together until very smooth.
Add the soy milk and maple syrup and zest to the banana mixture and combine well.
Whisk in the melted butter then, gradually whisk in dry ingredients with the wet until combined.
Allow the batter to set for about an 1/2 hour in the fridge while you
evenly grease and lightly flour your Madeleine pan.
While the oven preheats to 375ºF, fill each shell 3/4 full with batter and let the batter rest in the pan, popping any bubbles that rise to the surface.
Bake until centers have puffed and the edges are crisp and browned; about 15 minutes.
Cool completely before drizzling over the glaze and sprinkling with maple flakes.

MAPLE GLAZE

1 Tablespoon Margarine
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar

Melt the margarine in a medium saucepan.
Add the maple syrup and continue to heat until bubbling.
Whisk in the confectioners sugar until smooth.
Reduce heat but continue to simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and dip, dunk or drizzle, since the glaze will begin to harden and crystallize as it cools.

I am one of those people who like cilantro. Cilantro is a love it or hate it kind of thing. Thankfully the herby leaf it offers to 50% of the population who enjoy it, also comes with a seed. Coriander, which the seed more commonly goes by, lends a refreshing and slightly citrusy flavour. Blended with other spices, coriander is perfect and essential for milder curry combinations.

Common yellow curry is the key to this soup. Spices like coriander, along with tumeric, cumin, mustard seed, cloves, red pepper and fennel might seem like a lot but the complexities of each spice together make for a wonderful flavour combination added to so many dishes, including the humble winter carrot.

Earthy and dense, these bright reminders of a summer past wait anxiously in the root cellar to come alive again. Flavour packed and vitamin rich carrots along with the zip of curry does us a great justice to blasting the February blahs.

My father in law is a master at soup and a farmer’s market frequenter. With a constant variety of seasonal vegetables, he has shown me tons about eating locally. This is an adaptation of the soup I’d recently devoured at his home.

CURRIED CARROT SOUP

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Stalks Celery
8 cups of Water or Vegetable Stock
3 Lbs Carrots, about 6 large ones, grated
1 Tablespoon Yellow Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seed, ground with a mortar pestle
1/4 teaspoon Ground Red Chilies, or to taste
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 Lemon

Heat the oil in a large stock pot.
Sauté the onion and garlic over medium-high heat until soft, taking care not to scorch the garlic.
Roughly chop the celery stalks into thirds and add to the onions along with the grated carrots.
Pour over the water, bring to boil.
Add the curry powder, ground fennel, chilies, salt and pepper.
Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Purée using a immersion or traditional blender, in batches until smooth.
Stir in the lemon juice and readjust salt and pepper, if necessary.
Top with chopped cilantro. (If you like it.)

It was amazing I had a chance to fill these cookies. Fresh and plain, the almond biscuits coming straight from the oven proved pretty popular. I almost would have thought to leave them just for snacking although it is Christmas cookie season, so I figured a little extra sparkle was in order.

Setting off with an original idea to use up the finally ripe hachiya persimmon sinking into my window sill, I was thinking of a swankier jelly thumb print. All I needed was the cookie to dab my thumb downward.

Looking for a cookie base to stuff, ice or otherwise decorate wasn’t too tough. I wanted versatility and these cookies have it. Delicately flavoured with almonds these cookies are also nice and crisp, able to hold up a sweet orangy center.

This, I guess is where inspiration meets evolution; or laziness meets versatility – can’t decide.
No matter which, the cookie base is a great canvas and here are two works for it.
Let me know what you come up with.

ALMOND BISCUITS

1/2 Cup Margarine
1/2 Cup Whole Almonds
1/2 Banana, well mashed
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar, organic
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

In a food processor, grind the almonds until coarse.
Add the flour and continue to mix until the almonds are a fine texture.
In a large bowl blend the mashed banana with the margarine until smooth.
Add the sugar and continue to mix until creamy.
Add salt, vanilla, and baking powder; beating well to incorporate.
Add the ground almonds and flour; mixing well to form a soft dough.
Shape the dough into a ball and cut in half.
Wrap the dough in plastic and flatten into disks.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour.*
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Roll out, one disk at a time on a lightly floured board to about a 1/8″ thickness for the sandwich cookies, about 1/4″ thick for the thumbprint cookies.
Cut out with your desired shape. (Flowers, circles or scalloped edged rounds are nice.)

For Orange Sandwich Cookies:

Transfer cookies to a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 – 10 minutes, watching carefully at the end, since they go from pale to golden fairly quickly.
Remove from baking sheet and completely cool on a wire baking rack.
Pipe icing rounds into the center of half of the biscuits. Top with the remaining biscuits, swirl additional icing on top and sprinkle with demara sugar, if desired.

For the thumbprint cookies:
Cut the cookies a little thicker. Transfer them to a parchment lined cookie sheet.
With a dampened thumb, create an even well in the center of each cookie and fill with a dollop of the prepared persimmon jelly.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until just light golden and crisp.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (Don’t sneak – sugar gets hot. You will burn your lip – trust me.)

SATSUMA ORANGE ICING

1 Tablespoon Juice, 1 Satsuma (1 Clementine, or even Tropicana will do in a pinch)
1 Tablespoon Margarine
2/3 Cup Confectionery Sugar, sifted

Add sifted sugar to a medium bowl.
Combine margarine with a fork or an electric mixer.
Drizzle in the juice, continuing to mix until smooth.
The consistency should have movement, unlike cake icing but not be runny.

PERSIMMON JELLY

1 Hachiya Persimmon, very ripe
1/4 Cup Sugar

Cut the persimmon lengthwise and with a spoon, remove the pulp into a small saucepan.
Bring the heat up to medium-high.
Add sugar, mashing and stirring well.
Let the persimmon simmer for about 5 minutes or until the back of a spoon is coated and glossy.
Remove from heat, cool slightly then pass through a mesh strainer with the help of a rubber spatula.
Cool and dot into cookie divots.

* The dough will keep in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready. Fridge for about a week and freeze for up to 3 months.

Not that I’m the authority but I think that it’s safe to say that Holiday baking is may “officially” begin, now that it’s actually December.

Be it that we took our kids to the community Santa Claus parade or that was today was the first of December, Holidays get me to hum classic carols and remember highlights of Christmas Past. With my brain swirling of roasting chestnuts and the clementine I almost mistook as a lump of coal down in the depths of my stocking toe, I decided the first cookie of the year should be able to last as long as that heart wrenching childhood memory.

Memory aside, it’s always a thrill to bring home the first box of “Christmas Oranges”, as my daughter refers to them. Cracking into them fills a room with a special kind of happiness only little orange packages can bring.

With clementines and cookies on my mind, it wasn’t too tough a decision to get that this biscotti would be the first cookie of the season.

Biscotti is a double baked, super crunchy cookie, perfect for packing in just about any flavour combination and, of course, dipping into mulled wine, coffee or nog.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT BISCOTTI WITH CANDIED CLEMENTINE

1/4 Cup Margarine
1 Cup Sugar
1 Banana, mashed well
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
10 Chestnuts, roasted

1 Tablespoon Candied Clementine Peel, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Water

Preheat the the oven to 400ºF.
Peel four clementines removing as much of the white pith from the rind as possible.
In a medium saucepan, dissolve the 1/2 Cup of the sugar in the 1/4 Cup water and bring to a low simmer over a medium heat setting.
Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the peels have soaked up much of the syrup, leaving them translucent.
Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet or parchment. Remove the candied peels with a slotted spoon and lay them on the rack to cool and dry.
Meanwhile, score the bottom of each chestnut with an “x”.
Lay the nuts “x” up in a baking pan and roast for 15 – 20 minutes, until the chestnuts open and are fragrant.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
With a hand or stand mixer, blend the margarine and banana until very smooth.
Add the sugar and continue to mix until creamy, scraping the sides as necessary.
Peel and chop the chestnuts.
Chop enough of the prepared peel to equal 1 tablespoon (or slightly more if your tastebuds can’t deny it.)
Add the nuts and peel to the batter.
Sift the cocoa, flour, salt and baking soda.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to form a firm dough.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment and remove the biscotti dough from the mixer bowl.
With dampened hands, shape the dough into a wide, shallow log about 9″x4″.
Bake for about 25 minutes, remove and reduce the oven again, to 300ºF.
Once the biscotti is cool enough to handle, use a serrated bread knife to slice the biscotti on a slight angle, about 3/4″ widthwise.
Lay the biscotti cut side down and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Flip and bake the other side for another 8 minutes or until the biscotti is very crisp and dry.

View this and other great shots this month in the Click contest. The theme is nuts. Do you think there will be other chestnuts?? It is the Holidays after all….

Thrusting from a vacation back into the continual chill known as November in my part of the world, rejolted my need for hibernation.

Part of this ritual naturally consists of no longer wanting to venture outside for long walks along the beach or having bird like meals made up of crunchy vegetables. Rib sticking, hearty, soft and warm is what I crave, and so what if all I want to do is have a nap afterward?

With my onslaught of deliciously sweet pumpkins awaiting my arrival, I’ve made my share of sweet treats. If anything, I’ve noticed from my humble, hearty gourds is that, as wonderful as pumpkin is with sugar and nutmeg, they go fantastically well with the acidic punch of a tomato. So in meeting my hibernation qualifications, I concocted this little twist on a traditional cheese stuffed manicotti.

So, after a bit of an absence, I’m about to check in with Ruth and my other Presto Pasta lover’s to see about the transition from salads to soups and sauces. I’m positive the round-up of dishes will be rib stickingly delicious, as usual.

PUMPKIN MANICOTTI

1 250g Box Manicotti, 14 pasta tubes
1 Package Firm Tofu
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes, optional
1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, packed
2 Cups Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin, or any good quality pumpkin, roasted
2 Cups Basic Tomato Sauce

Remove the seeds and roast the pumpkin at 350ºF, face down in a small amount of water to cover the bottom of the pan.
Roast the pumpkin for about 90 minutes or until tender.
Remove the pumpkin flesh from the skin and allow to sit in a colander to remove any excess moisture, until ready to use.
Set a large pot of water to boil, add the pasta and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes.
Drain then rinse the pasta and set aside for stuffing.
In large bowl, crumble the tofu into very small pieces.
Add the oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and nutritional yeast flakes, if using and mix well.
Rinse and dry the basil. Lay the leaves on top of one another and roll tightly to chop into thin chiffonade strips.
Combine the basil and pumpkin to the tofu mixture and using a spoon, stuff the waiting manicotti tubes.
Evenly spread about 1/2 of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and lay the finished, stuffed manicotti in a single layer.
Spread the remaining sauce over the top of the finished manicotti, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350ºF.
Remove the foil and bake, uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with additional thyme, nutritional yeast flakes or parmesan cheese to serve.

With autumn here it’s not to tough to find the cooler weather ingredients. As the farmer’s markets begin the preparation of shutting down for the winter, the fall finds and harvest colours are still filling the tables.

Since Jack-o-Lanterns aren’t very good for eating, I used the Jarrahdale pumpkin left from my day at the patch. Although I didn’t have to worry about the abundance of carving pumpkins flooding the market, I figure a butternut squash may also do in a pinch.

With winds blustering and my grocery bag full, I was set for anything including a challenge.
Upon making my dinner, I was quite excited to read of A Slice of Cherry Pie’s call for my same three ingredients. It seems that shopping locally and celebrating of seasonal food isn’t all that uncommon, so if you too found these great ingredients at your local market, you can check out her round up for this and other great recipes using these wonderful autumn finds.

PUMPKIN MUSHROOM & LEEK RISOTTO

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Leek, white and green part, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Dried Mushrooms, Chanterelle, Porcini or Portabella
2 3/4 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup Roasted Pumpkin*, diced
2 Tablespoons Dry Vermouth
1/3 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme leaves
1/4 Teaspoon Rosemary, finely minced

*The pumpkin I used was a Jarrahdale. Sweet and smooth, it’s also great for baking. It’s a medium to large pumpkin so I knew I would have leftovers.
To roast, half, seed and slice the pumpkin into 1″ crescents.
Lightly coat, spray with vegetable oil or put a small amount of water to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 1 1/2 hours at 350ºF or until soft and tender.
Remove the skin and roughly chop.

Heat the water and reconstitute the mushrooms for 15 – 20 minutes. Strain and reserve both the mushrooms and water.
Heat the oil in a medium stock pot.
Add the leek and garlic to soften; about 3 minutes.
Pour over the vermouth and cook for another 2 -3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
Add arborio, stirring to coat and toast for about 1 minute.
Pour over about 1 Cup of the strained liquid, stirring well until absorbed repeating with another cup and stirring.
Stir in the last of the water, salt, herbs and the cubed pumpkin.
Test the rice for tenderness, it should be al dente.
Chop and add reserved mushrooms.
Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serves 2.

Who knew that if given the choice, most grown-ups will avoid roasted parsnips and squash if they are served on their own? Made me happy, as I eyed the level of the dish near the end of dinner. I knew where these left over vegetables were going after the Thanksgiving dishes were done.

Funny thing, us people. Sure, presentation is important but so is how we connect with food. Being forced to eat sloppy, bitter, mashed squash as a kid might just hinder the most grown up of grown ups away from rediscovering it through a lifetime of hate. However, have a chilly autumn day and place a warm, satisfying soup in front of that same taster and you just might get an entirely different story.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CANNELLI BEANS & THYME

1/2 Baby Blue Hubbard Squash, approx. 1 1/2 Lbs, seeded
3 Carrots, 2 to roast, 1 to dice
1 Sweet Potato
5 Parsnips
1 Onion, Finely diced
1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped
6 Cloves garlic
6 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
10 – 12 Cups of Water
1 – 15 oz Can Cannellini or White Kidney Beans

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking dish or a small roasting pan with parchment paper.
Slice the seeded squash into wedges, 1″ thick.
Peel two of the carrots and the parsnips. Cut them into thirds and slice them in half.
Peel the sweet potato. Slice it in half, then cut it into 3/4″ pieces.
Peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole.
Add prepared vegetables to waiting roasting dish. Drizzle with 2 -3 tablespoons of olive oil, tossing to coat.
Top with 3 sprigs of thyme and cover the dish with foil, just before placing it in the oven.
Roast for about 50 – 60 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Once the vegetables have roasted and cooled, remove the peel from the squash.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot.
Add the diced onion, celery and last carrot.
Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the roasted vegetables, 2 sprigs of thyme and enough water to cover everything.
Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium heat.
Cook for about 30 minutes or until everything is well softened and incorporated.
Mix with an hand immersion blender.
Purée to your desired consistency, I left mine a bit on the chunky side.
Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Add beans and sprinkle remaining thyme leaves just prior to serving.